WHL Awards 305 Scholarships to Graduate Players

 Nov. 5, 2013 – Kelowna, BC

Former Kelowna Rockets players are finding success in post-secondary classrooms across Canada as part of the Western Hockey League’s scholarship program this year.

WHL Commissioner Ron Robison has announced  that a total of 305 WHL graduate players have been awarded WHL Scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year with 10 former Rockets enrolled at post-secondary insitutions right across the nation.

Leading the way  is reigning CIS Player Lucas Bloodoff, the former Rockets’ captain, who is into his fourth year at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, NS.

Former fan favourite Spencer Main is enrolled at UBC in Vancouver while sparkplug Kyle St. Denis is at Selkirk College and 2009 Memorial Cup team member Ian Duval is at the University of Manitoba.

“The WHL and our 22 member clubs are very proud to be the leading provider of hockey scholarships in Western Canada,” said WHL Commissioner Ron Robison, who will hold an open meeting with Rockets fans on Thursday in Kelowna. “The WHL takes tremendous pride in continuing to provide both current and graduate layers with the most comprehensive and flexible education and scholarship program available in North America today.”

Other Rockets also on WHL Scholarships are Max Adolph (University of Saskatchewan), Kris Lazaruk (UBC), Jesse Paradis, (U of Manitoba), Warren Symko (University of Ottawa), Aaron Borejko (NAIT), and Jason Siebert (Camoson College).

The WHL continues to be the leading provider of hockey scholarships in Western Canada. Since 1993, the Western Hockey League has awarded more than 4,900 scholarships to graduate players, representing a contribution of more than $15.4 million.

The WHL Scholarship is considered to be the most attractive and flexible hockey scholarship due to the fact it is a fully guaranteed academic scholarship with no requirement to play university hockey to qualify, and the student athlete can apply the funding to any post-secondary program of his choice.

This year, 169 of the 305 WHL Scholarship recipients are playing elite hockey in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Association.

For every season a player plays in the WHL, they receive a full year guaranteed WHL Scholarship, including tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees, to a post-secondary institution of their choice.

Administered by the WHL office, the WHL Scholarship is solely funded by the member Clubs of the WHL. This season WHL Clubs will contribute $1.9 million to graduates utilizing the WHL Scholarship.