Alberta Pro Hockey's 2011 spring team is operating as a Gold team this year. Boasting a strong coaching staff with decades of experience and talented young athletes from across HSL, PHL and minor hockey, they'll be attending three tournaments across Alberta.
Jon Sexsmith - Head Coach
After playing 6 winters of no scoreboard no referee half ice hockey a group of 2011 born Northsiders applied to the HSL in an effort to chase real hockey. The thirst for real hockey games, real full ice practices was unbearable. Something needed to change. A miracle happened and the Northside Mafia was awarded a franchise in the HSL and our 2011’s were in the big leagues! We hired a non parent coaching staff headed by 30 year hockey Alberta high performance head coach John Sexsmith and we hit the ground running.
Playing full ice real hockey for the first time ever against most teams that had been playing full ice for years by this time. It was hard! We won our second game of the year to move to 1-1 and we were 4-21 at Christmas. We got pounded a lot and badly. We couldn’t be happier. It was everything minor hockey wasn’t. It was organized with our season schedule going out to everyone in early September. It was full of skills sessions with all of our skills partners, many team practices with coach John all while keeping the costs down for families with an emphasis on skill development.
We finished 9th out of 9 teams in the 2011 minor division and played the first place O2 Grizzlies who finished 1st in the league, in our first playoff game. It was 0-0 after the first period of the playoff game in the bustling metropolis that is Mundare and it was intense! You could hear a pin drop! They ended up beating us, of course, which took us to our second playoff game versus Riggers - as it turned out with the math of it all - if we won we would play in a semi final. It was 3-3 after 2 periods and we were hanging in there but they ended up winning. Mafia was out. Season was over. We couldn’t have been more proud of our players!
Into spring and with a bit of roster tinkering for our winter season, we hit the ice for Year 2 ;with the Northside Mafia switching our name to Alberta Pro Hockey. Now, more ready for what we were going to face, we battled hard right to the end and turned our 4-28 inaugural season into a 17-15-2 record and we lost in the league semi final 4-3 to our arch-rival Northstars who won the league the next day - Getting closer we were.
On to another spring season which led to our last year eligible to play in the HSL. We again improved our roster a hair and went 21-9-2 to finish in second place right on the heels of the first place Spartans. This time we beat the Northstars in the league semis for our first ever franchise win versus the Northstars spanning over two winter and two spring seasons. We finally slayed the dragon and now it was time to face the Spartans for the league championship. A hard fought battle ended in a 3-1 defeat but again we could not be more proud. From 4-28 to the league championship game in 3 seasons.
Into another spring season of APH and off into first year bantam hockey we had 6 of our 2011’s play in the JPHL, a couple more make bantam AAA as first year u15’s in the AEHL.
The HSL was everything any of us could have ever hoped for. A schedule that worked providing a good balance, given to families well in advance of the season starting so they could plan, Top shelf skill development with top shelf skills partners, non parent coaching staff and the real full ice hockey experience. The HSL refereeing was incredible. The showcases were awesome. All while keeping the costs down for families. There is literally no downside to the HSL model.
Our franchises flagship 2011 team was proof of what this development focused model can do for young athletes that are willing to put in the work with big smiles on their faces!