The city of Edmonton is one step closer to receiving a new fan park outside of Rogers Place, as the city council voted in favor of the proposed master agreement with Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG). This will clear the way for the proposed construction of the $250MM downtown event park, Village at Ice District land work, and demolition of the coliseum, per Keith Gerein of the Edmonton Journal.
The Edmonton Journal’s Zac Delaney offered additional insight, noting that the project aims to add a multi-season public event park to be constructed next to Rogers Place, while also handling the demolition of Northlands Coliseum, which has sat vacant for the last several years.
OEG said it is “excited” to have the master agreement finalized, per Delaney. OEG Sports and Entertainment executive vice-president Tim Shipton said the company is looking forward to receiving final approval in the fall to “get started on the transformational infrastructure projects.”
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Washington Capitals’ forward Aliaksei Protas is coming off of a breakout campaign where he posted 30 goals and 66 points. However, he is just as focused on the continued development of his brother, Ilya Protas, who is working his way through Washington’s system. Speaking with the Belarus-based newspaper Vitbichi, the older Protas said he believes his brother, who was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft (75th overall), is primed for a strong season after working hard this offseason. Ilya put up monster numbers last year with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, posting 50 goals and 124 points in 61 games. His 50 goals and 74 assists last season both finished third in the OHL, while his 124 points trailed only Michael Misa’s 134. “He is already an adult and he himself understands perfectly well that in order to get into a stronger league, you need to work hard in the locker room and on the ice,” Aliaksei said.
- The OHL’s Kitchener Rangers have signed forward Oscar Alexander Hemming to a league-standard deal, per a team release. Hemming, 17, spent last season at the U18 and U20 levels for Keikko-Espoo in the SM-sarja, Finland’s top junior league. In 31 games at the U18 level, the Finnish native posted 35 goals and 63 points. He added 10 points in 16 games at the U20 level, and an additional nine points in 13 playoff games. The 6’4″, 190-pound forward is the brother of Emil Hemming, who skated for the OHL’s Barrie Colts last season.