Calgary Hockey Magazine Spring 2026

SPRING 2026

MESSAGE FROM THE

PUBLISHER

Welcome to our final edition of the Calgary Hockey Magazine for the 2025-26 season!

In this issue, we have a special feature on young hockey phenom Landon DuPont, who made history by being the first Exceptional Status defenseman in WHL history. DuPont went on to be drafted first overall in the 2024 prospect draft by the Everett Silvertips. DuPont has not disappointed, and in his first WHL season, he led the WHL in points for rookie players. This season, he’s averaging over a point per game on defense, with the top team in the WHL.

We have a feature on another Calgary area player, PWHL forward Sarah Wozniewicz from the Ottawa Charge. Wozniewicz played her minor hockey in Cochrane, and progressed up the ranks, playing with the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, and was named the CSSHL Female Prep Most Valuable Player in 2019-20. Wozniewicz went on to play for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, helping the team win two NCAA Division 1 championships (2023 and 2025), before being drafted by the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL.

We’re pleased to include a feature on Bruce Ritchie, who has been part of the Calgary Hitmen organization since its near beginning. Ritchie has been the P.A. Announcer for the Hitmen since the 1996-97 season, and he takes a lot of pride in getting all the players names pronounced correctly. As Ritchie pointed out in his interview with Senior Writer Jeremy Freeborn, “My philosophy since day one has always been if these kids work hard enough to get to this level, then I owe it to them to get their name right.”

Our final article of this edition, is a feature on the South Central Alberta Inline Hockey League (SCAIHL), and the success of the Calgary Outlaws, who won the Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League championship. That’s all for this edition, so until next hockey season, best wishes to everyone for spring and summer, and see you in the fall! 10177 -

ROB SUGGITT I Publisher

Calgary Hockey Magazine

President & Publisher: Rob Suggitt

Graphic Designer: Kate Suggitt

Contributing Writer: Jeremy Freeborn

Copy Editing: Michele Suggitt

Sales Associate: Jeremy Freeborn

Accounting Manager: Amber-Lea Grmek

Cover Photo Provided By: Evan Morud Photography

Photography Credits: Evan Morud Photography

The PWHL

SC Parker Photography All Rights Reserved® - The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed within do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, ie. electronic, mechanical, photocopied or otherwise recorded without the prior written permission of the publisher. www.suggitt.com

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DUPONT LANDON

A STAR IN THE MAKING

BY JEREMY FREEBORN

We have heard about Landon DuPont for about three years now. During the 2023-24 Canadian Sport School Hockey League season, there was a 14-year-old defenseman playing with players on the Edge Mountaineers’ U18 Prep Team.

What we saw from this 14-year-old was something the league had never seen before. DuPont not only held his own against players three years older than him, he was the best player on the ice. Remarkable offensive statistics came night in and night out. By looking at the statistics one would assume he was a forward. Nope. DuPont was dominating the CSSHL with 62 points in 30 games as a defenseman! He ended the CSSHL that year third overall in league scoring.

The comparisons have already been made. Could DuPont literally be the next Bobby Orr? Is it too early to make comparisons between Dupont and Paul Coffey or Cale Makar?

The answer is simply no. The bottom line is very few players have had this much success statistically as a defenseman in some of the best minor hockey leagues in the country. As a result, Landon is the projected first overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

During the 2023-24 season, Eric Francis of Rogers Sportsnet took time away from his duties covering the Calgary Flames to feature Dupont while he was playing at the Circle K Classic (previously known as the Mac’s Midget Hockey Tournament). In his column, he called Dupont “western Canada’s next young sensation,” and in a text sent to me last month, Francis stated the following:

“The poise this young man has possessed while playing against kids much older continues to amaze. But when you chat with him, you understand there’s a maturity there that helps make it all possible. ”

At the time, I attended the same game as Francis. I went in not knowing a single thing about DuPont. I was invited because a close friend’s son knew players on the Mountaineers. I was more focused on Calgary’s Luke Vlooswyk (who is Landon’s teammate with the Everett Silvertips), and the son of Canadian long drive golf sensation Lisa Longball. It wasn’t until watching the Flames broadcast against the Seattle Kraken that night that I found out that there was a 14-year-old playing at Max Bell Arena that day!

