Brick Invitational brings once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to young hockey players

A summertime hockey tradition has returned to West Edmonton Mall.

The 34th annual Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament began Monday.

The internationally acclaimed hockey tournament was started in 1990 for kids aged nine and 10, and since then, more than 325 competitors have gone on to play with the NHL.

That includes six former Brick players on the ice during the 2023 Stanley Cup finals and first-round draft pick Connor Bedard, who played in the tournament in 2015.

“It’s just such a joy," said tournament co-founder, Andy Wigston. "We’ve had over 6,300 kids go through this program. . . There’s 125 currently playing in the NHL, so it’s a joy for these kids and they remember it.”

Over the next week, 14 teams of some of the best young players from North America will face off at West Edmonton Mall's Ice Palace.

The competition opened with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers facing off against Toronto Pro Hockey, before Team Brick Alberta took on the Toronto Bulldogs.

“It’s not comparable to any other tournament. It’s the best tournament in the world I feel for this age group. We’re extremely privileged to be a part of it," said Umberto Fiorillo, Team Brick Alberta coach.

Team Alberta did not take home a win Sunday, but Fiorillo says the tournament is about more than coming in first place.

"You can’t judge success on wins and losses," he said. "It’s about the experience."

"We’re definitely teaching life lessons through this great tournament and building friendships for life,” Fiorillo added.

Kelly Thompson and her family travelled from Minnesota for the competition. She said it's not cheap getting here, but the experience is worth the cost.

"You get to play against high-level hockey players everywhere, but nothing like this," she said. "It brings the best of all North American kids together to compete against each other. You just can’t replicate that anywhere else.”

Team Brick Alberta takes on the Western Selects Tuesday at 2 p.m.

The tournament wraps up Sunday, July 7. A full game schedule can be found here.