The Brick Invitational Tournament: When Can Someone Spot Talent?

“It’s pretty amazing how good these 10-year-olds are; they are the best 10-year-olds in North America” - Andy Wigston, Executive Director of the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament.

The hockey community is known for its young superstars who regularly break records and set the stage for what elite hockey players should be able to achieve. The NHL Draft’s first round is almost always filled with players straight out of high school or their first year of college around the ages of 17-19. So when is it safe to scout out the next generation of talented game-changers? Connor Bedard was granted exceptional player status at just 14 years old, joining the likes of Connor McDavid and John Tavares while still completing the 8th Grade. However, is it possible to spot star potential when kids are even younger? Or are scouts, fans, and hockey professionals biting off more than they can chew by praising 10-year-old players for their performances? 

Enter the week-long summer U-10 Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in West Edmonton. The 14-team competition has been running ever since 1990 and is known for its incredibly strong production and consistently creating future NHL legends. The tournament includes 6 Canadian provinces, 7 American states, and 1 team, including kids from all over the western side of the USA. These groups are not traditional winter teams but rather highly selective elite teams that are built from various different high-performing kids. Every three years, a committee decides whether or not a team is still able to match the tournament's level of competitiveness, and if not, the team will be instantly replaced by a group waiting patiently on their waitlist. 

More than 200 10-year-olds from the Brick Tournament have gone on to play in the NHL, CHL, or various prestigious Canadian and American colleges. Steven Stamkos, P. K. Subban, Auston Matthews, Michael Misa, Cole Caufield, and Connor Bedard are just a couple of alumni from the event.

Many fans who watched the nine and 10-year-olds in this year's tournament have been speaking on social media about how shocking the children’s skill levels are. These 5th graders are able to visualize complex lanes and execute very difficult passes. Their hockey IQs are already well-developed and highly advanced. 

This year the Montreal Canadiens won the tournament, and all eyes were on their 2031 draft-eligible captain, Liam Tep. He was able to smash Cole Caufield’s tournament record by scoring 15 goals and 14 assists for a total of 29 points in 8 games. This is also better than Connor Bedard’s eight goals and one assist from 2015. 

Now, many are drawing attention to the fact that these kids are demolishing records set by fantastic NHL stars. People are wondering, is the game of hockey and its standards just elevating and becoming more intense, or are these kids insanely talented and prepared to be granted exceptional statuses?

Is it wrong to put pressure on elementary school kids to become full-time players just by looking at their 10-year-old statistics, or should it be encouraged to scout out gifted adolescent athletes in order to build up the future of professional hockey? Does this take away from the fun of the sport? No matter what one thinks, it is crazy to know there are children out there who are going to be drafted in the 2030s already excelling in hockey at a high, competitive level.