Assiniboia still in the running to be Kraft Hockeyville

A Saskatchewan town in the running to become Kraft Hockeyville in 2023 is hoping it makes the cut to be in the final four.

Steph Van De Sype, recreation and community wellness co-ordinator for Assiniboia, said the town is “not so patiently waiting” to find out if they’ve made the top four in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville competition.

“We feel like we did really well,” Van De Sype told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Monday.

Kraft Hockeyville, which is in its 17th year, selects one Canadian community each year through a competition format to host an NHL pre-season game and receive an award of $250,000 in arena upgrades.

Heading into the next stage of the competition, Van De Sype said it appears Assiniboia did well online, receiving the second-most rally points in the country. However, the community is “still in the dark” on how well it did entirely, as rally points only count for 20 per cent of the towns’ final score.

Van De Sype said she is really proud of her community for how well it rallied. She said Assiniboia also stocked the shelves of its Salvation Army food bank with a food drive.

“It’s been really fun,” she shared.

While Assiniboia recently built a new arena, Van De Sype said the prize money would go towards getting more kids on the ice locally by covering things like fees and equipment costs.

“We have a lot of newcomers in Assinibboia who’ve never played hockey. We want to help get everybody on the ice,” she said.

Van De Sype also said the town would like to purchase a digital banner to go around its rink to elevate the game experience.

“If they tell us (we’re in the) top four, please, Saskatchewan, get on your phones, get on your computer and vote!” she pleaded.

The top four in the competition will be announced March 11.