Red Deer
With big Central Division lead Rebels lock up playoff spot

Submitted by the Red Deer Rebels
REBELS THIS WEEK
PLAYOFF BOUND!
The Red Deer Rebels have officially booked their spot in the 2023 WHL Playoffs. The next task for the club is to clinch first place in the Central Division. Red Deer currently owns a 12-point lead over Lethbridge atop the division standings. The Rebels have 11 games left in the regular season while Lethbridge has 10.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
Sat. Feb. 25 – Five different players found the back of the net as the Rebels downed the visiting Kelowna Rockets 5-1 at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Ollie Josephson, Jace Weir, Ben King, Jace Isley and Mats Lindgren each scored once. Jayden Grubbe and Kai Uchacz each had two assists. Kyle Kelsey was solid in making 29 saves as Kelowna outshot Red Deer 30-25 on the night. Red Deer was 2-for-3 on the power play while Kelowna was 0-for-4.
Fri. Feb. 24 – The Rebels went toe to toe with the Winnipeg ICE but fell 2-1 to the CHL’s top ranked team at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Jace Isley scored Red Deer’s lone goal of the game 11 seconds into period two. Rebels netminder Kyle Kelsey finished with 29 saves. Winnipeg outshot Red Deer 31-30 and was 0-for-4 on the power play. Red Deer was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
Mon. Feb. 20 – The Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Rebels 4-1 in Family Day Matinee action at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Kai Uchacz scored his team leading 44th goal of the year for the Rebels. Over 6,000 fans turned out for the game with many sticking around for the return of the postgame Paint the Ice party.
UPCOMING GAMES
The Rebels are out east this week for a four-game-in-five-night road trip that starts Tuesday at Prince Albert. The trip continues Wednesday at Saskatoon and Friday in Brandon before wrapping up on Saturday, March 4 in Regina versus Connor Bedard and the Pats.
So far this season the Rebels are 2-1-0-0 versus Prince Albert, 1-1-1-0 versus Saskatoon, 1-1-0-1 versus Brandon and 2-1-0-0 versus Regina. This week marks the final time the Rebels play each of these teams during the regular season.
GOAL KING
Forward Ben King has 94 career goals with the Rebels tying him for 5th on the team’s all-time list with Greg Schmidt (1994-97). Brandon Hagel (2015-19) is fourth on the Rebels all-time list with 103 goals.
PLAYOFF TICKETS
With only five regular season home games remaining and the Rebels officially headed to the postseason, it’s time to look ahead to the Rebels playoff run! Visit reddeerrebels.com to see the available options for playoff packages and how to guarantee your seat!
CANADA WINTER GAMES
Four Red Deer Rebels represented their province at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island. Defenceman Luke Vlooswyk, Red Deer’s 17th overall pick at the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, played for Team Alberta, while Forward Matthew Gard (Round 2, 39th) and defencemen Tate Dolinsky (Round 4, 69th) and Reece Gault (Round 5, 105th) all played for Team Manitoba. Current Rebels who played at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer include forwards Jayden Grubbe and Kai Uchacz for Team Alberta, and defenceman Marek Schneider for Team Saskatchewan.
For media inquiries, email [email protected]. For all other inquiries, including tickets, call 403-341-6000 or visit reddeerrebels.com.
Health
Red Deer Hospital Lottery 2025 Winners

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Red Deer Hospital Lottery prizes – including the Dream Home, a $100,000.00 cash prize, and Mega Bucks 50.
James Smith of Spruce View has won the $100,000.00 cash prize.
Montey Brehaut of Red Deer has won the Mega Bucks 50 jackpot, taking home $301,702.50.
The grand prize Sorento Custom Homes Dream Home, including furnishings by Urban Barn and worth $1,074,472 – has been awarded to Oscar Gunnlaugson of Sylvan Lake.
The winner announcements took place at noon on June 26 , 2025 – and was streamed live on Facebook from Red Deer Regional Hospital Center.
“We’re excited to celebrate this year’s winners and deeply grateful to everyone who supported the lottery,” said Manon Therriault, CEO of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. “Funds raised will directly enhance patient care at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.”
This year’s lottery proceeds will fund essential new and replacement equipment, ensuring Red Deer Regional Hospital Center can continue to serve the 500,000 people who rely on it. While plans for the hospital expansion move forward, healthcare doesn’t wait. Patients in our community need access
to life-saving technology today, and supporting Red Deer Hospital Lottery has made that possible.
A full list of winners, including electronics prize recipients, will be posted on July 2 at reddeerhospitallottery.ca.
Winners will also receive instructions on how to claim their prizes by mail.
The keys to the Dream Home will be presented at a special ceremony this summer.
Business
Carnival Cinemas moving downtown: Owner Bill Ramji buys former Uptown Cinemas from RDP

News release from Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP)
Red Deer Polytechnic Sells Welikoklad Event Centre
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has sold the Welikoklad Event Centre in downtown Red Deer to a new owner who has plans to revitalize the facility as a movie theatre. RDP purchased the Welikoklad Event Centre in 2012. For many years, the Centre served as a valuable learning space for students in a variety of programming, including arts and business. The facility also served as a community hub, where RDP hosted a variety of events for different organizations. With the evolution of time, and RDP’s mix of industry-relevant arts and business programs transitioning back to main campus, the Welikoklad Event Centre no longer serves the same purpose for the post- secondary institution as it once did.
“As we’ve reviewed our future strategic plans relating to program growth and facility usage, to best serve our students, industry partners and community members, we are confident we can meet everyone’s needs at our other campuses,” says Jim Brinkhurst, Vice President, Finance and Administration & Chief Financial Officer, Red Deer Polytechnic. “We feel that now is a good time for the institution to sell this facility and we are pleased to see it repurposed for other community uses that will continue to serve Red Deer and downtown well.”
The Welikoklad Event Centre has been purchased by local business owner, Bill Ramji. He owns Carnival Cinemas, currently located in the Capstone neighbourhood. Future development is planned on the current site of this movie theatre and community gathering space. Ramji is excited to revitalize the theatre’s nearly three decades of history in Red Deer at its new location (which will be renovated before opening) in the heart of downtown.
“Carnival Cinemas is proud to announce the acquisition of the Welikoklad Event Centre from Red Deer Polytechnic, marking an exciting new chapter for this venue and the downtown arts community,” says Bill Ramji, Carnival Cinemas owner. “With this acquisition, Carnival Cinemas reaffirms its commitment to bringing the best value in movies to central Alberta while expanding its focus on supporting local theatre and the performing arts. The Welikoklad Event Centre, previously The Uptown Theatre, was a hub for film lovers and creative voices, and Carnival is eager to build on that legacy.”
Ramji continues, “We’re excited to move forward as Carnival Cinemas and Event Centre and our goal is to continue providing high-quality movie experiences, while also working hand-in-hand with local artists, performers, and theatre groups to enrich downtown Red Deer’s cultural landscape. Carnival Cinemas & Event Centre looks forward to collaborating with the arts community and the broader public to ensure the space remains a vibrant and inclusive gathering place for film and theatre alike.”
RDP will continue to have a presence in downtown Red Deer, with their downtown campus located in the Millennium Centre. The downtown RDP campus is home to RDP’s Continuing Education and Corporate Training programs.
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