Lethbridge hockey academy balances sports and academics

Lethbridge, ALTA. -

A new hockey academy in Lethbridge is ready to lace up the skates for their first season.

Lethbridge United has been practicing for about a week in preparations for their debut.

Everyone involved is thrilled to be apart of the team’s first season.

“The locals felt it was something that we needed here so I'm excited to be the first coach for the first team,” said Lethbridge United U18 head coach Ed Zawatsky.

The academy will compete in the Junior Prospects Hockey League (JPHL), an organization that started in Edmonton and has been expanding throughout Western Canada.

United will ice a U14, U15 and U18 team and each one will compete in showcase weekends in front of scouts.

Zawatsky says it’s a great opportunity for players to get noticed.

“The beauty is that all eight teams will be there on a weekend, so scouts that are interested in these kids will be able to sit there and watch them all in a weekend. It's tough always on a weekend to get the scouts out.”

While United will work to get its players noticed by scouts, it’s not the main priority of the team.

An emphasis on academics makes it clear to United players that school comes first. A partnership with Catholic Central High School emphasizes this.

“Academics are very important to us so it's really good working with CCH, it's a great school already there," said Ryan Dekok, a goalie with the U18 team.

"They're helping us out a lot and I'm just having a really good time at school.”

Players are well aware of the opportunity that United will provide.

“They've got a great system here with exposure (with) showcases in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. So you get to expose yourself to all these different teams, which is good,” Dekok said.

Once they are scouted, players can then move onto different teams and advance their hockey careers.

But, by the end of the season, the team hopes to be JPHL champions.