PRESS RELEASE

Ivan Hapgood, Atlantic Canada Representative for the Allan Cup Committee, is pleased to announce that the St. John’s Rooftech Caps will be Newfoundland and Labrador’s representative at this year’s Allan Cup, starting Sunday, April 20th, in Wentworth, Ontario.

The Caps will be allowed to add six strengthening players, one of whom must be a goaltender from the AESHL. Hapgood believes that the current roster of the Caps, combined with these additional players, will give them a strong chance at winning this year’s championship. Due to the absence of representatives from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland has been offered a second spot in the tournament. The team in line for that spot is the Clarenville Ford Caribous, who have until the first week of November to confirm their participation.

Caps GM Chris Ryan expressed his excitement about the team’s opportunity to compete at this year’s Allan Cup:
“We’ve built a strong culture in our dressing room, and with a balance of veteran and young players, along with adding strength players from other teams in our league, we feel like we have a great opportunity to bring a national title back to Newfoundland.”

Hapgood is also excited to announce that the 2026 Allan Cup will be returning to Newfoundland. He revealed that there are two interested groups bidding to host the event: the CBS Baker Flooring Blues and the St. John’s Rooftech Caps. Both teams have bid packages in hand and must submit them by January 10th, after which the Committee will decide the host.

“It’s great to see the prestigious Allan Cup Championship return to the province,” said Hapgood. “When the opportunity to host came up, we didn’t hesitate to step forward. One of our teams would be honored to host this prestigious event.” He added that there have been some changes to the Allan Cup since COVID, and with Hockey Canada addressing other issues, the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) has taken over its operations for the next several years.

The OHA reached out to Hapgood to serve as the Atlantic Canada Representative, which he gladly accepted with the approval of HNL Senior Hockey Chairman, Mr. Gary Gale.

“This is great news for senior hockey players in the province,” said Hapgood.

Hockey NL Senior Council Chair Gary Gale added:
“It’s a great day for senior hockey in our province. To be offered two spots at this year’s tournament speaks volumes about the skill level of our senior hockey teams. The fact that the Allan Cup is coming to Newfoundland in 2026 is another fantastic news story. Special thanks to Ivan for all his hard work.”