Praise needs to be given to DuPont from his play that December morning. He simply did not look out of place and assisted on the game’s opening goal in a 5-3 Mountaineers win against the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.

After Dupont’s domination at Edge School, it came as no surprise that he was the WHL’s first pick in the 2024 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft by the Everett Silvertips. He was selected as an underaged player and is only the second player in WHL history to be granted exceptional player status and be allowed to play in the WHL at age 15. The first was Connor Bedard.

In his first 116 WHL games, DuPont has 32 goals and 81 assists for 113 points. He is averaging almost a point per game in the WHL at only age 16! With those kind of numbers you wonder why Team Canada did not give DuPont an automatic entry to the Canadian National Junior Team this past Christmas? That folks, is a story for another day.

On February 24, I was able to connect with Landon after a Silvertips practice. I quickly found out about the “maturity” and “poise” that Francis was talking about.

Landon got involved in the game of hockey through his father Micki. Also a defenseman, Micki played four NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. Micki also played 14 professional seasons in Europe (seven each in Germany and Switzerland), and four seasons for the Kamloops Blazers (where he was the 1999-2000 Canadian Hockey League Defenseman of the Year). He also was the 2001 Calder Cup champion with the Saint John Flames and 2012 Spengler Cup champion with Team Canada.

It is clear the connection between father and son is very close. Landon explains the things he has learned.

“Be a hard worker and be humble. Those two things are pretty big in my family. My parents always made sure my brother (Nolan) and I stuck to those two things on and off the ice.”

When asked who has been the coach that Landon has learned the most from, he explained it was his current coach with the Silvertips, Steve Hamilton. It should be noted that Steve Hamilton has strong connections to Alberta. The Edmonton native is the son of former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Al Hamilton, and coached The Calgary Hitmen from 2018 to 2024

WHAT WE SAW FROM THIS 14-YEAR-OLD WAS SOMETHING THE LEAGUE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE. DUPONT NOT ONLY HELD HIS OWN AGAINST PLAYERS THREE YEARS OLDER THAN HIM, HE WAS THE BEST PLAYER ON THE ICE.

“

“He is such a good communicator, and has been super awesome for me. I am super grateful to have him.”

Growing up, Landon actually wanted to be a forward, however Micki was insistent he play defense. Landon begrudgingly learned how to play the defense position from his father. It is fair to say ‘fathers know best.’ In the last two years in the WHL, Landon has been an amazing +80.

Landon’s two favourite defensemen along the way have been Drew Doughty and Cale Makar. You could make the argument that Doughty and Makar have been among the best Canadian NHL defensemen over the last 15 years.

From the ages four to 11, Landon played minor hockey in Europe, while his dad played professional hockey for the Kloten Flyers and Berlin Polar Bears. Upon his return to Calgary, Landon played for the Spartan Hockey Academy and then Edge School.

Landon’s most notable individual achievements along the way include being a tournament All-Star at the 2019 Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament at West Edmonton Mall (five goals and five assists for 10 points in six games), leading all defensemen in scoring at the 2024 Circle K Classic (five goals and four assists for nine points in five games), four assists in four games at the 2024 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario, four points in five games at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia and Slovakia, and being named the Canadian Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 2024-25.

It is clear in speaking with Landon, it is all about the team. In 2023-24, DuPont won the CSSHL championship with Edge.

Landon loves his time in Everett. He was thrilled to be the WHL’s first overall pick in 2024.

“It was awesome. Two years ago, I didn’t really know what to expect heading into Everett. Looking back at it, I am so grateful, and so lucky to be drafted by such a great organization. The coaches and players have been great.”

