The Red Deer Rebels are a

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team based in

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and education. ...

, Canada. The Rebels play at the

Peavey Mart Centrium The Peavey Mart Centrium (formerly ENMAX Centrium) is a two-tier 7,111-seat multi-purpose arena in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The arena is a multi-use facility accommodating national events, concerts, hockey, rodeo, trade shows, and even graduat ...

History

A "Name the Team" contest ran in Red Deer from October 7 to 17, 1991. The top three ideas from the over 1000 entries were "Rebels", "Renegades", and "Centurions". Team management chose the name "Rebels". On February 5, 1992, the Rebels selected Mike McBain as their first player in the Bantam Draft. The Rebels' first game was on September 25, 1992, in Red Deer against the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

(the Rebels won 6 to 3 in front of 5,240 fans). The original owner of the team was

Terry Simpson Terry Simpson (born August 30, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Simpson only played one season of professional ice hockey in 1964–65 for the Jacksonville Rocke ...

, the original General Manager was Wayne Simpson and the original Coach was Peter Anholt. The Rebels had their first sell-out game at the Centrium on January 9, 1993, with 6,476 in attendance. Goalie Jason Clague was credited with a goal on March 28, 1994 during a playoff game against the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the ...

. David Hruska scored 5 goals in one game on October 20, 1995, in a game against the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

. BJ Young set a team record for fastest goal at the start of a game at 0:06 of the first period on December 6, 1995, against the

. On May 11, 1999,

Brent Sutter Brent Colin Sutter (born June 10, 1962) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player and former head coach of the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames. Selected by the New York Islanders 17th overall at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, Sut ...

purchased the team from Terry and Wayne Simpson. The Rebels were successful in the early 2000s winning three consecutive division and conference titles between 2000–01 and 2002–03. This period began with a WHL and

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

championship in 2001, when Jeff Smith scored the overtime winner against the

Val-d'Or Foreurs The Val-d'Or Foreurs are a junior ice hockey team based in Val-d'Or, in the region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, Canada. The team was founded for the 1993–94 season of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, a member of the Canadian Hock ...

. The Rebels were unable to duplicate this feat, falling in the league championship series the next two seasons. President and owner

was also highly successful while serving as Team Canada's coach at both the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

World Junior Hockey Championships The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

. His older brother,

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...

, took over the reins of the team for the 2007–08 season.

was named as the new head coach on November 14, 2012. The Rebels had the first overall pick in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft, choosing

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

native

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Ryan Jarromie Noel Nugent-Hopkins (born April 12, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Nuge" by Oilers fans, Nugent-Hopkins was selected ...

, who was also selected number one overall at the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

. Other notable first round draft picks include

Cam Ward Cameron Kenneth Ward (born February 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played the majority of his fifteen-year professional career for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for ...

Dion Phaneuf Dion Phaneuf (born 10 April 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted ninth overal ...

Mathew Dumba Mathew Dumba (born July 25, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Dumba was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Wild in the first round ...

and Jesse Wallin. The Rebels were the host team of the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. In 2022, the team had broken a WHL record as the longest winning streak at the very beginning of their season. Which was previously held by the Winnipeg Ice in 2021.

Championships

:Division titles won: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2010–11 :Regular season titles won: 2000–01, 2001–02 : League Championships won: 2001 :

Titles:

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

WHL finals

* 2000–01: Win, 4–1 vs Portland * 2001–02: Loss, 2–4 vs Kootenay * 2002–03: Loss, 2–4 vs Kelowna

Season-by-season record

''Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

Team captains

* 1992–1993,

Todd Johnson Todd Edward Johnson (born December 18, 1978) is an American former college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 2000s. Johnson played college football for the Un ...

* 1993–1994, Ken Richardson * 1994–1995, Peter Leboutillier * 1995–1996, Terry Lindgren * 1996–1998, Jesse Wallin * 1998–1999,

Brad Leeb Bradley Leeb (born August 27, 1979) is a retired Cree First Nations Canadian ice hockey player. He played 5 games in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs, and spent the bulk of his professional career in the minor American Hoc ...

* 1999–2001,

Jim Vandermeer James Patrick Vandermeer (born February 21, 1980) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Vandermeer previously played for the Philadelphia ...

* 2001–2002,

Colby Armstrong Colby Joseph Armstrong (born November 23, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in a 9- ...

* 2004–2005,

Colin Fraser Colin Fraser may refer to: * Colin Fraser (Australian politician) (died 1877), Australian politician *Colin Fraser (Canadian politician) (born 1978), Canadian politician *Colin Fraser (ice hockey) Colin Fraser (born January 28, 1985) is a Canadia ...

* 2006–2007,

Brett Sutter Brett Darryl Sutter (born June 2, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sutter was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round (179th ove ...

