Seventy teams to compete in AAA Hockey Challenge

Brandon, MB (CKLQ) – Over the next three weekends, all four of Brandon’s hockey rinks will be booked solid as the AAA Hockey Challenge plays out.
The annual hockey tournament brings out the best young hockey players from around central Canada during either of the three weekends.
This weekend, players born between 2006 to 2009 will be on display.
Tournament organizer Daryl Wolski says there have been around 40 players that eventually went into the NHL during the events 28 year history.
"You’ll be seeing some kids here who are pretty close to being drafted int he WHL bantam draft in a number of years," said Wolski.
The event will cover all of Brandon’s rinks, as Wolski says they have booked 122 hours of ice time, and only had 126 hours to choose from.
"We had to cancel four hours of ice time, but it really is booked solid," said Wolski.
For that exact reason, it is why Wolski doesn’t expect the tournament to grow in future years.
"Instead of adding more teams, we’ll just try to improve our website, add more sponsors, making better awards," said Wolski.
The Hockey Challenge also brings in quite a bit of money into the city.
Wolski claims the tournament can bring in $2.5 million to $3 million a year to the city with the help of hotel bookings, restaurant use and gas purchase, among other things.