Last season, Landon enjoyed his postseason time with the Silvertips. Everett beat the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games in the first round, before losing in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals to the Portland Winterhawks. Landon loved playing in so many meaningful hockey games. Of the 13 playoff games the Silvertips played, five games went to overtime.

In 2025-26, the Silvertips are the best team in the Western Hockey League. They have an amazing record of 47-7-3 and have 97 points, four more points than the second place Prince Albert Raiders.

At the moment, Landon continues to be humble. When asked if he could be the next Cale Makar, he says the following:

2. 3. 4. 1.

“I would probably tell them, Cale Makar is pretty good. It would be a dream to be half the player he is right now. I look up to him, and I watch him play every night. It is my dream to be like him.”

At this time, Landon is working on his physicality and play without the puck to be a better hockey player. He feels his strengths on the ice are his speed and hockey IQ.

Right now, the 2027 NHL Draft is not Landon’s focus. He is zoned on doing whatever it takes to help the Silvertips win the 2026 Memorial Cup.

Landon at a spring hockey tournament in Winnipeg with his Calgary Spartan team: “2017 North American Hockey Classic AAA Champions”

Landon at the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in 2019.

SARAH WOZNIEWICZ

THE PWHL’s BREAKOUT STAR

BY JEREMY FREEBORN

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is still in its relative infancy. The league is only in its third year, but is generating significant momentum. The league has been taken seriously by mainstream media, and the majority of games in the league can now be seen on television. After decades where women’s hockey players struggled in trying to make a living playing professional hockey, we have seen definite progression in recent years. Los Angeles Dodgers majority owner and Los Angeles Lakers majority owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra have collectively made a generous financial contribution to women’s hockey in creating the PWHL, and in the process have provided opportunities to many highperformance female hockey players.

One of the players in the league that is making the most of this opportunity hails from Cochrane. After an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, Sarah Wozniewicz is now a forward for the Ottawa Charge. In her rookie PWHL season, she has even found her way on to the Charge’s number one line.

During the PWHL’s Olympic break, I had the opportunity to speak to Sarah about her hockey career to date.

Sarah’s parents did not have a hockey background. Her mother was from Scotland, and her father was from Pennsylvania. By growing up in Cochrane, it seemed like hockey was the sport everyone played. Sarah’s brother Eric was the first in the family to play hockey. Sarah’s interest in the sport piqued immediately and begged her mother to give her a try at hockey. Sarah’s parents agreed, and she progressed rapidly through the hockey ranks.

Initially while playing in novice and atom on a boys team, Sarah was on defense. Then when Sarah started playing with girls, she was moved from defense to forward.

Among the teams Sarah has played for along the way have been the Cochrane Rockies (novice and atom), the Bow Valley Timberwolves (pee wee), the Rocky Mountain Raiders (pee wee), the Olds Grizzlys (bantam), and the Edge School Mountaineers.

While at Edge, Wozniewicz put up outstanding offensive statistics. In 69 Canadian Sport School Hockey League games, Wozniewicz had 107 points. She was also the CSSHL Female Prep Top Freshman in 2018-19, and the CSSHL Female Prep Most Valuable Player in 2019-20. During the 2019-20 season, Wozniewicz also guided Edge School to its only Female U18 Prep Division One Championship in school history.

“Edge was so awesome,” recalls Wozniewicz. “Carla (MacLeod) was my coach. Which is crazy because she is now my coach in Ottawa. Just the people there and all the people around me helped me and got me to where I wanted to go. They were so supportive and knew when to push me harder. All the people and all my classmates, I am such good friends with everyone there. We are such a tight knit group of students. The facilities there are great for being in high school. I got to go on the ice all the time, and shoot pucks whenever I wanted to. I could workout whenever, and they helped me get there.”