* 2007–2008,

Brandon Sutter Brandon Sutter (born February 14, 1989) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Junior ...

* 2009–2010,

Colin Archer Colin Archer (22 July 1832 – 8 February 1921) was a Norwegian naval architect and shipbuilder known for his seaworthy pilot and rescue boats and the larger sailing and polar ships. His most famous ship is the '' Fram'', used on both in Fridt ...

* 2010–2011,

* 2011–2012, Turner Elison * 2013–2014, Conner Bleackley * 2014–2015, Luke Philp * 2014–2016, Wyatt Johnson * 2016–2017, Adam Musil * 2017–2018, Grayson Pawlenchuk * 2018–2019,

Reese Johnson Reese Johnson (born July 10, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Johnson played as a youth with the Saskatoon Blazers in the SMAAA ...

* 2019–2020,

Dawson Barteaux Dawson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Dawson (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Dawson (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places Antarctica ...

* 2020, Ethan Sakowich

Current roster

Updated November 23, 2022.

NHL alumni

Arron Asham Arron Miles Asham (born April 13, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Over his 15 seasons, he played for 6 different teams. Playing career Asham was drafted 71st o ...

* Ryan Bonni * Mike Brown *

Jake DeBrusk Jake DeBrusk (born October 17, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL) where he wears jersey number 74. He was drafted 14th overall by the Bruins in the 2 ...

Matt Ellison Matt Ellison (born December 8, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Drafted in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), Ellison played for the Blackhawks minor teams with two ...

Turner Elson Turner Elson (born September 13, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, he has previous ...

* Martin Erat *

Landon Ferraro Landon Christopher Ferraro (born August 8, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing under contract with Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Ferraro was drafted 32nd overall by the Detroit Red Wi ...

Haydn Fleury Haydn Fleury (born July 8, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fleury was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2014 NHL ...

Matt Fraser Matthew John Fraser (born May 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing. He is currently under contract with EC KAC of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars ...

* Byron Froese *

Michael Garnett Michael Garnett (born November 25, 1982) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Garnett previously played for the National Hockey League's ...

Carsen Germyn Carsen Germyn (born February 22, 1982 in Campbell River, British Columbia) is a former professional ice hockey right wing who played 4 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Calgary Flames. Playing career Germyn played five seasons ...

Boyd Gordon Boyd Gordon (born October 19, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Arizona Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, and Philadelphia Flyers. Playing ca ...

* Brandon Hagel *

Martin Hanzal Martin Hanzal (; born 20 February 1987) is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Amateur As a youth, Hanzal played in ...

* Jay Henderson *

* Blair Jones * Matt Keith *

Darcy Kuemper Darcy Kuemper (born May 5, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round, 161st overall, of the 2 ...

* Peter Leboutillier *

* Brian Loney *

Ross Lupaschuk Ross Lupaschuk (born January 19, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. Juniors Lupaschuk played his junior-level hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for five seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer ...

* Doug Lynch * Steve MacIntyre * Justin Mapletoft *

Masi Marjamaki Masi may refer to: Places * Masi, Almora, a small town located in the west Ramgang valley of Almora in India * Masi, Veneto, a city in the province of Padua in northern Italy * Masi, Norway, a village in Finnmark county in northern Norway Other us ...

* Mike McBain * Derek Meech * Vladimir Mihalik *

Nelson Nogier Nelson Nogier (born May 27, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman who is currently under contract with Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) wit ...

* Stephen Peat * John Persson *

Alex Petrovic Alexander Petrovic (born March 3, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

Craig Reichert Craig Steven Reichert (born May 11, 1974) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger who played three games for the Anaheim Ducks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim during the 1996–97 NHL season. Reichert was dra ...

James Reimer James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

* Terry Ryan * Robert Schnabel *

Sean Selmser Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish language, Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (Anglicisation of names, anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn (giv ...

Shay Stephenson Shay Stephenson (born September 13, 1983) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional hockey player who last played for Sparta Warriors of the Norway, Norwegian GET-ligaen. He played in two National Hockey League games with the Los Angeles Kings ...

* Pete Vandermeer * Darren Van Impe *

Kris Versteeg Kristopher Royce Versteeg (born May 13, 1986) is a Canadian entrepreneur and former professional ice hockey winger. During his career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hur ...

* Jesse Wallin * Kyle Wanvig *

Lance Ward Lance Ward (born June 2, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He holds the current Elitserien record for most penalty minutes during one season. Playing career Born in Lloydminster, Alberta, Ward was originally drafted 1 ...

Roman Wick Roman Wick (born December 30, 1985) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey player. Wick played for EHC Kloten and ZSC Lions in the National League (NL) and for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fif ...

Jeff Woywitka Jeffrey Woywitka (born September 1, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers. Playing career Woywitka was drafted ...

