Puck drop is 8 a.m. Thursday at the John Reid Memorial Tournament at Servus Credit Union Place.
The 38th annual St. Albert bantam AAA invitational tournament, hosted by the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres and St. Albert Raiders Hockey Club, showcases 16 elite teams from across western North America.
The 42-game schedule consists of four divisions divided into two pools to determine the playoff pairings in the A, B and C brackets.
Opening ceremonies start Thursday at 7:15 p.m. at Go Auto Arena and the winner of the eighth annual $1,000 John Reid Memorial Scholarship will be announced.
A division semifinals are Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Go Auto Arena and 1:45 p.m. at Mark Messier Arena.
The championship game is Sunday at 2 p.m. at Go Auto Arena.
The only St. Albert team to win the tournament was the 1983 Territorial Leasing Sabres.
Visit www.johnreidmemorial.com for the schedule and results.
The Reid tournament was recognized as Canada’s top minor hockey tournament for 2015 by Hockey Now magazine in a recent readers’ poll.
Reid pool
The Sabres are competing in the Kal-Tire division of the John Reid pool and Thursday they play the Notre Dame Hounds at 10:45 a.m. and the Los Angeles Jr. Kings at 8 p.m. and Friday against the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks at 2:30 p.m. All three games are at Go Auto Arena.
The Skybox Grill division includes the Rocky Mountain Raiders, Dallas Stars Elite, Delta Hockey Academy Wild (2015 champions) and Sherwood Park Flyers.
Iginla pool
The C2 Homes division of the Jarome Iginla pool features the Pursuit of Excellence Academy, Burnaby Winter Club Bruins, SSAC Southgate Lions and Colorado Thunderbirds.
The SVS Group division is comprised of the Lethbridge Golden Hawks, Yale Hockey Academy, Calgary Bisons and Winnipeg Monarchs.
Ticket prices
A four-day pass is $40 for adults ($30 with no program) and $25 for students and seniors ($18 with no program).
Daily admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Children 10 and under get in free. There is no charge for Raiders Hockey Club and St. Albert Minor Hockey Association players wearing their team jackets.
Awards banquet
The highlight of Saturday’s tournament banquet, starting at 6 p.m. at the Ramada Conference Centre Ballroom, is the presentation of the John Reid Memorial Award for heart and hustle to a Sabres player.
The tournament was renamed in Reid’s memory in 2004.
The MVP award winners and all-star team selections will also be announced.
The guest speaker is Nelson Emerson, a former NHL forward (195 goals and 488 points in 771 games) and assistant coach who is the director of player development for the Los Angels Kings. His twin sons, Blake and Quinn, play for the Jr. Kings.
