A major announcement from the Bandits and AJHL Showcase

AJHL\'s celebration will come to Brooks Sept. 30

The 2021 Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) Showcase has been awarded to the host community of Brooks, AB and the Brooks Bandits.  As hosts of the 15th annual event, the Brooks Bandits will highlight the high-level hockey AJHL fans and scouts have come to expect with the addition of a festival atmosphere.

“We are excited and thankful for the opportunity to host the AJHL Showcase,” stated Bandits GM / Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou.  “Our strong partnership with the City of Brooks allowed us to present a robust business plan with excellent facility amenities. The show of support from our partner teams is something we are appreciative of and we will undoubtedly match their expectations.”

“Our goal is to elevate the game operations, player experience and scout hospitality to give each member team and their players a high-performance environment to display their game in front of the many scouts and fans in attendance. In addition, we will focus on gathering the best broadcasting talent from around the AJHL to deliver our Showcase seamlessly across the globe through HockeyTV.”

“We are very proud to have the opportunity to host the 2021 AJHL Showcase and welcome the athletes, along with their families, coaches and friends to Brooks and show them the comfort and hospitality our community has to offer,” says City of Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita.  “This will be an amazing event for the athletes and it will help strengthen the local economy and increase the already amazing volunteerism we have in our community. We are looking forward to hosting this event and are excited at the challenge of making this the best Showcase the AJHL has seen.”  

“We’re thrilled to be chosen as the host of the 2021 AJHL Showcase, and to be bringing another major hockey event to Brooks,” said Bandits Business Manager and Showcase Committee Chair, Nathan Crosby.

“We’re looking forward to making this Showcase the best experience for players, coaches, scouts, referees and fans through a professional, high performance and festival-like event.”

All 16 AJHL teams will compete in two regular season games over the four-day event, which attracts thousands of fans and over 200 members of the scouting community.  The annual showcase of AJHL talent draws coaches and scouts from each National Hockey League (NHL) team, NCAA Division I, II and III schools, as well as Canadian colleges and universities and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).

Immediately following the AJHL Showcase each season, the much-anticipated NHL Central Scouting ‘Players to Watch List’ is released in advance of the Annual NHL Entry Draft.  Each AJHL player is measured and weighed by NHL Central Scouting as part of the player registration process at Showcase Weekend.

The inaugural AJHL Showcase Weekend was hosted jointly by Calgary and Okotoks in October 2007.  Spruce Grove then hosted until 2015 when the event outgrew the existing host facility and the Showcase moved to Camrose for five successful years.

A full schedule for the 2021 AJHL Showcase, which is scheduled for September 30th — October 3rd, will be announced alongside the 2021-22 League Schedule in July 2021.  Tickets, Scout Registration and Volunteer Opportunities will be available through the websites of the AJHL and Brooks Bandits.

AJHL’s celebration will come to Brooks Sept. 30