Mikhail Yakubov Mikhail Yurievich Yakubov (born February 16, 1982) is a Russian former professional ice hockey center who is currently an assistant coach for the Chicago Cougars of the United States Premier Hockey League. He last played with HC Sochi of the Kon ...

* B. J. Young

WHL awards

AirBC Trophy Each year, the Western Hockey League awards a trophy to the Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs. Winners See also * Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy - Memorial Cup MVP *Wayne Gretzky 99 Award - Ontario Hockey League Playoff MVP *Guy Lafleur Trop ...

(Playoff MVP award) *2001 - Shane Bendera

WHL Plus-Minus Award The Plus-Minus Award is given annually to the player who finishes with the top plus/minus in the Western Hockey League. It has been awarded since 1987. List of winners See also *AutoPro Plaque - Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec M ...

*2000/01 -

St. Clair Group Trophy (Marketing/public relations award) *1996/97 - Pat Garrity *2001/02 - Greg McConkey

Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy The Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the Western Hockey League humanitarian of the year. The winner is the player who best shows a commitment to his community and to humanitarian values. The award received its current ...

(Humanitarian of the year award) *1996/97 - Jesse Wallin *1997/98 - Jesse Wallin *2000/01 -

*2004/05 -

Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy The Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the regular season champion of the Western Hockey League. It is named after one of the league's founders, Scotty Munro. Munro served as the general manager of the Estevan Bruins, and later ...

(Regular season champion) *2000/01 - Red Deer Rebels *2001/02 - Red Deer Rebels

Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy The Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top executive in the Western Hockey League. It is named for former broadcaster Lloyd Saunders. Winners See also *OHL Executive of the Year * John Horman Trophy - Quebec Major Junior ...

(Executive of the year) *2000/01 -

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy The Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the Coach of the Year in the Western Hockey League. It was named in honour of Dunc McCallum, who coached the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1976–81, compiling a 251–123–41 record during that ...

(Coach of the year) *2000/01 -

Del Wilson Trophy The Del Wilson Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League's goaltender judged to be the best at his position. The award is named after Del Wilson for his many years of service to both the Regina Pats and the League. Wilson was an own ...

(Top goaltender) *2001/02 -

*2003/04 -

*2010/11 -

*2012/13 - Patrik Bartosak

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Jim Piggott who was the founder of the Saskatoon Blades, as well as ...

(Rookie of the year) *2002/03 -

*2009/10 -

*2010/11 -

Bill Hunter Trophy The Bill Hunter Trophy was presented to the World Hockey Association's scoring leader in the regular season. It was named in honour of Bill Hunter, who founded the Alberta Oilers hockey club (which later became the Edmonton Oilers). Winners *1 ...

(Top defenceman) *2002/03 -

*2003/04 -

*2004/05 -

*2011/12 -

Brad Hornung Trophy The Brad Hornung Trophy is awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike player of the Western Hockey League. First presented in 1967, it was later renamed in honour of former Regina Pats player Brad Hornung who was paralyzed during a game on March 1, ...

(Most sportsmanlike player) *2002/03 -

Bob Clarke Trophy (Top scorer) *2000/01 - Justin Mapletoft *2021/22 -

Arshdeep Bains Arshdeep Bains (born January 9, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger playing for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early li ...

Four Broncos Memorial Trophy The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year. The trophy is named in honour of four members of the Swift Current Broncos who were killed on December 30, 1986 in the Swift Current Broncos b ...

(Player of the year) *2000/01 - Justin Mapletoft *2003/04 -

*2010/11 -

CHL awards

CHL Humanitarian of the Year *1996/97 - Jesse Wallin *2000/01 -

*2004/05 -

CHL Goaltender of the Year The CHL Goaltender of the Year Award is given out annually to the top goaltender in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winners of the league awards; the OHL Goaltender of the Year, the Del Wilson Trophy ( WHL), and the Jacques Pl ...

*2003/04 -

*2010/11 -

*2012/13 - Patrik Bartosak

CHL Rookie of the Year The CHL Rookie of the Year Award is given out annually to the top rookie in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winners of; the Emms Family Award (OHL Rookie of the Year), the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL Rookie of the Year), an ...

*2002/03 -

CHL Top Draft Prospect Award The CHL Top Draft Prospect Award is given out every year to the top eligible prospect player in the Canadian Hockey League for the annual NHL Entry Draft. The award was first given in 1991, but not awarded from 2003 to 2005. The Quebec Major J ...

*2010/11 -

Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award *2000/01 -

Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy Memorial Cup MVP *2001 - Kyle Wanvig

*2000/01 - Red Deer Rebels

References

External links

Official web site
{{Alberta Sports Ice hockey teams in Alberta Sport in Red Deer, Alberta Ice hockey clubs established in 1992 Western Hockey League teams 1992 establishments in Alberta