A former Drumheller Dragon now has his name attached to one of the oldest and most respected hockey trophies in the country, after the AAA senior men's Fort St. John Flyers won the 2010 Allan cup.
Arlo Hadland played for the Drumheller Dragons during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons. He then attended SAIT and won an ACAC silver medal.
He has since returned home to Fort St. John, B.C., and has been on the Flyers’ squad for three seasons. Last year the Flyers lost to the Bentley Generals in its bid to get to the tournament. This time there was a rematch, this time on home ice, and this time it was for all the marbles.
The Flyers led from the beginning and went away with a 4-1 victory.
“It was exciting,” said Hadland, although he was not on the ice for the final.
He said it was a tough season for the Flyers because as they are an AAA team, they were voted out of their league, which is primarily AA teams. They were forced to play exhibition games for the year. One unexpected challenge was that, while in previous years they had trouble filling the roster, this season there were 12 players who did not suit up for the game because they had such strong numbers.
The Allan Cup continues to be the top trophy for Canadian senior men’s amateur hockey. It was donated in 1908 to replace the Stanley Cup, as it became a professional trophy. It has been presented to a team in every province, as well as two American teams that played in Canadian leagues. There have been five Alberta Champs including the 1966 Drumheller Miners.
While Fort St. John, B.C. is home for Hadland, he still has strong ties to Drumheller, including his former billet in Drumheller, Craig Stanger.
“He phoned me that night,” said Stanger, who has kept in close contact with Hadland as well as a number of billets. The Stanger family has hosted typically two billets since the Drumheller Dragons were introduced. Many of these relationships have endured, and Stanger says it is rewarding to watch the players go on to their future in hockey and beyond.
As well as keeping contact with Hadland, he was a reference for AJ Mikkelsen, who just finished his senior year playing for the NCAA Division 3 Manhattanville Valiants. He amassed 29 points and earned a Division III All American Second Team Selection. They also hosted Tyler Swanson who is now a City of Calgary police officer.
“You build some relationships with the kids. It is fun and we have always enjoyed it,” said Stanger.