From Edge, Wozniewicz went to the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers had shown interest in Wozniewicz for many years.

“I didn’t know that was an option honestly. I went down there one summer and attended their camps. I was blown away by all of their facilities. Mark Johnson was their coach, and he was an amazing coach. He was a great hockey player. I just watched his documentary. Everything was first class, and they treat you first class.”

Mark Johnson has a Calgary connection. His father Bob was the head coach of the Calgary Flames from 1982 to 1987. I told Sarah I remembered Bob would always wear sweaters behind the bench while coaching, and asked Sarah if Mark wears sweaters too. He apparently does not.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is still in its relative infancy. While with the Badgers, Wozniewicz delivered an impressive resume. It included winning two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Championships (2023 and 2025), being named to the 2022 Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie Team, and scoring the game-winning goal of the 2025 WCHA Championship game in dramatic fashion. In a 4-3 Badgers win over the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, Wozniewicz scored the game-winning goal from Casey O’Brien and Lacey Eden with 25 seconds left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie. This was arguably the biggest goal Wozniewicz has had in her hockey career to date.

When asked about her initial university experience at Wisconsin, Wozniewicz stated the following, “Coming in as a rookie at university, you are trying to pump your team anyway you can. (University hockey) is a big jump from high school. Winning the (NCAA Division I) championships were probably the best moments in my hockey career. It was amazing I got to experience that and do it twice in college was such a great feeling. The first year we won (beat Ohio State in the final 1-0), our team was ranked eighth. It was so cool. Then last year, we

came back in regular time and won it in ot (beat Ohio State again in the final, 4-3). It was such an amazing feeling to win again.”

Wozniewicz was thrilled to be drafted by the Charge in the third round (21st overall) of the 2025 PWHL Draft because of the familiarity factor. She is accustomed to playing for MacLeod, and knows her expectations.

“She puts such a big emphasis on being great people, and coming together as a team to play for each other. It is all about the team, and is never about the I. It makes me want to work way harder, because you are working hard for your teammates to succeed.”

One of Wozniewicz’s teammates is Team Canada superstar and twotime Olympic gold medalist Brianne Jenner. Wozniewicz talks about how fortunate it has been not just to call Jenner a teammate, but a linemate too.

“She is so awesome, cool, calm and collected in all situations. She is such a great leader. I look up to her lots. I have learned so many things from being her linemate. I am so lucky to play with her.”

In 2019, Wozniewicz won a gold medal for Alberta in women’s hockey at the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer. In six games, Wozniewicz had four goals and one assist for five points. Her biggest goal was an overtime winner in the semifinal game, in a 2-1 Alberta win over British Columbia. On the international level, Wozniewicz won a silver medal for Canada at the 2020 World Under 18 Championship in Slovakia.

For those who have dreams of playing in the PWHL, Wozniewicz has the following response.

“Keep working hard. Dreams do come true. Work hard, but have fun. Playing hockey is about having fun. When you have fun, you will push harder and be better.”

This season Wozniewicz would love to win the Walter Cup, and is ready to play in any role she is asked.

BRUCE RITCHIE

30 YEARS AS THE CALGARY HITMEN PA ANNOUNCER

BY JEREMY FREEBORN

The Calgary Hitmen have been in the Western Hockey League for over three decades. One person who has been with the Hitmen since year two is public address announcer Bruce Ritchie. You may not know Bruce’s face, but you would recognize his voice if you are a frequent visitor to the Scotiabank Saddledome for junior hockey. Behind the microphone, Ritchie is the one who identifies players when they score a goal or get sent to the sin bin. He is also the one who gives various announcements when required and informs fans when there is one minute left in each period.

Bruce tells me how meaningful it has been to be the p.a. announcer of the Hitmen since 1996.

“It means a lot,” stated Ritchie. “I never would have thought 30 years ago I would still be here for 30 years. I think I have been able to do the job competently, and I think I can still do that after 30 years. That means a lot to me.”

