Fruitvale native and former Beaver Valley Nitehawk Arie Postmus helped the Red Deer Rebels earn high grades and a coveted scholastic achievement.
The Rebels were awarded the Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy on Tuesday, April 29 - presented annually to the Western Hockey League (WHL) team that achieves the highest overall academic peformance during the regular season.
“It is fantastic to see our players get rewarded for the effort they put into their schoolwork,” said Postmus, the Rebels Hockey Operations Manager. “The dedication they showed to balance on-ice performance and off-ice performance in the classroom is very rewarding to see.”
Postmus was born and raised in Fruitvale, and a graduate of J. L. Crowe and Selkirk College. The talented defenceman was part of the 2012 Nitehawks championship team, and won the BC Inter-collegiate Hockey title with the Selkirk Saints from 2014-16, before earning a business degree at Red Deer Polytechnic.
As the Rebels Hockey Operations Manager, Postmus now focuses on the Rebels’ player education, learning skills, and wellness.
This year, the combined average for all Rebels high school players is 88 per cent.
Postmus belongs to a special team that collaborates daily, and includes Teresa Jaeger, Rebels Education Advisor, and Notre Dame Vice Principal Curtis Lansing. The three continually monitor the players’ progress, meet with them daily, and provide the structure and support they require to achieve excellent grades.
“I am very happy for them all,” said Postmus. “Teresa also deserves a ton of credit for the countless hours she gives to spearhead our education program and support these players to ensure they graduate with stellar marks.”
The Rebels had nine players attending École Secondaire Notre Dame High School in Red Deer during the season, while other players studied online through Athabasca University.
“On behalf of the Red Deer Rebels, I’d like to thank the league for being selected for the Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy,” said Jaeger. “We take great pride in working with our players to be the best they can be.”
Donlevy, who passed away in 2019, was instrumental in the creation and continued success of the WHL Scholarship program – the largest privately-funded amateur sports scholarship program in Canada, and one of the most comprehensive education programs for hockey in the world today.
Since the establishment of the WHL Scholarship in 1993-94, nearly 8,000 scholarships have been accessed, totaling an investment of over $35 million by WHL Clubs.
“This award win is a great achievement that celebrates all the hard work by our players and staff,” says Rebels owner, president, and GM Brent Sutter. “The Rebels place great importance in ensuring our players are focused on their academics during the season, and we take pride in their success.
“Congratulations to the players, Teresa and Arie for this well-deserved honour, and thank you to our partner schools for all your help.”
The Rebels are just the third Alberta-based team, and first since the Calgary Hitmen in 2013-14, to win the Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy/WHL Scholastic Team of the Year Award.