The South Alberta Hockey Academy's U18 team stands for O' Canada ahead of the Circle K Classic championship game on Jan. 1.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The South Alberta Hockey Academy focuses on growing its players on and off the ice.
On Monday, the Dunmore-based academy saw its own growth and development lead to a bigger program.
SAHA announced Monday it will add another team to its Canadian Sport School Hockey League roster, receiving approval to add a male U17 team beginning the 2023-24 school year.
The U17 team joins male and female U18 prep teams.
SAHA general manager Darren MacMillan says a lot of work takes place for a team like this to be put in place, and he is looking forward to it being another option for young hockey players to improve their skills.
“The bottom line is we can help kids have a natural pathway through school,” MacMillan said. “To keep those kids in Medicine Hat for another year as opposed to taking off to NAX or Edge in Grade 10 and then having to come back here in Grade 11. This allows a more natural pathway for their graduation and just keeps their education and graduation a little more in sync.”
SAHA was one of six CSSHL members granted new teams for 2023-24, with Coeur d’Alene Academy, Indigenous Sports Academy, North Shore Warriors, Notre Dame and Pacific Coast Hockey Academy each granted teams at different levels.
The male U17 team will train at the Big Marble Go Centre in Medicine Hat, where SAHA’s U18 programs both work out. The new team will be led by head coach Torrin White, who is an assistant coach with the SAHA male U18 team.
He was a first-round pick in the Western Hockey League where he played 260 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, representing Team Alberta at the Canadian Winter Games and Team Pacific at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. He played university hockey at the University of Lethbridge where he received a bachelor of management degree.
“I’m excited to have my own team and it’s something I’ve kind of always wanted to do,” White said.
White has been an assistant coach the past three seasons, working with U18 head coach Brayden Desjardins and fellow assistant Gavin Broadhead. He considers himself lucky having worked with them for a few years already, and looks to build off that experience with the new team and staff.
“We’ll continue working quite a bit with Brayden and Galvin and everyone, that part won’t change a whole lot,” White said. “But we’ll have to bring in a couple new staff members, which will be fun, and just get a chance to work with a different group of kids who are at a different point. They’re just coming out of U15 AAA and they’re going to get exposed to some pretty awesome stuff.
“I’m excited to kind of take the reins and build my own team.”
Both MacMillan and Desjardins say there was no surprise and no question that White was the guy for the job.
“He’s just so smart, how he reads the game, his feel and his relationships with players are something that is unmatched,” Desjardins said. “Obviously we’ll miss him on our bench too, it’s a big hole for our U18 team to fill but for the U17s to experience a coach who is as prepared and as detailed as Torrin is super exciting.
“It makes me feel super comfortable being able to work with somebody like him where if we ever have to bring guys in, they’re going to be more than prepared, so it’s exciting to get a guy like him.”
Recruitment for the new U17 male prep team begins later in the spring but until then it’s all about the U18 team and gearing up for the playoffs for White. He says it still hasn’t sunk in yet and likely won’t until this year is done but is looking forward to the new potential ahead.
“I’m excited to keep moving in the same direction, keep getting better and help the program achieve all that what we want to achieve,” White said.
