Committee members from a group involved with bringing the World Jr. A Challenge to Bonnyville in December of this year have approached the Town of St. Paul to offer St. Paul a chance to get in on some of the action.
Robb Hunter spoke on behalf of the bid committee that was successful in bringing the tournament to the Lakeland. The event will feature six teams made up of some of the best Jr. A hockey players in the world.
Two teams will be from Canada, one from the U.S., one from Russia, and others will be from Europe.
Although Bonnyville will play host to the tournament itself, there is the opportunity for a couple of surrounding communities to host exhibition games prior to the tournament.
The games are set to take place on Dec. 9, with one likely being held in Cold Lake. The economic impact that the tournament can have on a community is huge, said Hunter, adding, even hosting an exhibition game, which will bring two teams into the community for the day, can have an impact.
It would cost the Town of St. Paul $25,000 to host the game, but much of those funds could be made back through ticket sales, and fundraisers like a 50/50 draw during the game, said Hunter.
“You would get all the revenue back from hosting the game.”
The $25,000 would also put the Town of St. Paul’s logo on all event materials, since it is considered the highest level of sponsorship with the tournament. The M.D. of Bonnyville and the Town of Bonnyville are already involved in sponsoring the event, said Hunter, and there have been positive talks with the City of Cold Lake.
After Cold Lake, “our first choice is to come here,” said Hunter, when speaking about St. Paul hosting an exhibition game. He said Lac La Biche and Lloydminster have both expressed interest in hosting the game, but the committee wants to keep the event to a regional one, if possible.
The game held in St. Paul would either feature Canada vs. Russia, or Canada vs. U.S. Hunter said it would be helpful to have an answer from the Town of St. Paul within the next few weeks.
Councillors asked if hockey players would do other community activities, such as sign autographs or visit some of the young hockey players in town. Hunter said that although he couldn’t confirm what the teams would agree to do, some of the teams have done school tours and that kind of thing in the past.
“This is a big event. Winning is the number one goal,” said Hunter, adding, if coaches decide the team is going to stay in their hotel rooms the entire time, then they can’t be forced to do otherwise.
But, hosting an exhibition game could offer more opportunity since there is less stress on the teams at that point.
Council did not make a decision on the request at the March 29 meeting.