In terms of a particular moment in time that stood out over all the rest, Ritchie says it was the first few years with the hockey club. For three straight seasons from 1998 to 2000, the Hitmen were Central Division champions. In 1999, the Hitmen won the Western Hockey League championship, winning the President’s Cup (now called the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in five games over the Kamloops Blazers. The Hitmen then went on to play in the Memorial Cup final in Ottawa, Ontario. In a dramatic Canadian Hockey League championship game, the Hitmen lost 7-6 to the Ottawa 67’s on a game-winning goal by Matt Zultek of Mississauga, Ontario.

(Sidenote: Zultek never played in the National Hockey League. However, he is an answer to a great trivia question. Zultek ended up being one of the two draft picks the Los Angeles Kings received from the St. Louis Blues when the Kings traded Wayne Gretzky to St. Louis on February 27, 1996).

“My first year with the Hitmen was the 1996-97 season and they were really bad,” recalls Ritchie. “The third year nothing was expected of us, and we made the Conference Final (before losing in five games to the Brandon Wheat Kings). However, it was the beginning of something special. 1998-99 was the Memorial Cup year. In the first five years of the franchise, nobody expected anything from us. You are always romantic of years past. The 1998-99 season was my fondest memory.”

Something Ritchie needs to be commended for is his consistency and accuracy. He puts a lot of emphasis on getting the pronunciation of all of the players’s names correct. Ritchie is familiar with all of the Hitmen players every season, but he is unfamiliar with visiting teams that maybe only have one appearance every couple of seasons to Calgary. Ritchie still makes every effort to know the players on the ice.

“My philosophy since day one has always been if these kids work hard enough to get to this level, then I owe it to them to get their name right,” says Ritchie. “I do pronunciation checks with our play-by-play

guys, and the opposition play-by-play guys. I do whatever is necessary to get the names right. I feel the pressure to get the name right. When I occasionally don’t, I feel bad about that.”

Ritchie’s favourite Hitmen player over the years was centre Brad Moran, who is now the Hitmen’s assistant coach. Moran played five seasons with the Hitmen from 1995 to 2000, and had 340 points over the last three seasons. He is the Hitmen all-time leading scorer in goals (204), assists (246), and points (450).

“Brad to me personified everything that I love about a hockey player,” explains Ritchie. “On the ice he had a great shot. He had great vision on the ice. More so than that he is a great leader, and there were no big celebrations from Brad. He was undrafted heading into major junior, and received a walk-on tryout. In every step in Brad’s journey, people would say ‘he was a great junior hockey player, but would never make the American League or the NHL’. Brad went on to excel in the AHL (eight seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, Manitoba Moose and Oklahoma City Barons), and played three seasons in the NHL (Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks). He didn’t have a long stay in the NHL, but did make the NHL. Brad fought his way to the next level, and was the ultimate underdog story.”

BRUCE RITCHIE WITH HIS JUNIOR ANNOUNCER, LUCAS, AT THE CALGARY HITMEN ANNUAL TELUS “BE BRAVE” ANTI BULLYING GAME.

I never would have thought 30 years ago I would still be here for 30 years. I think I have been able to do the job competently, and I think I can still do that after 30 years. That means a lot to me.

“

One of the most favourite moments on the Hitmen calendar is the Teddy Bear Toss. Bruce discusses his memories of this special annual event.

“The Teddy Bear Toss is one of a kind, and has simply been bigger and better as the years go by. It brings a lot of people to the Saddledome that would not normally come to a hockey game. I think it is great for the players to play in front of 17,000 fans. The cause is obviously good. It brings out 25,000 to 30,000 teddy bears each year, and goes to a great cause. From my perspective, it is fun, it is loud, it is noisy, and it is busy.”

