The Young Stars Classic returns to the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton this weekend as Vancouver Canucks prospects suit up in blue and green to show off their skills.
However, only two NHL teams are taking part this year and, with declining ticket sales, some are wondering if the future of the tournament in the Peach City could be in jeopardy.
During the inaugural event in 2010, five NHL teams sent their top prospects, including the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
In 2017, the four western Canadian teams participated, but this year the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers bowed out.
“I think Calgary and Edmonton this year wanted to try something closer to their market, to build their brand and their ticket sales, doing one game in Red Deer,” said Penticton mayor Andrew Jakubeit, who is also chair of the Young Stars classic organizing committee.
“We’re very optimistic that they will be coming back again because it is certainly not the same as a three-game environment, where the teams get to see their prospects competing in real game environments,” he said.
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The 2018 Young Stars Classic involves two pro games between the Canucks’ and Winnipeg Jets’ prospects on Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 9 at 2 p.m.
Rounding out the field are two university teams; the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and U Sports Champion University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“University of Alberta is the defending national champion… it is still high caliber hockey that we haven’t seen in the Okanagan, so it is still going to be great hockey to watch,” Jakubeit said.
A search for tickets online shows hundreds of seats are still up for grabs for the pro games.
“We are tracking a little lower than typically, but then we also get a lot of walk-up traffic and last-minute people buying tickets,” Jakubeit said.
“The Young Stars Classic is a fantastic tournament and the city of Penticton does a tremendous job as host,” said Trevor Linden, Canucks president of hockey operations.
“While the format and participating teams has changed, fans can still expect a lot of excitement and a high level of competition from both top prospects and elite university programs.”
Jakubeit said while the city hosts the event, the Canucks are responsible for inviting other NHL teams to participate.
“We’ve had almost 100 players who played here at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton that have moved on to the NHL and moved on to be key players,” he said.
Jakubeit added there is no extended contract and decisions about participation are made on a year-to-year basis.
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