The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is excited to announce it will be hosting the inaugural Maritime Hockey Summit from August 8th to 11th, 2024 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This will be the largest event of its kind in the Maritimes, bringing future junior players together in one location with coaches, scouts, vendors, and fans.
The Maritime Hockey Summit is centred around development and scouting for players born from 2007 to 2009, starting August 8th with on-ice and off-ice testing as well as skating and skills development and in-class sessions. The Draft Division will be for those players born between 2007 to 2008, with initial invitations going out early in the new year to those players who have already been drafted to the MHL. Initial invitations for the Pre-Draft Division, players born in 2009, will be sent to those who took part in the Atlantic Challenge Cup in Moncton in October.
Teams for a showcase tournament at the Maritime Hockey Summit will be formed through a draft on Friday, August 9th. Players in the Draft Division will be selected to twelve teams, named after the MHL’s member teams. There will be eight teams in the Pre-Draft Division, named after the seven Canadian NHL teams plus the Red Wings. Coaches from all MHL teams will be participating as instructors during the event. Round-robin competition will begin following the draft, culminating in gold medal games in each division on Sunday, August 11th. Grant Harvey Centre will be the host arena for the Maritime Hockey Summit, with other local arenas in the Fredericton area also being used.
“This is an exciting announcement for an event that will bring all eyes in the hockey world in the region to the MHL,” says President Connor Cameron. “The Maritime Hockey Summit will give our twelve member teams the chance to see the league’s future stars and offer Maritime players an opportunity to showcase their talent while providing further development.”
The Maritime Hockey Summit will also include a Coaching Symposium. The MHL will be working with Hockey New Brunswick and the Hockey New Brunswick Officials Council to bring in speakers from all levels of the sport. A Hockey Expo will feature a trade show and expo for hockey companies and vendors to show their equipment, apparel, and technology to a wide audience from the region. Details will follow on the symposium and expo.
“We’re excited to work with the City of Fredericton to host an event of this magnitude,” says event Chairman Roger Shannon. “Any time you have the chance to bring 1,000 people to an area, it benefits not only those involved in the event itself, but the host city and local businesses. The Fredericton Red Wings are excited to act as the inaugural host.”