The 2024-25 Circle K Classic begins Friday with near consensus on which team is the one to beat in Calgary.
That would be Sid the Kid’s former club and five-time winner — including last year’s champion — of the under-18 AAA hockey showcase …
Minnesota’s world-renowned Shattuck-Saint Mary’s, known to many out there as the ‘Hogwarts of Hockey.’
But surely there’s magic in the making for others in the mix at the 32-team tournament, which runs through Jan. 1 at Max Bell Centre and Seven Chiefs Sportsplex?
It’s just a question of whether one of those contenders can conjure up enough wizardry to dethrone the kings in a march to the coveted title.
Here’s the buzz and what you need to know heading into the Circle K …
Who can give Shattuck-Saint Mary’s a run?
The reigning champs come into Calgary with a tremendous 21-5-2 record.
They are top-rated in MHR’s 2024-25 USA 18U rankings, eight months after winning the 2024 USA Hockey Youth Tier 1 18U national championship.
“This event is just going to go through them,” said Edge School head coach James Poole, of Shattuck-Saint Mary’s. “At the end of the day, somebody has to beat them to win it.”
Poole’s Edge Mountaineers might well be that team as an annual contender here. They lost to the Minnesota savants last year in a 5-2 semifinal, before watching Shattuck-Saint Mary’s shut out the Phoenix Jr Coyotes in the 3-0 final.
“We actually wanted a shot at playing them,” said Poole, reflecting on the semi. “And I thought it was a pretty competitive game, all in all.
“We relish the opportunity if we get another shot at them. We’re hoping (by the tournament), we can get our game up to theirs and give them a run for their money. We’re certainly not saying, ‘Hey, we can’t play against Shattuck.’”
Many believe they can, and many come with strong reasons why …
• Northern Alberta Xtreme, of Devon, Alta., is the top Canadian Sport School Hockey League team with a 16-1-1 mark.
• The Calgary NW Flames are the top team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League’s U18AAA circuit with a 16-3-0-2-1 record.
• The Bishop Kearney Selects are deemed to be strong with a 23-13-2 mark as the 14th-rated club in the MHR’s USA 18U rankings.
• Saskatchewan’s top-two club teams, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Regina Pat Canadians, sport respective 20-4-2 and 20-5-2 marks, with Pat Canadians’ 14-year-old phenom Maddox Schultz leading all Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League players on 52 points.
“You never know at a tournament like this, especially because the champion plays seven games in six days,” said Kevin Kobelka, a Circle K Classic committee member and the executive director of Hockey Calgary. “But other than Shattuck-Saint Mary’s, it is anybody’s guess.”
What to watch on Day 1
See Friday’s Day 1 schedule for game times and locations.
• Schultz, the likely top pick in the 2025 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft, and the Pat Canadians help kick off the tourney with a Friday morning game against the Calgary Royals.
• An intriguing matinee pits Edge, which is annually in the mix at The Circle K, against Chicago Mission in an international affair.
• For truly international flair, the game of the day goes Friday night between Team Hungary, which has become a staple at The Circle K the last few years, and the co-host Flames.
• And the late afternoon time slot offers top-shelf action on all four ice sheets: the Warriors versus B.C.’s OHA Penticton; Bishop Kearney versus the Calgary Northstars; Shattuck-Saint Mary’s versus newcomer co-host Calgary International Hockey Academy; and B.C.’s Valley West Giants versus the Sherwood Park Kings, with Renna Trembecky set to become only the second female goaltender in the tourney — after future Team Canada stalwart Shannon Szabados, then 15 — graced the event in 2001, also with the Kings.
What about the Northstars?
The Northstars are among the co-hosts with the most with a 13-8-0-1-3 record and are looking to do some damage at the event for the first time in a while.
“Things have been definitely trending in the right direction,” said Northstars second-year head coach Marcus Cheng. “Our success has been building for the last couple of years with Jesse Hale coming in as GM and him bringing in a lot of good coaches and then the players buying into the extra work ethic and the Northstar way.”
This edition, in particular, has found its success on the ice by being quick and gritty.
“I think we’re a tight-knit group — we talk well, and we bond,” said Northstars captain Hayden Schollar. “It’s been just about guys being at the rink and hanging out together and playing hard. I think that’s part of our success.”
The only time the Northstars have won this event was way back in 1987.
“We’ve got a dangerous group that can surprise some people,” said Cheng, praising the leadership group of Schollar and his assistant captains Everett Merchant, Christopher Wright and Cohen Babineau. “But we’ve got to play the right way to have success here.”
That’ll be the only way to win, especially with Shattuck-Saint Mary’s projected to be ever-powerful again.
“That Shattuck team is a little fearful,” admitted Schollar. “They’re a good team.
“They obviously have a lot of strong players — a lot of NCAA Division 1-committed players already,” added Cheng. “But that said, it’s just a great opportunity if we get to play them to have our kids show that they are capable of being at that level. So it’s more about everyone rising to the occasion than shying away from it.”
Friday’s Day 1 schedule
Morning
Phoenix Jr Coyotes v. OHA Edmonton, 7 Chiefs 2, 10 a.m.
Sioux Falls POWER v. Cariboo Cougars, Max Bell 2, 10 a.m.
Regina Pat Canadians v. Calgary Royals, 7 Chiefs 1, 10:30 a.m.
Detroit Victory Honda v. Okotoks Bowmark Oilers, Max Bell 1, 10:30 a.m.
Afternoon
Edmonton Jr Oilers Blue v. Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, Max Bell 2, 12:45 p.m.
Halifax Mac’s v. BWC Academy, 7 Chiefs 2, 12:45 p.m.
Edge School v. Chicago Mission, Max Bell 1, 1:15 p.m.
Boston Academy v. Calgary NW Flames, 7 Chiefs 1, 1:15 p.m.
Late afternoon
OHA Penticton v. Moose Jaw Warriors, Max Bell 2, 3:30 p.m.
Valley West Giants v. Sherwood Park Kings, 7 Chiefs 2, 3:30 p.m.
Bishop Kearney Selects v. Calgary Northstars, Max Bell 1, 4 p.m.
Shattuck St. Mary’s v. CIHA, 7 Chiefs 1, 4 p.m.
Evening
St. Louis Blues v. RHA Kelowna, 7 Chiefs 2, 6:15 p.m.
Edmonton Jr Oilers Orange v. Airdrie CFR Bisons, 7 Chiefs 1, 6:45 p.m.
Northern Alberta Xtreme v. Pittsburgh Pens Elite, Max Bell 2, 7:15 p.m.
Team Hungary v. Calgary Buffaloes, Max Bell 1, 7:30 p.m.