The Prairie Hockey Academy hit the ice a few weeks ago for the final practice of the program’s inaugural season.

The 18 players that made up the Elite 15 squad came together at the start of the year with a bit of unknown around the program’s first season and what the Caronport-based program was able to accomplish was on display during that practice.

“It was one of our best practices of the year,” said PHA Elite 15 head coach Rodney MacPhee. “You would think guys would have mailed it in a couple months ago with no games, but it’s actually been the opposite, we’ve been practicing our best since Christmas and that’s trended right through the end of the year.”

The team posted a 14-24-2 record, which includes six overtime and shootout losses, over the course of the year, playing in tournaments and exhibition games.

Throughout the season, MacPhee and the PHA coaching staff have attempted to install a work ethic into the players that would show them what it’s going to take to make it at the next level in their careers.

MacPhee said they have been eager to learn all season.

“Our biggest thing is just what it takes to be mentally and physically prepared everyday,” he said. “Coming in, they would say that they’re hockey players, but they’ve learned what it means to be a complete student-athlete.

“We’ve taught that leaders take responsibility and so we’re trying to teach leaders and they’ve really been able to key in and make progress with those two.”

Moose Jaw’s Atley Calvert led PHA in scoring during the inaugural season, scoring 30 goals and 53 points in 40 games. 

He also walked away with three awards at the team’s awards banquet last month, earning the Kevin Smyth Award as Most Valuable Player, the Ryan Smyth Award as Top Forward and the John Barkman Award for leadership.

MacPhee said he brought everything to the table for the squad throughout the season.

“What the stats don’t show is what he brings in the locker room, the off-ice commitment, he’s a great leader, a great young man, very focused and shows up prepared,” he said. “As Atley continues to progress and develop, he’s going to be a great hockey player.”

The program will be taking the next step heading into the 2018-19 season as they will join the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

“That’s going to be huge,” said MacPhee. “The players know what’s expected, they’ve played against these teams as exhibition games, they’ve played them a year younger, so now they’re playing guys their own age for the E15 and as for the Varsity guys, they know what the competition is going to be and what they need to do to be successful.”

With the final practice of last season in the books, MacPhee added that he wanted the players to take a bit of a break over the summer to refresh the mind and then get back to work for next season.

“We’ve had our best practices right until the end, so they’re ready to go, they don’t want time off and we’re looking to make strides to be a winning hockey team next year, on ice and off,” said MacPhee.

The program hosted the second annual Royden Taylor Memorial Golf Tournament at the Hillcrest Golf Club on Monday with another strong turnout to raise scholarship funds for the program.