2016 Allan Cup

The 2016 Allan Cup is the 2016 Canadian Grand National Championship of Senior ice hockey and will be the 108th year the trophy is being awarded. The tournament will be contended in Steinbach, Manitoba from April 11 to April 16, 2016, with the defending Allan Cup champion South East Prairie Thunder serving as the host team. All games will be played at the T.G. Smith Centre.^[1]^[2]

Information

This year's Allan Cup will mark the second time in eight seasons that the tournament is played in Steinbach. The South East Prairie Thunder, who participated in the 2009 Allan Cup as Manitoba champions, were formally announced as the host club in September 2014.^[1]

The five other berths will be determined by regional playoffs. The winner of Alberta's Chinook Hockey League will take on the British Columbia representative for the MacKenzie Cup and the Pacific seed. Manitoba and Saskatchewan will not play for the Rathgaber Cup as both provinces will send a representative to the Allan Cup. The Shellbrook Elks have qualified by default as the lone Senior 'AAA' club in Saskatchewan, following the withdrawal of the Rosetown Redwings.^[3] The Île-des-Chênes North Stars, who hosted the 2009 Allan Cup in Steinbach, captured the Manitoba berth by defeating the Manitoba Lightning in provincial playoffs.^[4] The winner of Allan Cup Hockey and the Northwestern Ontario region representative will face off for the Renwick Cup and the Ontario berth, while the winners of New Brunswick's North East Senior Hockey League and Newfoundland and Labrador's Central West Senior Hockey League will battle for the Atlantic region berth.

Participants

South East Prairie Thunder (Host)

2012 and 2015 Allan Cup champions.
Defeated Île-des-Chênes North Stars 2-0 to win Pattison Cup

Bentley Generals (Pacific)

2009 and 2013 Allan Cup champions.
14-3-1 record, 1st in ChHL.
Defeated Innisfail Eagles 4-3; Defeated Stony Plain Eagles 4-1 to win league
Automatically advanced as British Columbia did not present a champion for McKenzie Cup.

Île-des-Chênes North Stars (Manitoba)

2003 Allan Cup champions.
Defeated Manitoba Lightning 2-1, lost to South East Prairie Thunder 0-2

Shellbrook Elks (Saskatchewan)
Stoney Creek Generals (Ontario)

18-4-2 record, 1st in ACH.
Defeated Dundas Real McCoys 4-0, defeated Brantford Blast 4-1 to win league
Automatically advanced as Northwestern Ontario did not present a champion for Renwick Cup.