The annual Alberta Junior Hockey League showcase weekend in Spruce Grove allows hundreds of post-secondary and NHL scouts to view all Junior A players throughout the province at once.
This year’s showcase has already paid off for one local puck handler.
Sherwood Park Crusader Andrew Taverner has committed to the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, south of the border.
Taverner, 17, has been scouted by various schools, according to Crusader head coach and general manager Tim Fragle, but this deal worked out well following the all-team weekend.
“It’s a full-ride scholarship,” Fragle said. “That’s a big deal in terms of the financial commitment the school gave him. Obviously, they see his talents as a younger player at 17. He’s going to go maybe next year or the year after. That part’s still open-ended, and they’re going to wait to see. He’s developed really quickly.
“Last year he played as a 16-year-old, but he really improved here over the better part of last year and since the beginning of this season. He’s caught a lot of attention of NCAA schools and Quinnipiac was one that was pushing him pretty hard to commit.”
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