42 players announced for All-Canadians National Camp

Press Release

Toronto, Ontario (June 5, 2012) - The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced today the names of 42 selected bantam-aged players who will participate in the second 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 July 17 to 21, 2012. The intensive five-day camp will conclude with the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Cup – an inter-squad exhibition game – on Saturday, July 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET, broadcast on TSN.

This year, enhancements to the program emphasized making an impact on more players from across the country at every level of the game. The redesigned website, www.allcanadians.com, acts as the flagship of the program providing players, coaches and parents an interactive guide that features valuable resources on not only hockey skills, but the importance and development of physical fitness, nutrition habits and mental skills. The website was supplemented by the widely successful Allstate All-Canadians Regional Mentorship Camps, led by past and present NHL players along with supporting off-ice topic experts. The one-day camps, which featured both on and off-ice learning, were held in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax this Spring, bringing together more than 350 boys and girls ages eight to 15 at all skills levels who were randomly selected from an application pool.

“The NHLPA is committed to the development of Canadian youth, providing them with skills to make them better individuals both on and off the ice,” said Mike Ouellet, NHLPA Chief of Business Affairs. “We are incredibly pleased to be able to bring young players the opportunity to work with pros at this stage in their careers. We saw tremendous success at last year’s inaugural camp and are eager to begin working with another group of talented athletes.”

Players attending the five-day Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp, which would not be possible without the generous support of Allstate Canada, will receive important instruction both on the ice and in the classroom. Classroom sessions will cover a variety of foundational topics such as nutrition, strength and fitness, sports psychology, life skills 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 and better support their young athletes.

“We’re very proud of the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship program which gives young players the opportunity to not only learn hockey skills, but also to learn valuable life lessons – including leadership, teamwork and perseverance – from NHL pros and leading industry experts,” said John O’Donnell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. “The enhancements made to the program this year, including the addition of the regional mentorship camps, extended the reach of the program and allowed us to make an even bigger difference in the development of Canadian youth.”

“These young players and their families will learn what is required of them to get to the next level in their careers,” said Gary Roberts. “Through personal experience, I look forward to sharing my story emphasizing the impact that off-ice skills like fitness and nutrition had on my career. Last year’s camp had an everlasting impact on the 42 players we worked with and I look forward to continuing the tradition.”

Last year’s camp featured 28 first-round draft picks from the WHL and OHL, including first overall picks Jake Virtanen (Calgary Hitmen) and Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts). The QMJHL draft is set to take place on June 9, and will feature 10 eligible All-Canadians players from 2011, including Daniel Audette, the number one rated prospect by QMJHL Central Scouting.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)