How did Ritchie get into broadcasting? He started when he was in high school in British Columbia, and could not play on his high school basketball team because of an injury. So, Ritchie’s coach asked him if we would like to broadcast the games. Ritchie agreed, and did an admirable job. His high school basketball coach was also the school councillor, and encouraged Bruce to pursue broadcasting as a career.

At the time, Ritchie thought he would follow in his parents’ footsteps and be a teacher. After further thought, he decided to apply to the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Ritchie was accepted into BCIT, spent one year in the program, and then got hired at a radio station in Vernon.

Initially, all Ritchie wanted to do was sports broadcasting. He soon realized there were a lack of opportunities in the field. Instead, Ritchie applied as a radio disc jockey. Ritchie got jobs in Langley, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Regina, before moving to Calgary in 1996. While in Calgary, Ritchie worked at KISS FM, Rock 97, and Lite 96 from 1996 to 2012.

From a hockey perspective, Ritchie did colour commentary for the New Westminster Bruins of the WHL. He later did the public address announcing for the Langley Eagles of the BCHL and later the Bruins. When Ritchie moved to Calgary, he was asked to be the p.a. announcer of the Hitmen. On occasion, Ritchie is the p.a. announcer of the Flames. He subs in for Beasley.

For those who have dreams of being a sports broadcaster, Ritchie has the following message.

“You have to be very patient. Find a mentor. He or she does not need to be a big star. Find someone that works in the industry that you want. Ask questions and be prepared to put in the necessary time and effort. There is not a lot of money to begin with. At some point, you are going to have to make the decision if you are going to continue in the long haul, or you would rather pursue money. The two of them do not coincide until much later.”

At 62 years of age, Bruce knows he is in the “twilight era” of his broadcasting career. He is the p.a. announcer for the Hitmen in the winter and umpires baseball in the summer. Bruce has had a remarkable impact on the hockey industry in Calgary and deserves recognition for being a broadcasting legend!

ASHER GODSOE

AGE: 12 YEARS PLAYED: 4

CURRENT TEAM: NW WARRIORS TIER 3

USUAL POSITION: LEFT WING

FAVOURITE HOCKEY TEAM: EDMONTON OILERS

FAVOURITE HOCKEY PLAYER: ALEX OVECHKIN

ROLE MODEL: MY GRANDFATHER, WHO TAUGHT ME ABOUT

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: HOCKEY, VIDEO GAMES & COOKING

FAVOURITE HOCKEY MEMORY:

ROLLER

HOCKEY ALBERTA Thriving IN SOUTHERN

BY JEREMY FREEBORN

For over a century, when most Canadians say “hockey”, ice hockey comes to mind instantly. The sport is ingrained in the fabric of our culture, and a significant part of our identity. However, there are other options available. One of them is roller hockey, which has gained significant momentum in recent years with the Calgary Roller Hockey League and the South Central Alberta Inline Hockey League.

This winter, I had the opportunity to speak to SCAI Hockey League President Nick Ruigrok to find out why there is so much excitement centering around roller hockey at this time. There are currently 409 roller hockey participants in the Calgary/Okotoks region, who are members of the SCAI Hockey League.

This past summer, the Calgary Outlaws won the Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League championship. In the championship game, the Outlaws defeated the Sherwood Park Archers 2-1 on a game-winning goal in overtime by Mark Rassell. It was a tremendous season for Rassell, as he led the league with 25 goals.

Ruigrok gave Calgary Hockey Magazine insight into why he was so pleased with the Outlaws team.

“The season before this, the team did not make the playoffs,” recalled Ruigrok. “They really struggled to get commitment out of the players. We jumped in and encouraged them to come together as a family, and they battled from day one.

They bought in to everything that we asked. Their passion for the game was unbelievable. They went from not having a chance of making the playoffs the year before to winning the championship game in overtime. They overcame every obstacle, supported each other, and grew as a family.”

The championship title was very special for Ruigrok to witness.

