This month will mark the 46th annual John Reid Memorial Tournament, with the four-day tournament kicking off on Jan. 16.
The St. Albert Sabres took home bronze in last year's tournament, and the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association (SAMHA) hopes that they will see continued success.
The tournament will see 16 teams from across Western Canada and the United States travel to St. Albert, said SAMHA executive director Jane Sedo.
The tournament has significant stakes for some players who may be looking to break into higher levels of junior hockey with their performances, such as the Western Hockey League (WHL).
"It tends to generate a lot of highly talented players in one place," Sedo said. "The players participating in this tournament are all draft eligible. So, their WHL draft will take place in May. So, our tournament is the final tournament on that calendar of events for this age group. Therefore we do see a lot of WHL teams attend as scouts for the event."
In 2024, the St. Albert Raiders Sabres won the bronze medal in an 8-3 win over the Red Deer Rebels, and they'll look to build on that success.
"The Sabres took gold in the Red Deer U15 AAA tournament in October. They beat Edge, which was the former John Reid championship team last year," she said. "It's a highly competitive field, so it feels that there's no clear frontrunner. I would say there's definitely a handful of really strong teams that could show up and take the title this year."
The opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, Jan. 16, to recognize and introduce the teams, an opportunity Sedo says they have by being such a small tournament. She says it has been part of the tournament program for a number of years, and is one of many things that she believes is special about the tournament and its legacy in St. Albert.
In past years, the U15 tournament has seen around 4,000 people attend over the course of the four-day event, with all games being held at Servus Credit Union Place. She says the tournament is "a significant fundraiser for our Raiders program" and volunteers from St. Albert help pull it off.
"I think a lot of people in our extended community have involvement with the tournament in one way or another over the years," she said. Using herself as an example, Sedo said she has been involved with the tournament for three years in a professional capacity. "But as a resident of St. Albert and having grown up here, I had involvement in the tournament at a younger age as a volunteer."
To learn more about the 2025 John Reid Memorial Tournament, visit their website.
