Upstart and not uptight. That’s how Calgary International Hockey Academy looks at the 2024-25 Circle K Classic.
At the very least, the school housed at WinSport has been good enough to grab a playoff berth in its debut at the world-renowned under-18 AAA puck event.
“We’ve had to earn it,” said CIHA’s under-18 head coach Tyson Soloski, of both scoring the invite to the tournament and making the playoff round in the hunt for the coveted Circle K title.
“We had a slow start his year — I think we were probably on the outside looking in for most of it. But we went to the Island Classic tournament in Victoria and played really well there. We lost in the finals to a really strong Toronto team, but we found out that night that we got into The Circle K.
“Getting here was a big, big goal for us.”
And from there, the little school that could — with just 80 students on its three-team puck roster — has made noise in this tourney.
CIHA’s 2-1 start for a spot in the A-side Round of 16 has made for one of the biggest storylines of The Circle K heading into Monday’s Day 4 in Calgary …
What makes CIHA tick?
Despite only being in its second year after being rebranded by new ownership from the previous IHA name, CIHA has found its footing in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League landscape.
And that made it possible to check in here at The Circle K, where Sunday’s 4-1 must-win over B.C.’s Valley West Giants (0-3) has the Calgary academy headed to the playoff round.
“We got the invite in middle of November,” said Soloski, who last year coached CIHA’s U17 squad to strong success. “Coming to The Circle K was something we were very excited for. I think for all of our players to experience a tournament of this magnitude is pretty special.
“And then to be a local academy that’s new, it’s pretty special.”
Their home at WinSport, with access to some of the best ice in the city and to Team Canada’s training gym, has helped Soloski’s side become special.
“I think our identity is being hard to play against,” continued Soloski, whose charges also beat the Sherwood Park Kings 5-2 after getting upended 9-3 by defending champ Shattuck-St. Mary’s this week in The Circle K Classic.
“We want to be fast, we want to be skilled, we want to be physical … To play within our identity is pretty important for us, and we’ve done a really good job of sticking to what we’re good at. And I think that’s what we’ve done here, and we’ve made a few adjustments along the way that helped us.”
It’s helped that they have ability, as well.
Airdrie’s Aden Bouchard, just 15, is a defenceman with “very special high-end skill and high-end hockey IQ” who was plucked third overall by the Tri-City Americans in the 2024 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.
Others are WHL property, too, including two more top-shelf blue-liners in captain Benett Kelly — a Cochrane kid with the Prince Albert Raiders — and Calgary’s Easton Laplante — a gem with the home-town Hitmen.
And Soloski also boasts about a bevy of gritty role players, highlighted by Bragg Creek’s Lachlan Hanton and Calgarians Hunter Kelso and Gabriel Iervella.
“We have a really good mix of guys who can play any role on our team,” Soloski said. “I think that’s why we’re having some success this season.
“But it’s the ownership group and everyone involved in the academy that have made this happen — they’ve been tremendous,” praised Soloski, adding CIHA — now showcasing U18 prep, U17 prep and U15 varsity sides — is growing by one team next year — a U15 prep squad — and hopes to ice a female team the following season.
“It’s a lot of fun to go to work every day. We really do value ourselves on earning what you get and putting in the hard work to get better and helping these kids get to the next level. It’s their end-goal, and the academy has done a tremendous job in making that the top priority.”
What happened on Sunday’s Day 3?
Beyond CIHA, it wasn’t a good day for local sides which went into the final day of round-robin play on the bubble of advancing to the A-side playoff:
• The co-host Calgary NW Flames (1-2) were eliminated from championship contention after a 3-2 loss to the Burnaby Winter Club (2-1) in a winner-advanced-to-the-playoff contest.
• The co-host Calgary Buffaloes (1-2) dropped a 4-2 affair with Pittsburgh Pens Elite (2-1).
• The Okotoks Bowmark Oilers (1-1-1) were also eliminated from the title push after a 3-2 overtime loss to B.C.’s Cariboo Cougars (2-1).
• Other games involving local squads saw Edge School (3-0) finish unbeaten in round-robin play with a 5-4 edge of Edmonton Jr OIlers Blue (2-1); the co-host Calgary Royals (1-2) pick up their first win of the tourney with a 4-3 OT edge of OHA Edmonton (0-2-1); the Airdrie CFR Bisons (2-0-0-1) lose 4-3 in a shootout to RHA Kelowna (2-1); and the co-host Calgary Northstars (0-3) were upended by the Moose Jaw Warriors (2-1) 7-3.
• Those wins by the Cougars, the Warriors, Pittsburgh and RHA Kelowna advanced them all to the A-side playoff. The other club punching its Sweet Sixteen ticket with a Sunday victory was the St. Louis AAA Blues (2-1), with a 4-2 decision over the Edmonton Jr Oilers Orange (0-3).
• Also Sunday, it was: Boston Academy 5, Halifax MacDonalds 2; Fraser Valley Thunderbirds 5, Chicago Mission 1; Detroit Victory Honda 5, Sioux Falls POWER 4 (OT); Regina Pat Canadians 3, Phoenix Jr Coyotes 2; Northern Alberta Xtreme 4, Team Hungary 2; Bishop Kearney Selects 3, OHA Penticton 1; and Shattuck-St. Mary’s 10, Sherwood Park Kings 1.
What to watch on Monday’s Day 4
(see Monday’s Day 4 Schedule below for game-times and locations)
• It’s playoff time with the A-side Round of 16 on all day Monday at both Max Bell Centre and Seven Chiefs Sportsplex. Winners advance to the quarterfinals early Tuesday.
• The B- and C-side playoffs also get started with eight teams involved in each of those brackets. Those contests are also showcased at Max Bell and Seven Chiefs.
Monday’s Day 4 Schedule
Morning (C-side Round of 16)
Valley West Giants v. OHA Edmonton, Max Bell 2, 10 a.m.
Chicago Mission v. Boston Academy, 7 Chiefs 2, 10 a.m.
Team Hungary v. Detroit Victory Honda, 7 Chiefs 1, 10:30 a.m.
Calgary Northstars v. Edmonton Jr Oilers Orange, Max Bell 1, 10:30 a.m.
Afternoon (A-side Round of 16)
Pittsburgh Pens Elite v. Regina Pat Canadians, Max Bell 2, 12:45 p.m.
Phoenix Jr Coyotes v. Halifax Mac’s, 7 Chiefs 2, 12:45 p.m.
CIHA v. Bishop Kearney Selects, Max Bell 1, 1:15 p.m.
Moose Jaw Warriors v. Airdrie CFR Bisons, 7 Chiefs 1, 1:15 p.m.
Late afternoon (A-side Round of 16)
Edmonton Jr Oilers Blue v. Northern Alberta Xtreme, Max Bell 2, 3:30 p.m.
RHA Kelowna v. Sioux Falls POWER, 7 Chiefs 2, 3:30 p.m.
Cariboo Cougars v. Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Max Bell 1, 4 p.m.
Burnaby Winter Club Academy v. Edge School, 7 Chiefs 1, 4 p.m.
Evening (B-side Round of 16)
OHA Penticton v. Calgary NW Flames, Max Bell 2, 6:15 p.m.
Sherwood Park Kings v. Okotoks Bowmark Oilers, 7 Chiefs 2, 6:15 p.m.
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds v. Calgary Buffaloes, Max Bell 1, 6:45 p.m.
Calgary Royals v. St. Louis AAA Blues, 7 Chiefs 1, 6:45 p.m.
http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM