In The Press
CIHL Drafts New Talents for thrilling 2013-2014 Season
Hosted at Loft, the CIHL Official Club Sponsor, Tyler Doherty was taken as the first overall pick by the Aces, who finished fourth last season. Several new players join the core Aces team captained by Jeff Griffin, including Christian Long, who is part of the 2013-2014 CIHL Intern Program.
Jordan So is also part of the CIHL Intern Program, which provides opportunities for hockey players from Canada and the United States to continue their hockey careers, while completing an internship in Hong Kong. So joins the reigning champion Sharks, who took Julien Jordand with their first-round pick and the fourth overall selection. After Doherty, the second pick of the draft went to the Tycoons, who selected Brennan Sonne, while the Warriors selected Eric McKenna as their first-round selection.
While Long and So join the CIHL this season as part of the Intern Program, last year's interns, Devin Welsh and Adam Maglio, both continue to live in Hong Kong and will remain with the Warriors and the Tycoons, respectively.
In just its third season, the four-team CIHL continues to set the bar on hockey in Hong Kong, attracting new talent to further the league's brand of fast-paced, full contact hockey. This year each team protected eight players from last year's 2012-2013 CIHL season, with the remaining nine players of the roster drafted last Saturday.
Twenty-one players will join the CIHL for the first time this season, including 17 players who will make their league debut when the season opens next month . The Aces and the Tycoons each drafted seven players and two goalies, while the Warriors and the Sharks each drafted eight players and a goalie.
"The CIHL is excited to welcome some exciting new talents to the league and we're very much looking forward to starting the 2013-2014 season," CIHL commissioner Grant Phillips said. "With four strong teams and a level of play continues to rise every year, we look forward to welcoming our CIHL fans to Mega Ice this season."
The puck drops on the 2013-2014 CIHL season on Saturday, October 5 with the first game of a double header beginning at 8:15 p.m. at Mega Ice, located at 10/F MegaBox in Kowloon Bay. The second game is set for 9:30 p.m.
For further information about the CIHL and the upcoming 2013-2014 season, please contact Devin at [email protected].
About the CIHL
The CIHL was founded in 2010 to provide new opportunities for high-level, contact hockey in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China as well as to champion sportsmanship and develop future generations of Chinese hockey.
The Royal Bank of Canada is the official league sponsor for the 2013-2014 CIHL season. This year, the league will feature four teams: the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons, AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors, Galaxy Macau Aces and South China Sharks
Saturday nights from October 5, 2013 through March 22, 2014, the teams will face off at Mega Ice for two back-to-back games. Family entertainment, community events and on-ice kids' competitions are aimed at making Saturdays a true "Hockey Night in Hong Kong". The official website of the CIHL is www.cihl.com and a free iPhone app is available through the iTunes store.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, and investor services and wholesale banking on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.