• Brendan has been named to play for the WHL in the Subway Series against Team Russia prior to the world Junior Tournament.  Brendan is the first PAC player to participate in this series and he will be in the lineup for  the first game being shown on TSN November 16^th.   Brendan is in his 4^th year with the Spokane Chiefs and was drafted to the NHL this year in the 5^th round by the New York Islanders.

• Thomas won gold as part of the Team Alberta U16 squad participating in the Western Canadian U16 Challenge Cup.  Thomas is currently playing with the Raiders Midget AAA team after having played 2 years with the PAC Saints Bantam AAA’s.

Parkland Athlectic Club is pleased to announce that Floform is now the tiltle sponsor for the Midget AA Saints for the 2011 -2012 season. We appreciate their support and ask all members to support our sponsors.

Please follow this link to Floform www.floform.com

Parkland Athlectic Club is pleased to announce that Ramp Interactive is now a major sponsor for the Bantam AAA Saints for the 2011 -2012 season. We appreciate their support and ask all members to support our sponsors.

Please follow this link to Ramp Interactive www.rampinteractive.com

Parkland Athlectic Club is pleased to announce that Elite Sportswear will be the tiltle sponsor for the Minor Midget AAA Saints for the 2011 -2012 season. We appreciate their support and ask all members to support our sponsors.

Please follow this link to Elite Sportswear www.elitesportswear.com

Parkland Athlectic Club is pleased to welcome back T.I.G. Insrurance as the title sponsor for the Bantam AAA Saints for the 2011 - 2012 season. This is the third season that T.I.G. has been the Bantam AAA title sponsor.  We appreciate their support and ask all members to support our sponsors.

Please follow this link to TIG Insurance www.theinsuranceguys.com

Congratulation to Brenden Kichton for being selected by the New York Islanders in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft!!

Local SGMH and PAC grad goes to Islanders

By Gord Montgomery
Sports Editor, Spruce Grove Examiner
 

For local minor hockey product Brenden Kichton, the dream has come true - at least so far.
The graduate of the Grove minor hockey and PAC systems was in attendance at the XCel Energy Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota, to hear his name called out by the New York Islanders on June 25. “It was just a dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for anything more really, than to hear my name called out,” Kichton, who has skated with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL for the last three years, said on the phone from the draft site. Kichton said he thought he may have heard his name announced a bit earlier than it actually was, 127th overall in the fifth round, but he didn’t care one way or the other. All he wanted was to be chosen by a pro club who will give him a shot at playing in the big leagues. “I actually expected to go a littler earlier than that, like in the third round, but I’m still ecstatic with what happened and I’m excited.” Part of the reason the Grove minor hockey product possibly slid down the draft ladder a bit may have been the result of an early season hand injury. Despite that, he had a solid year when he returned to the Chiefs’ lineup, accounting for 81 points (23g-58a) which led the league for blue line scoring. He topped that off by finishing the year with an astounding +55 rating, the third-best plus/minus ratio in the league. The defenceman said he’d talked with a number of teams prior to the draft and while he eventually ended up in the eastern U.S., he thought he might be going elsewhere in that framework of NHL cities. “Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were talking more to me,” he said of pre-draft scouting and meetings. “As far as the Islanders, they only talked to me once throughout the year so I was a little surprised they took me. ”After being chosen, Kichton said of the Islanders, “They told me they liked the fact I put up points in the Western League and that I was a puck-moving d-man. They said they couldn’t be happier and they loved the way I played.” The local product added he’ll be content to go back to Spokane next year and work on a few game skills as well as getting a bit bigger. “I need to get stronger and put on some weight to battle in the corners. That’s the major thing I need to work on,” he reported. Saying he only wanted chance at a pro hockey career, Kichton noted he didn’t have any particular NHL team he wanted to go to. “Anywhere was fine,” he said. “I just wanted to get the opportunity somewhere to show what I could do.” Kichton said kids in the Grove can obtain what he has by sticking to a game plan. “Just keep working hard and follow your dreams. If you’re dedicated it can come true.” And by doing that as these two local products have, more young players from here may eventually hear their names called at some future date on what could be called D-Day in the best hockey league in the world.