NHLPA to Host Top Canadian Hockey Youth at second annual Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp

…NHL players to work hand-in-hand with top Bantam-aged players from across Canada

TORONTO, June 5, 2012 /CNW/ - 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.

The following players have been selected for this year's Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp:

Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp Player Selections by Region
British Columbia
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
F			BARZAL, Mathew			Coquitlam, BC			Burnaby Winter Club
D			DAVIS, Kevin			Kamloops, BC			Kamloops Blazers
D			GATENBY, Joe			Kelowna, BC			Kelowna POE
F			GAWDIN, Glenn			Richmond, BC			Seafair Islanders
F			HARKINS, Jansen			North Vancouver, BC			North Shore Winter Club
G			McBRIDE, Nick			Maple Ridge, BC			Burnaby Winter Club
F			MORRISON, Brad			West Kelowna, BC			Okanagan Hockey Academy
F			MUSIL, Adam			Delta, BC			Burnaby Winter Club
F			RONNING, Ty			Burnaby, BC			Burnaby Winter Club
D			SCHULTZ, Ty			New Westminster, BC			Burnaby Winter Club
F			SOY, Tyler			Surrey, BC			Cloverdale Colts
D			WOTHERSPOON, Parker			Surrey, BC			Cloverdale Colts
Alberta
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
G			CHILD, Travis			Killam, AB			Camrose Vikings
F			ESTEPHAN, Giorgio			Edmonton, AB			Edmonton SSAC Lions
D			GUHLE, Brendan			Sherwood Park, AB			Sherwood Park Flyers
F			MERKLEY, Nick			Calgary, AB			Calgary Bisons
D			REAGAN, Brady			Blackie, AB			Okanagan Hockey Academy
G			SAWCHENKO, Zach			Calgary, AB			Calgary Royals
Saskatchewan
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
F			HALBGEWACHS, Jayden			Emerald Park, SK			Balgonie Prairie Storm
F			NAGY, Regan			Ogema, SK			Weyburn Wings
D			OLSON, Tate			Saskatoon, SK			Saskatoon Stallions
D			RIDDLE, Brennan			Balgonie, SK			Balgonie Prairie Storm
Manitoba
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
G			VERHELST, Tyson			Brandon, MB			Brandon Wheat Kings
Ontario
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
G			BLACKER, Ben			Oakville, ON			Brampton Battalion
D			CAPOBIANCO, Kyle			Mississauga, ON			Toronto Marlboros
F			CRAIEVICH, Adam			Sarnia, ON			Lambton Jr. Sting (Minor Midget)
F			KONECNY, Travis			Mt. Brydges, ON			Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
D			LIZOTTE, Cameron			Falconbridge, ON			Copper Cliff Redmen (Minor Midget)
F			LUCHUK, Aaron			Kingston, ON			Greater Kingston Jr. Frontenacs
F			McDAVID, Connor			Newmarket, ON			Toronto Marlboros (Minor Midget)
F			McKENZIE, Brett			Vars, ON			Eastern Ontario Wild
F			SPEERS, Blake			Sault Ste. Marie, ON			Soo Thunder
F			STEPHENS, Mitchell			Peterborough, ON			Toronto Marlboros
F			STROME, Dylan			Mississauga, ON			Toronto Marlboros
Quebec
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
F			BEAUVILLIER, Anthony			St-Hyacinthe, PQ			Gaulois du Collège Antoine-Girouard (Midget Espoir)
G			BOOTH, Callum			Montreal, PQ			Royal de Montréal
F			GAUTHIER, Julien			Montreal, PQ			Royal de Montréal
D			ROY, Jérémy			Richelieu, PQ			Gaulois du Collège Antoine-Girouard (Midget AAA)
F			ROY, Nicolas			Amos, PQ			Forestiers d'Amos (Midget AAA)
F			SPRONG, Daniel			Ile-Bizard, PQ			Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (USA)
New Brunswick
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
D			DESCHENES, Luc			Fredericton, NB			Fredericton Canadiens (Midget AAA)
Newfoundland
Position			Name			Hometown			Current Team
F			NOEL, Nathan			St. John's, NL			Shattuck St. Mary's (USA)

About Allstate Insurance Company of Canada
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is one of Canada's leading producers and distributors of home and auto insurance products. "The Good Hands Network®" enables consumers to contact Allstate Canada through one of 92 community-based Agencies, directly online at www.allstate.ca and through the Customer Contact Centre at 1-800-Allstate. Allstate Canada is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which it operates and has partnered with organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada), Crime Stoppers, United Way and Junior Achievement. In 2010, Allstate Canada, in partnership with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), created the Allstate All-Canadians program, a mentorship program designed to guide the next generation of Canada's hockey youth. Learn more about this program at www.allcanadians.com. To learn more about Allstate Canada, visit www.goodhandsadvice.ca or www.allstate.ca.

About the National Hockey League Players' Association
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to give something back to the game they love. Over the past 11 years, more than 50,000 deserving children in 23 countries have benefited from the players' donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals & Dreams has donated more than $19-million to grassroots hockey programs, making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.

Media contact:
Stephen D'Angelo │Citizen Optimum │ [email protected] │416.967.8125