Good news, everybody! Not only is the Young Stars Classic prospect tournament in Penticton, British Columbia returning, but it’s returning for (at least) the next two seasons, with the Calgary Flames taking part. The tournament’s return for 2023 and 2024 was announced by the host Vancouver Canucks on Thursday afternoon.

The 2023 edition of the tournament is scheduled for Sept. 15-18, according to the Canucks. The Flames and Canucks will be joined by the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers for the event in each of the next two seasons.

The Young Stars Classic has become a fixture of the hockey calendar in western Canada, with the locale perfect for hockey fans (and media) still clinging to the last vestiges of summer fun, while the South Okanagan Event Centre serves as a pretty nice place to watch a weekend of hockey. The tournament’s been held every non-lockout year between 2010 and 2018, and returned following a pandemic hiatus in 2022. The Flames have participated at the event most of the time, though they did their own thing in 2018 due to their pre-season trip to China.

The tournament takes place the week prior to main training camp, and gives unsigned draft picks, free agent invites and players in the first year or two of their entry-level deals a chance to get some game action in before the veterans arrive the following week. Plenty of Flames prospects have turned heads at the event in the past, including the likes of Sven Baertschi, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

We’ll have ticket and scheduling information when it becomes available.