CIHL Drafts Top Hockey Talent

With the puck dropping on the 2012-2013 CIHL season this Saturday, October 6, the four teams that make up Hong Kong's first full-contact ice hockey league have locked in their rosters for this season's championship campaign. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) October 03, 2012 - HONG KONG - At the 2012-2013 CIHL Draft held earlier this month, the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons, fourth in the league last year selected Adam Maglio as their first pick. Maglio and Devin Welsh, who was the AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors' first pick and the fourth overall draft pick, are this season's two RBC CIHL Interns. Both Maglio and Welsh are former Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) players and have been drafted to Hong Kong to help develop the sport of hockey in Hong Kong while gaining valuable work experience at a local company. They are part of an initiative by the CIHL and league sponsor Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to grow and develop the sport in Hong Kong.

After the Tycoons drafted Maglio overall, the Macau Aces selected Matthew Silverio with their first draft pick of the night. The South China Sharks, who last year finished runner-up to the champion Warriors, selected Yanick Houlmann with their top pick.

Each of the four teams was permitted to protect up to 10 of its players who had competed in last year's inaugural CIHL season. Players who were not protected became part of the general draft pool, alongside some exciting newcomers, such as Maglio and Welsh.

Commented CIHL Commissioner Grant Phillips: "The CIHL is delighted to have such a strong and growing interest from players interested in being part of this league. In addition to our strong core group of players who are returning this season, we are pleased to welcome so new faces to the league whose talents will no doubt further raise the bar on the level of play."

Each team is comprised of 15 players and two goalies. All games will be played at Mega Ice in Kowloon Bay, with a game format of three, 12-minute, stoppage periods of five-on-five hockey.

The 2012-2013 CIHL Draft also saw several of Hong Kong's top, under 18 talents drafted to the four teams. Eight players from Hong Kong's elite junior league, the Hong Kong Typhoons U18 league, will also regularly play in the CIHL.

Said CIHL Director Greg Smyth: "One of the CIHL's core aims is to create an environment for top youth players to further develop their skill set, including competing in a contact hockey environment. The CIHL is delighted to extend our partnership with the Hong Kong Typhoons and we're looking forward to seeing the growth and maturation of the eight U18 players who will be part of the CIHL on a weekly basis."

The 2012-2013 season of Hong Kong's first contact hockey league will begin on Saturday, October 6 at 8 p.m. at Mega Ice in Kowloon Bay with a game between the Macau Aces and the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons. At 9:30 p.m. the South China Sharks take on the defending champions, the AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors.

CIHL season tickets are available through www.cihl.com/tickets or by contacting Richard Young at richard ( @ ) cihl dot com dot A pair of season tickets is priced at HK$3,888 while the family pack of four is HK$5,888 dot Individual game night tickets, valid for both games, are HK$150 dot

The CIHL has created an online and mobile community through its comprehensive league and team websites, as well as its free iPhone app, which allows fans to access on-demand video clips, game highlights, photographs, statistics, schedules and player information.

About the CIHL
The CIHL was founded in 2010 to provide new opportunities for high-level, contact hockey in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China, as well as to champion sportsmanship and develop future generations of Chinese hockey. This year, the league will feature four teams: the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons, AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors, Macau Aces and South China Sharks

On Saturday nights from October, 6 2012 through March 16, 2013, the teams will face off at Mega Ice for two back-to-back games. Family entertainment, community events and on-ice kids' competitions are aimed at making Saturdays a true "Hockey Night in Hong Kong". The official website of the CIHL is www.cihl.com and a free iPhone app is available through the iTunes store.

About Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and investor services on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 51 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.

For more information, please contact:
Gregory Smyth, CIHL, greg ( @ ) cihl dot com

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