With a site name like HockeyStars pretty much everyone who signs up to play the game and share their stories is already a star. However, I've scoured the internet for this week's post about young up-and-coming talent, including promising young athletes that are making waves in their community. Luckily, I was able to hone in on an event that does this as well.
Each year the Elite Prospect Showcase [1] gives young players and future stars the chance to shine. Many Canadian players have come up through the ranks of this annual program that pits our country's hopefuls against American talents.
"It's a good competition for the Canadian kids, who come from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and throughout Ontario, to play in this showcase. It has the very best talent from the ages of 10 to 15," says [Jon] Calvano." (source: Alberta Hockey [2])
Even the current captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathon Toews, was on the Western Canada Team just a few years ago.
The Showcase is by invitation only to make sure only the best of the best are present although it's a great forum for any of those players to rise to the top. They have six teams per division, which are split up by age (birth years are listed from 1990 all the way to 2000). The Elite Prospects Showcase for 2009 will take place April 16-19 in Detroit, Michigan.
For a more local tournament, there is also the 2010 Under-17 Championship in Timmins, Ontario from Dec. 28, 2009 to Jan. 4, 2010 - prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics happening in Vancouver, BC (so there's plenty of time for young stars to prepare for this event).
"These are our future NHL players," City of Timmins leisure services manager Marc Roy said. "You'll have stars come out and shine and be future NHL stars in two to three years time." (source: Timmins Daily Press [3])
The U-17 championship will include five teams from across the nation, split up by region: Pacific, West, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic. There will also be invitations given to five international teams.
If there is a true young HockeyStar in your community (or an entire team for that matter) please feel free to give them a shout out in the comments of this post and I hope to see them shine in future events like this.
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