The Mintos celebrate a 5-3 win over the Regina Pat Canadians on Sept. 24, 2023. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Heading to the party

Mintos receive invite to Circle K Classic next month

Nov 22, 2023 | 1:25 PM

The Prince Albert Mintos will be one of 32 teams competing at a major international tournament in Calgary next month.

Earlier this week, the organization received its official invite to the Circle K Classic (formerly known as the Mac’s Tournament), a world invitational U18AAA tournament hosting teams from Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Based on winning percentage, the top three teams in the SMAAAHL receive an invite to the tournament and Mintos head coach Tim Leonard said the news didn’t come as much of a surprise.

“It’s a good group of kids. They want to learn, they want to get better, and we’re playing a good brand of hockey right now. We were right where we needed to be by the cut-off date and we earned our way in. Making the tournament was one of our goals and our next goal is to finish as high as we can.”

The other teams from the SMAAAHL joining the Mintos in Calgary are the Swift Current Legionnaires and the Warman Wildcats. Additionally, eight teams will be participating from the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL), seven from the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), three from the B.C. Elite Hockey League (BCEHL), and one from the Ontario Minor Hockey Association AAA (OMHA). Internationally, nine teams are coming to play from the U.S. while one team is making the trip across the pond from Europe.

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A tournament of this size at this skill level will attract many scouts from across the continent ranging in different leagues, from NCAA to U Sports to Canadian Major Junior (WHL, OHL, QMJHL).

“The part that makes me happy is that they’re going to get the opportunity to be scouted and showcase themselves to hopefully find places to play in the future,” said Leonard. “I’m proud of what they’ve done so far and I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”

As of now, Prince Albert is tied for second in the SMAAAHL standings with a 12-6-1 record and 25 points, trailing only Swift Current.

The last time the Mintos competed in the Circle K Classic was in 2019.

The tournament runs from December 27 – January 1 in Calgary with the official schedule yet to be released.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com