Top 40 Minor Midget Players To Participate In Showcase Event

TORONTO, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - The Greater Toronto Hockey League today announced the details of the 4^th Annual Scotiabank GTHL Top Prospects Game.

"We are looking forward to this year's event," said GTHL President John Gardner.  "We are very pleased to have this group of celebrity coaches involved and we anticipate an exciting game as we have seen for the past three seasons.  This will be a great opportunity for these young players to display their talent against the other top players in their age group. They will also have the opportunity to gain valuable experience from their coaches who have been in their position before.  Of course, this event wouldn't be possible without the commitment from Scotiabank as title sponsor.  This event is getting bigger and better each season and Scotiabank is large part of its success."

The fourth edition of this annual event will take place on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. EST at Herbert Carnegie Centennial Arena in North York and will see the top 40 Minor Midget aged players participating in a showcase game. Tickets will go on sale to the public on December 17, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. The game will be broadcast on Rogers TV cable 10/63 in Toronto and will air on Sunday, January 13 at 8:00 p.m.

The four Celebrity Coaches for this season's event will be former Toronto Maple Leaf and current Sportsnet hockey analyst Nick Kypreos along with former NHL star Adam Graves versus former NHL General Manager and Coach Doug MacLean, who is also a co-host with Kypreos on Sportsnet's Hockey Central, alongside former Detroit Red Wings star Kris Draper.

"Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting local teams and leagues across Canada through our Community Hockey Sponsorship and we're thrilled to bring the Scotiabank GTHL Top Prospects Game back to Toronto again this year," said John Doig, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President, Toronto Region. "We're excited to be part of what is sure to be a fantastic game showcasing tremendous hockey talent. We're looking forward to seeing the future stars of Canadian hockey in action."

Tickets can be purchased by contacting the GTHL Office at (416) 636-6845 or in person at 265 Rimrock Rd. Unit 4, Toronto, ON, M3J 3C6 from Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm or Saturday from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (noon).  Please note the GTHL office will be closed for the holiday season beginning December 21 at 1:00 pm until Wednesday January 2, 2013 at 9:00 am.

Tickets will be $5.00 in advance or $6.00 at the gate.  Advance ticket purchase is recommended to avoid line-ups at the arena.

Celebrity Coaches for the 4^th Annual Scotiabank GTHL Top Prospects Game:

Nick Kypreos grew up playing minor hockey in the MTHL (now known as the GTHL).  From there he went on to play four years with the North Bay Centennials of the OHL. Always a hard-nosed competitor, Kypreos scored 152 goals during his last three years of junior.  Kypreos played in 442 games for the Washington Capitals, the Hartford Whalers, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The highlight of Kypreos' career was winning the Stanley Cup as a Ranger in 1994.  He would finish his NHL career with 46 goals, 44 assists, 90 points, and 1,210 penalty minutes in 442 regular season games.  Following his NHL playing career, Kypreos joined Sportsnet as an NHL analyst and is the co-host of Hockey Central on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Radio The FAN 590.

Kris Draper played minor hockey for the Don Mills Flyers of the MTHL (now known as the GTHL). Draper joined the Canadian National Team when he was just 17 years old and played with the team on a full time basis for 2 seasons.  Draper would eventually be drafted 62^nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets on October 4, 1990 and was later traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 30, 1993.  Upon his arrival with the Wings, Draper quickly became recognized as one of the fastest skaters in the league and one of its premier penalty killers. While in Detroit, Draper teamed up with Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty to form the "Grind Line", one of the league's premier checking lines and was instrumental in leading the Wings to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1997 and 1998.  Draper remained with the Red Wings and would be a part of two more Stanley Cup winning teams in 2002 and 2008.  Draper won the Selke Trophy as the League's top defensive forward in 2003-04. He would finish his career with 161 goals, 203 assists, for a total of 364 points in 1157 NHL games.

Adam Graves played minor hockey in the MTHL (now known as the GTHL) for the Toronto Young Nationals and the North York Civics.  Graves played Junior B with King City. Already a highly regarded amateur, he joined the Windsor Spitfires in 1985-86 where he averaged over a point per game as an OHL rookie. He drafted 22nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.  Graves won a Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1989-90 and later helped the New York Rangers do the same in 1993-94.  That season he would finish with 52 goals and was the recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his continuing work with charitable causes. After capturing the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2001, Graves signed with the San Jose Sharks where he was a leader both on and off the ice for the young talented Sharks for two seasons before announcing his retirement in April 2004. He would finish his career with 329 goals, 287 assists for a total of 616 points in 1152 NHL games.  Graves joined the Generals ownership group in January 2010 and is presently in Hockey and Business Operations for the New York Rangers.

Doug MacLean has over two decades of experience in the National Hockey League, serving in a variety of administrative, personnel and coaching capacities with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings. He most recently acted as both President and General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 1998 to 2007. Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, he served as the head coach in Florida, where he led his teams into the playoffs in both of his full seasons behind the bench (1995-96, 1996-97) including a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996 where they were eventually defeated by the Colorado Avalanche. His work behind the bench earned MacLean the Hockey News Coach of the Year Award, recognition as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award and two consecutive stints as head coach of the Eastern Conference All Star Team.  MacLean is currently a co-host with Nick Kypreos and Darren Millard on Sportnet 590 the FAN's Hockey Central at Noon and on Sportsnet's Hockey Central.

About GTHL

Founded in 1911, the Greater Toronto Hockey League is a non-profit organization and is the largest amateur minor hockey league in the World.  There are over 40,000 participants registered annually in the GTHL.  GTHL jurisdiction spans Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Vaughan, and Markham and includes players ranging from the ages of 4-20.  The GTHL celebrated its 100^th anniversary in the 2011-12 season.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Winnipeg Jets^TM, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Ottawa Senators® whose home arena is Scotiabank Place. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Across Canadian communities from coast to coast, Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program reaches out to more than 4,400 minor hockey teams and leagues. To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.facebook.com/scotiahockeyclub.

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, 'Bright Future'.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

SOURCE: Scotiabank - Sponsorships & Donations