Ben’s Cup youth hockey fundraiser back to bring Canada’s first proton therapy centre
Posted Dec 28, 2025 10:18 am.
Last Updated Dec 28, 2025 11:03 am.
Ben’s Cup youth hockey tournament returned for a second consecutive year to raise funds to help create Canada’s first proton therapy cancer treatment centre.
From the sound of the horn to kids skating to make a goal, hundreds of kids from U-7 to U-13 from across Edmonton were back at the rink Saturday for a cause.
Six-year-old Xander Faquet, who has been playing hockey since he was four, is participating for the second time in the tournament.
“I was a goalie today, and then everyone wanted me to be the best, so that’s why they gave me this, and then I also went where all the orange people are, like the sweaters. I went there because I was the top player in the hockey fundraiser, and then I went there, and then they gave me this cool one right here,” said the U-7 player.
Xander is one of the players at the annual youth hockey tournament and a top fundraiser at the event, having contributed more than $8,000 to bring proton therapy treatment to Canada.
“I feel good ’cause helping is nice, I feel,” Faquet said.
The tournament was formed to help raise funds for the Ben Stelter Foundation, named after the Edmonton Oilers superfan, in 2025. Ben’s Cup raised more than $600,000 in its first year, and organizers are hoping to surpass it this year.
Emmett Madigin, last year’s top fundraiser, is topping the U-11/U-13 charts again this year. Madigin has already raised $28,000 so far this year.
Proton therapy is a type of radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients. According to Ben’s Cup website, every year, Albertans have to travel to the U.S. to get the treatment. The foundation is aiming to raise an investment of $120 million for the treatment centre, a first in Canada.
Karen Melnyk, one of the organizers of the tournament, said, “It’s a really big deal. There are a lot of cancers that proton therapy can actually help minimize the tumour or the effect that the cancer is having on the body. So to be able to have proton therapy here in Alberta or in Canada is massive because it just gives another treatment option.”
Raffles and silent auctions are also being held at the event. For families that want to watch the game, Ben’s Cup goes on till Dec. 30.