“My son Josh is the goalie, and I have seen the progression of Josh and his teammates since they were four or five years old. Josh is now 26. To be a part of that, and see at that age that they are still so excited of winning a championship just crushed me. It was amazing.”

There are currently six teams in the Alberta Pro Hockey League. The Outlaws and Archers are joined by the Red Deer Reign, Fort Saskatchewan Wolf Pack, Edmonton Panthers and Red Deer Predators. The Calgary Outlaws team name may sound familiar. That was the same name of Calgary’s entry of the old Canadian Baseball League in 2003. It just so happened I was the FAN 960 beat reporter for the team at the time, and had the opportunity to interview Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins.

While growing up in southern Alberta, Josh played many other sports. They included ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer. Nick explains why Josh likes roller hockey so much.

“The atmosphere of this game is so different than ice hockey,” states Nick. “There is a different strategy. It is more about possession. They are actually higher scoring games. In ice hockey, goalies can do a toe pick slide from east to west. In roller hockey, they have floppy plates on the inside of the goalie pads so they cannot slide.”

“Once goalies go down in butterfly, they are done (on the play). It racks my brain why these kids love it so much. Ice hockey games can be 5-3 or 4-0. In roller hockey, they mercy at 8-0. They are higher scoring games. As a goalie, you would think it would be more deflating, but it’s not. Goaltenders love the game, and they love the ability to play the puck more. He has always had a passion for it.”

When asked if someone should choose roller hockey over ice hockey, Ruigrok offers the following response.

“I don’t know if you would ever choose roller hockey over ice hockey completely. During the spring, I think the kids need a break from the monotony of the structure of ice hockey. Spring hockey is cost prohibitive. At the last few NHL Drafts, multi-sport athletes have done very well. Roller hockey allows more confidence with the puck, more time and space, more possession, and more creative thinking.”

“Roller hockey still aligns with ice hockey. It is a beautiful partnership, and is not as aggressive as lacrosse. Roller hockey is no-contact without icing and offsides. It is a fast paced game, and is a great compliment to ice hockey. It’s a game of cycling and attacking at pivotal moments. It’s not just heading north and get the puck at the net, which a lot of ice hockey structure really is. When you are expected to play ice hockey every day, they get worn out and the players become robotic. Their passion and love for the game dies off. This is meant to be fun, structure and confidence building, because you don’t throw the puck away like lacrosse. Athletes today need a break from year round hockey.”

Calgary has a rich history of roller hockey that Ruigrok is aware of. The Calgary Roller Hockey League began in the 1990s, and Calgary Hockey Magazine readers above the age of 40 may remember the Calgary Rad’z of the Roller Hockey International League, which played at the Olympic Saddledome and Max Bell Arena during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. There were three former NHL players who played for the Rad’z. They were former Calgary Flames goaltender Doug Dadswell, former Winnipeg Jets left winger Morris Lukowich and former Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Bob Wilkie, who is a Calgary native.

There are opportunities for girls to play roller hockey in southern Alberta because SCAI is co-ed. Ruigrok really wants to help grow female roller hockey too.

Players who are part of SCAI also have a chance to play internationally in tournaments in California. The North American Roller Hockey Championship, also known as NARCh, has 380 teams involved.

At the present time, Ruigrok is thrilled in developing the progression of roller hockey in southern Alberta. He knows there is a challenging task ahead of him because there are so many different options to try for people interested in participating in sport. Ruigrok has incredible passion for roller hockey and is excited to help build the sport.

PENALTY CALL SIGNALS

PRESENTED BY REFEREE ELLIOT SPRATLIN

BOARDING

PHOTOS BY SC PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY

BODY CHECKING

BUTT ENDING CHARGING CHECKING FROM BEHIND

CHECKING TO THE HEAD CROSS CHECKING ELBOWING HIGH STICKING HOLDING

HOOKING

INTERFERENCE KNEEING MISCONDUCT ROUGHING

SLASHING SPEARING TRIPPING UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT