Brick Invitational bringing top youth hockey players to showcase talent at West Edmonton Mall
Players and organizers said the main goal of the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament is for the young athletes to have fun.
Some of North America's most promising young hockey players will be in Edmonton this weekend for the annual Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament.
The tournament will celebrate 36 years on Monday, when the opening puck drop takes place at 7:30 a.m. at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace.
'The 36 years have gone very fast. The first one is a great memory, and as well as the one last year,' said tournament chair Craig Styles.
The week-long competition features 14 youth hockey teams, with players aged nine and 10, from Canada and the U.S. It wraps up on July 6 with the final championship game at noon.
Styles said about 82 per cent of kids who play in the invitational go on to play hockey at higher levels, from the Alberta Junior Hockey League to the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League.
'They form a foundation here. More and more in the last 10 or 15 years, we see where the cream has risen to the top at this tournament,' he added.
Former invitation players who have gone on to NHL careers include Connor Bedard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Steven Stamkos.
A full schedule, live feeds and up-to-date game results can be found on the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
24 minutes ago
- National Post
Flames draft high-scoring centre Cole Reschny
The Calgary Flames are searching for future difference-makers at the centre position. Article content They think Cole Reschny fits the bill. Article content Article content The Flames selected Reschny with the No. 18 overall pick in Friday's first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Article content This talented teen from Macklin, Sask., racked up 26 goals and 92 points in 62 outings this season with the Victoria Royals, finishing ninth in the Western Hockey League scoring race. Article content Article content He found another gear in the playoffs, with nine tallies and 16 assists in 11 spring showdowns. Article content 'Good western boy,' beamed Flames general manager Craig Conroy on the broadcast. 'We're looking for centres, so we were hoping he was going to be there and, sure enough, we got a break.' Article content He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds and has a lefty curve on his stick. Article content Scouts have praised Reschny's playmaking skills, his hockey sense and his tenacity. He won 56.4 percent of his faceoffs this winter. Article content
National Post
24 minutes ago
- National Post
LEAFS NOTES: Toronto not feeling a first round draft as picking starts
The Maple Leafs weren't out to quench any thirst for a first in Friday night's first round of the National Hockey League draft. Article content Having made their bed, trading the 25th pick to Chicago for Jake McCabe two years ago, they seemed ready to sleep through the opening chapter versus trading up and get back to work Saturday morning. They will have six picks in the ensuing six rounds, starting at 64th overall. Article content Article content General manager Brad Treliving was suggesting this week there was an equal chance the Leafs move further down the order, not higher, if another team liked a player at 64th and perhaps offers them two picks in return. Article content It's not unheard of for Toronto to find a diamond in the rough at 64, with 1990s forward Frederik Modin and current defence prospect Topi Niemela, but any choices at that position are usually long-term projects. Article content 'I'm just interested in the best available talent and the guy who competes and works hard,' amateur scouting director Mark Leach told reporters on Thursday of what he would seek at that spot. Article content TAVARES SEEING RED Article content When we asked newly re-signed John Tavares where his game is at in his mid-30s, he threw his name in the ring for another shot with Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Article content Tavares has played on various national sides in his career and it was a huge letdown for him not to be invited to the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. But it will have been 12 years since he won Olympic gold in 2014 at Sochi and this time he'd be nearing age 36. Article content Article content 'I really take a lot of pride in how I try to get better, approach the game and my craft,' he said. 'There's a tremendous amount of belief in who I am and what I can do. Article content 'I have always stated my desire to give it every opportunity to play for Team Canada on the biggest stage at the biggest events. You hope you can earn that, There's tremendous amount of belief I have to play at an elite level and continue to evolve. Article content The Canadiens announced this week that their Prospect Showdown returns to the Bell Centre, Sept. 13-14. The best young Habs and Leafs will be joined by the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets. Toronto plays the Sens at 1 p.m. on Sat. Sept. 13 and Montreal at 3 p.m. next day.
CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
Man undertakes 13-hour workout marathon in Waterloo for 2SLGBTQIA+ support program
A man in Waterloo is doing some heavy lifting to raise money for LGBTQ2+ supports. A man in Waterloo is doing some heavy lifting to raise money for LGBTQ2+ supports. A man is taking the phrase, 'a strong supporter' to a new level. Mark Griffien embarked on a 13-hour workout marathon at a gym in Waterloo to raise funds for a 2SLGBTQIA+ program. 'Normally I come here as a regular client of The Fit Club,' he told CTV News on Friday. 'We decided to do a fundraising event that involved me working out for the entire time that the gym was open.' Griffien began his campaign at 6 a.m. and continued working out until 7 p.m. as part of an effort to raise funds for Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health's OK2BME program. The initiative offers confidential counselling services, public education, consulting and a youth group for people between the ages of 12 and 18. 'Youth in that community are at a much higher risk of mental health issues and suicide and having these programs is really beneficial to a really great start in life,' Griffien said. Griffien may have been the one doing the heavy lifting, but he had the support of one of the gym's fitness coaches, Becca Sanchez Karley. She made sure he didn't overexert himself and carefully planned a routine. 'Each hour we're working a different muscle group. With that first hour we're working on an upper pull, then we'll work on the lower body, then upper body – mixing cardio in there just to make it doable so that he doesn't pass out on me,' she said. She was also there to offer moral support during the grueling challenge. 'The mental component, that's where I come into play. That's where a bit of the psychology kicks in where if I see him getting down I have the amazing connection with him that I know what brings him up again,' she said. The two had set a goal of $5,000 ahead of the marathon. After Griffien finally set the weights down for the last time, they had raised $9,069 according to Camino's website. Sanchez Karley said donations would be accepted online throughout the night and hoped they may be able to double their goal and hit $10,000.
