Potential future NHL-ers, WHL draft picks and junior A hockey players will be showcased in Penticton in what organizers believe will bring a $1.5 million economic spinoff to the city.
The Okanagan Hockey Academy and Global Spectrum Facility Management announced on Thursday they will be hosting the Canadian Sport School Hockey League championship in March.
“The community of Penticton and the region of the South Okanagan are going to be treated to some extremely competitive and talented athletes here,” said CSSHL chairman and Okanagan Hockey Academy president Andy Oakes. “You have some of the best bantam and midget players in Western Canada that are going to be playing here in Penticton.”
The four-day event will be run by the OHA and Global, with support from the City of Penticton and the Penticton Hospitality Association. A total of 33 teams will be in Penticton March 12 to 15 with games at the South Okanagan Events Centre, OHS Training Centre, Memorial Arena and McLaren Park Arena.
In the six years since the league’s inception, the tournament has travelled to different communities. Oakes hopes to change that.
“Now that the tournament is so large there are very few spots that can host all the teams together and we have expanded for next season. We are putting in a female division which is going to give the league about 45 teams,” said Oakes. “We are in a situation where it becomes very limited where it can go and our goal, as you heard from everyone is, let’s put on a show like nobody else can put on and keep it here. This is our one-time shot to impress the other league members to say, ‘Hey, lets go back to Penticton annually, forget going elsewhere.’”
The tournament will bring over 600 student-athletes and 100 staff members to the city, as well as an estimated 1,000 family members and scouts. By the organizers’ estimate it will tally up to about 2,000 hotel rooms throughout the duration of the event.
As of Wednesday, the schools themselves have booked over 200 hotel rooms for four straight nights.
Jakubeit said hosting the tournament builds on a new initiative with the tourism development task force. He hopes the timing of the CSSHL tournament, right before spring break, translates into families spending extra days in Penticton and translates to visits in the future.
“When I start doing the math of an economic impact with the numbers of $250 per person per day, which is actually lower than the industry standard, it is still over $1.5 million which is pretty massive for an inaugural event,” said Jakubeit.
Penticton Hospitality Association operations director Tim Hodgkinson said the tournament is just another chance to show Penticton is a natural home for premier sporting events.
“The shoulder season is a key strategic target for the PHA’s own marketing efforts and this is another shining example of how, by working together, the whole community benefits,” he said.
Spectators will be able to watch top-end prospects compete over the course of the event, including nine first-round selections from the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. In just six short years, the CSSHL has seen an abundance of players move on to the next level, such as current Ottawa Senators forward, 2015 World Junior champion and Okanagan Hockey Academy alumni Curtis Lazar, as well as current Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba.
Full event passes cost $30, while one-day passes cost $15. Tickets are available online at www.valleyfirsttix.com, in person at the Valley First Box Office at the SOEC or the Wine Country Visitor Centre. Go to csshl.ca to view the full schedule.
The CSSHL is made up of 11 sports schools across Alberta, British Columbia and Idaho.
While the majority of CSSHL players hail from Western Canada, players also come from all over the world to join their respective programs, including across Canada and the United States, as well as Mexico and 16 countries outside of North America.