AA Hockey Is Coming to Lac La Biche for the 2015-16 Season!

AA Hockey Club

AA Hockey is coming to Lac La Biche for the 2015-16 Season!

Lac La Biche has been named the Host Minor Hockey Association for AA Hockey in our Recruitment Area which now includes Athabasca, Boyle, Goodfish Lake, Kikino, Plamondon, and Smoky Lake. In addition to the Bantam AA and Midget AA divisions, Hockey Alberta has introduced the all new PeeWee AA division to commence play in the upcoming 2015-16 season.

The AA program will operate under the North Central Bulls name previously established and hosted by our neighbors to the west in Athabasca. The North Central Bulls will have an emphasis on beingour regions teamproviding equal opportunity for every player in our Recruitment Area who is capable of playing at the AA level, and is interested in trying out for the AA team within their division. Team selection will be based on player evaluations and with the intention of icing the most competitive teams possible.Games and practices will be held in various communities within our Recruitment Area to showcase and promote AA hockey to all who are interested, and to those who aspire to play at the AA level in future seasons.

More information will follow as we advance in our preparations, so please continue to visit the LLBMHA website at regularly to stay up-to-date with North Central Bulls news and information on our plans for a summer conditioning camp and our main evaluation camp in September.

Additional Information on the new AA Hockey Model

The principles of the new AA Hockey Model are as follows:

1. The best philosophy for developing players is to create an environment where similarly skilled players are able to compete together and against each other. The new AA Hockey Model provides a structure where players are provided the opportunity to access the level of hockey they are capable of playing at.
2. A standardized province wide system of hockey that creates a competitive balance at the PeeWee, Bantam and Midget levels. It provides players with a “developmental” system that focuses on skill development and acts as a “feeder” system bridging the gap between grassroots hockey and Elite (AAA) hockey.
3. A Regionalized Hockey System that provides opportunities for players to access the AA level of hockey within a reasonable distance of travel from their resident LMHA. It is designed to balance the needs of the player with that of the LMHA and family.
4. The AA Model uses established criteria to determine the appropriate number of “Host” teams within the province, and those “Host” teams provide opportunities for all the players within their “Recruitment Area”.
5. The AA Hockey Model is the only system of hockey at this particular level in Alberta and is designed to provide an option for players without negatively impacting the local Minor Hockey Associations with respect to player movement or provincial categorization.

The philosophy behind this model is the agreement that responsible decisions would be made in order to act in the best interest of the athlete. The new model further recognizes and supports that each athlete has the right to consider his/her options and should be provided the opportunity to access a level of hockey that is consistent with the skill level of each player.

The full version of the Alberta AA Hockey Model can be obtained from Hockey Alberta or by visiting their website at