Flames officially return to Young Stars Classic prospect tournament, will face Oilers, Jets and Canucks

For the first time since 2017, the Calgary Flames are headed to Penticton. The club has officially been announced as one of four teams participating in the Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton from Sept. 16-19, pitting the Flames’ prospects against those from the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

First held in 2010, the Young Stars Classic was originally designed as an opportunity to get the western Canadian clubs’ prospects some game reps against each other – and coincidentally got hockey brass and media a chance to head to one of Canada’s most scenic locals in the process, too.

The Flames participated in the first seven tournaments, but bowed out in 2018 to focus on their upcoming trip to China – logistically, it just wouldn’t work to have the training and equipment staff lug everything to Penticton and back, and then to China. Instead, they played a single prospects game with the Oilers prospects.

The annual series with the Oilers’ prospects continued in 2019 and 2021, though the Canucks attempted to organize revivals of the tournament in 2020 and 2021, but both fell through due to pandemic logistics issues.

The Flames will play three games:

(We have no idea if the games will be broadcast, but historically the Flames website has had some sort of stream, albeit geo-locked to the local broadcast region.)

While roster information will be available closer to the event, usually the tournament is full of unsigned junior players (some draftees and some on try-outs) and players in the first year or two of their entry-level deals. Collegiate and European players usually don’t attend.

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