Nickerson Invited to Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp

The good news continues to pour in for our Mustang players.  Rookie defenceman Brendan Nickerson is one of 42 Bantam aged players invited from across Canada to Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp hosted by the NHLPA.

Mentorship Camp Selection Process

The NHLPA will be tapping a wide network of scouts and deploying their own hockey experts across the country to select 40 of the top bantam-aged players (36 forwards/defensemen and four goalies) in Canada.  The scouting process will be overseen by 21-year NHL star and Stanley Cup winner Gary Roberts. 

To be eligible for selection to the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp, players must be 14 years of age by December 31, 2010 (1996 birth year) and hold Canadian citizenship.

How the Mentorship Camp will be Run
 

The 40 All-Canadians will be flown to Toronto with a parent next August to spend four days interacting with NHL professionals, top hockey instructors and leading industry off-ice training experts. The purpose of the mentorship camp is to give these outstanding young people the tools, knowledge and direction that will help them thrive in the years ahead.

A series of on-ice and off-ice sessions will culminate in a special exhibition called the Red/White game--coached by NHL players--that will showcase these young stars before a national audience. The game will be streamed live on Allstate.All-Canadians.com and archived as a permanent showcase. Check this website in the coming months for announcements about when tickets for the game will be on sale.

What the Mentorship Camp will Cover

The mentorship camp will incorporate instruction in several important areas:

·         On-ice instruction skills and drills led by NHL stars and instructors

·         Specialized nutrition, strength and fitness programs developed by NHL great Gary Roberts

·         Sports psychology seminar provided by Paul Dennis, team psychologist with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past 20 years

·         Professional media training to help prepare these young players for the high-profile worlds of junior and college hockey that they will soon be entering

·         Roundtables led by various NHL stars and alumni on life lessons the game teaches as well as how to prepare and excel in life after hockey

·         Discussion on personal responsibility, values and the importance of community involvement

 

(TORONTO), June 7, 2011 /CNW/ - The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced today the names of 42 selected bantam-aged players who will participate in the first annual Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp.  Hosted by NHL players under the leadership of 21-year NHL veteran Gary Roberts, the invitation-only camp will be held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario from August 2 to 6, 2011.  The five-day camp will conclude with an inter-squad exhibition game on Saturday, August 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Since its launch in November 2010, the Allstate All-Canadians program (www.allstate.all-canadians.com) has enabled NHL players and leading experts to successfully reach hundreds of thousands of young athletes, parents and coaches at every age and skill level across the country through the web, grassroots initiatives and special events, for the purpose of mentoring and guiding the next generation of Canada's hockey youth.

"We are incredibly pleased with the grassroots success of the program for players of all skill levels over the past several months," said Mike Ouellet, Chief of Business Affairs for the NHLPA.  "Now we are looking forward to making a difference with a group of young players who have already been recognized in their own communities as elite prospects. A key goal of our camp is to help equip these athletes with information and tools to help them deal with the choices that lie immediately ahead in their hockey career plans.  Who better to do that than NHL players who have gone down the same road and who have valuable experience and advice to share?"

Players attending the mentorship camp, which would not be possible without the generous support of Allstate Canada, will receive important instruction both on and off the ice.  Classroom sessions will cover a variety of foundational topics such as nutrition, strength and fitness, sports psychology, financial responsibility and personal values. Parents will be invited to participate in selected sessions designed to equip families with the information they need to help make well-informed decisions.

"These young players and their families will learn how to strategically prepare to play hockey," said Gary Roberts.  "We will emphasize how important it is to make a commitment to fitness, nutrition and mental development if they want to achieve longevity at an elite level.  Today's game is played at such a high level that these young players need every edge they can find to be successful.  We're going to show them how to get that edge early in their development."

"One of the key differentiators of the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp is the life lessons these young players will learn from today's stars and leading industry experts, including leadership, teamwork, perseverance and resilience," said Chris Kiah, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allstate Canada. "While not every young player is going to reach his ultimate hockey dream, many will take a place among the leaders of tomorrow in many different parts of Canadian society."

Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp Player Selections by Region

British Columbia          
Jake Virtanen - Abbotsford, BC        
Payton Lee - Cranbrook, BC
Ryan Gropp -  Kamloops, BC        
Joe Hicketts - Kamploops, BC
Josh Thrower - Squamish, BC                      

Alberta          
Ty Mappin - Big Valley, AB        
Duke Reid - Calgary, AB
Tanner MacMaster - Calgary, AB        
Brayden Point - Calgary, AB
Brycen Martin - Calgary, AB        
Derek Mazil - Calgary, AB
Jordan Papirny - Edmonton, AB        
Conner Bleackley - High River, AB           

Saskatchewan          
Ryan Pilon - Duck Lake, SK        
Reid Gardiner - Humbolt, SK
Miles Warkentine - Melfort, SK        
Jordan Harris - Prince Albert, SK
Collin Shirley - Saskatoon, SK                      

Manitoba          
Jordan Thomson - Wawanesa, MB                     

Ontario        
Aaron Ekblad - Belle River, ON        
David Miller - Burlington, ON
Liam Herbst - Etobicoke, ON            
Roland McKeown - Etobicoke, ON
Eric Cornel - Kemptville, ON            
Robert Fabbri - Mississauga, ON
Brett Hargrave - North Bay, ON         
Damian Bourne - Oakville, ON
Brook Hiddink - St. Thomas, ON       
Jacob Middleton - Stratford, ON
Jared McCann - Stratford, ON           
Josh Ho-Sang - Thornhill, ON
Michael Dal Colle - Woodbridge, ON                     

Quebec          
Nicola Hebert - Ancienne-Lorette, QC        
Daniel Audette - Blainville, QC
Keven Bouchard - Métabetchouan (Lac-St-Jean), QC
Alexis Pepin - Montreal Region, QC
Julio Billia - Montreal Region, QC        
Maxime Chevalier - Quebec City Region, QC
Timothe Simard - Richelieu Region, QC        
Jonathan Deschamps - Trois-Riviere Region, QC             

Nova Scotia        
Matthew Highmore - Dartmouth, NS        
Brendan Nickerson - Shelbourne County, NS


Congrats Brendan and enjoy the camp!!