LAC LA BICHE - This fall, local hockey fans will have another team to root for as the Junior A Lac La Biche Lakers kick off their inaugural season.
The new team unveiled its new name and jerseys last week, hoping to draw fans to the Bold Centre seats for the National Junior Hockey League’s newest team. The team is hosting a tryout camp in May to round out the coming season’s team.
In January, Lac La Biche was awarded a franchise with the independent eight-team NJHL. The Lakers, roster will be comprised of players aged 16-21. The team works as part of a hockey-academy setting, with players paying tuition to learn and play.
Jacob Hegerfeldt, a managing partner and co-general manager of the Lakers, said the team’s season will start in early October and wrap up around the end of March, when the championship series begins.
The championships, he explained, are a standard seven-game series that takes place after two or three other rounds of playoffs. How this will play out next year, he said, is to be determined.
“Usually those series are three to five game series and with the last two series being seven game,” he said, adding that are there typically three or four rounds leading up to that.
The team’s spring camp is set to take place May 11-12 at the Bold Center performance arena.
According to Hegerfeldt, the team will pick the bulk of the players for its roster for the upcoming 2024-2025 season from the camp. From there, those who have been selected will go to the Lakers’ main training camp in September.
The list of players who will don the Lakers’ jersey for the first time in October continues to be a work in progress.
“We’re still building our roster,” he stated, adding that the team is looking to hold around 25 players.
Hegerfeldt said the addition of the Lakers to the local hockey scene will be good for the community, especially with minor hockey programs growing in the area. When they’re not on the ice either at home or away, Lakers will be seen around the community volunteering their time and skills. Hegerfeldt explained that players are required to volunteer once or twice a week as per their contract.
Having the team in town, he continued, will also give local players a team to be part of.
“We’re looking to be something that the local players can strive for, and essentially have a place to go,” he said.
What does it mean to be a Laker? As Hegerfeldt explains, players will not only be representing their team, along with its culture and values, but also the community of Lac La Biche. Furthermore, they are expected to be positive role models for others, including local minor hockey players.
“That’s the responsibility that comes with being a Laker,” he said.
Logo concept
The Lakers logo is a red anchor against a background of water. Hegerfeldt said it’s a representation of the Lakeland region, with its numerous lakes that are enjoyed each year for fishing, boating, and other recreational activities. He added that team officials felt the logo properly represented the community where it will be setting up shop in soon to play.
The team name was chosen during a ‘name the team’ competition which took place in Lac La Biche a few weeks ago.
“We want to be a community-ran team, so that’s the significance of the logo and the name,” he said.
While it’s too early to forecast what the upcoming inaugural season could look like for the Lakers, Hegerfeldt said the crop of players coming to the training camp during the second week of May is looking pretty good.
“We’re bringing a lot of good players,” he said. “We’re poised to have a really good team.”
