Weekend Preview: Grizz Cup and Other Unique Events Highlight One of the Busiest Tourney Weekends
It’s Martin Luther King Day Weekend in the United States, and that means one of the busiest tournament weekends of the year has arrived.
Thousands of youth hockey players from around North America have flocked to large tournaments on both sides of the border for what amounts to the last big weekend before many teams embark on the stretch run of their league seasons.
For many American teams, regular-season play winds down between now and February’s Presidents’ Day, another busy tournament weekend which usually is followed by league playoffs and state or district tournaments as teams begin their journey down the road to USA Hockey Nationals.
Canadian minor hockey teams likewise will conclude regular-season play during the next several weeks before heading into league playdowns, playoffs and eventually provincial and regional tournaments.
It’s an exciting time of the year as team’s look to compete for one more tournament championship and ready themselves for what comes next. And nowhere is that excitement more evident than at the MLK Day Weekend events run by our good friends at MYHockey Tournaments.
MYHockey Tournaments is hosting 983 teams across 16 destinations for their MidWinter Tournament Series, Jan. 16-19.
The three- and four-day tournament weekend features more than 2,000 games at 50-plus rinks, with teams from 47 states and Canada participating at the following locations: Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Detroit, Mich.; Hampton Roads, Va.; Holland, Mich.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Madison, Wisc.; Omaha, Neb,; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Rochester, N.Y.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tacoma, Wash; Tampa, Fla; and Washington, D.C.
Teams from the following states will be participating in MHT tournaments during MLK Day Weekend: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
Tournaments vary from 60 games to more than 400 at MHT’s largest event of the year – the Grizz Cup in Utah.
MYHockey Tournaments and the Wasatch Mountain Amateur Hockey Association are presenting the annual Grizz Cup, one of the largest youth hockey tournaments west of the Mississippi River, featuring 178 teams from across the western United States and Canada.
Set against the stunning Wasatch Mountains, teams compete at world-class venues throughout the Salt Lake City area, including rinks that hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and will host events again in 2034. It's a rare opportunity to play where Olympic history was and will be made.
Grizz Cup by the Numbers:
- 178 teams competing across multiple divisions (10U–18U)
- 2,800-plus players on the ice
- 550-plus coaches and managers
- 6,000-plus family members and spectators expected throughout the weekend
Grizz Cup Champs Earn Something Special
Tournament winners take home unique, hand-crafted trophies created exclusively by renowned local artist Fred Conlon. These are one-of-a-kind awards that have become legendary among youth hockey players.
The Grizz Cup began Friday, Jan. 16, and continues through Monday, Jan. 19, at various rinks in and around Salt Lake City.
CLICK HERE for links to Grizz Cup schedules, results, stats and standings
Top Teams Competing Around the Continent
MYHockey Tournaments isn’t the only organization hosting tournaments during MLK Day Weekend. Some of the nations’ top annual events are taking place between Jan. 15 and 19, with many highly ranked USA and Canadian Boys and Girls teams competing.
Here is a look at some of the weekend’s top events.
One of the premier events in North America solely for USA Girls 12U and Canada Girls U13 teams, the Mrs. Howe Invitational in South Florida began the morning of Friday, Jan. 16, and runs through Monday, Jan. 9.
The tournament is named for Colleen “Mrs. Hockey” Howe, a hockey innovator who opened doors for women of all ages who loved the game of hockey. Prior to her passing in 2009, she became the first female sports agent, founding Power Play International and Power Play Publications to manage the business interests of her husband, hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, and their sons Marty and Mark.
Mrs. Howe brought the first Junior A hockey team to the United States, built the first indoor public rink in Michigan and ran for United States Congress. She received the Wayne Gretzky Award, presented to those “who have made major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States,” in 2000 along with her husband and sons.
The Mrs. Hockey Invitational is both a tribute to her legacy and a passing of the torch to girls and women in hockey everywhere. Nicknamed “The Howe,” the first tournament was held in Tampa, Fla., in 2019. It was relocated to Charleston, S.C., in 2021 during COVID before moving to its current home in Fort Lauderdale for the 2023 event.
As usual, this year’s tournament features many of the top-ranked USA Girls teams, according to the most recent MHR 12U rankings. The tournament is broken down into Navy, White and Yellow Divisions, with 40 total teams competing.
In the Navy Division, there are 26 teams broken down into six pools, with six of the USA’s top 10 and 13 of the top 20 teams competing.
Each team is guaranteed at least five games. Pool play began the morning of Jan. 16 and concludes Jan. 18, with the playoffs beginning that afternoon and running through mid-day Monday, Jan. 19
Games are being played at Panthers Ice Den and Baptist Health IcePlex and should be available for web viewing at www.LiveBarn.com.
Mrs. Howe Invitational 12U Navy Division – Group A
#6 Bay State Breakers
#13 Windy City Storm
#23 Buffalo Jr. Sabres
#44 Connecticut Ice Cats
Group B
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
#14 Milwaukee Jr. Admirals
#18 East Coast Wizards Major 2
#36 CT Polar Bears
Group C
#1 New England Wildcats
#15 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
#24 Boston Americans
#35 Team Illinois
Group D
#5 Boston Jr. Eagles
#20 LA Lions
West Chester Express
#20 Ontario Cornwall Lady Royals
Group E
#9 East Coast Wizards Major 1
#16 St. Louis Blues
#27 Montgomery Ice Devils
#39 Princeton Tiger Lillies
Group F
#10 Chicago Mission
#12 Valley Jr. Warriors
#17 Assabet Valley
#19 Massachusetts Spitfires 2
#21 Biggby Coffee
#38 Anaheim Lady Ducks
CLICK HERE for Mrs. Howe Invitational schedules and scores
CLICK HERE for Mrs. Howe Invitational standings
In 1978, a group of St. Albert, Alberta, residents spearheaded by Blaine Galbraith and the Kinsmen Minor Hockey Association, who were operating minor hockey in St. Albert at the time, believed that it would a great idea to hold a Bantam tournament to showcase not only the St. Albert Sabres, but also other teams from Alberta and Western Canada. The first tournament was held in April 1979, featuring eight teams, and the event was expanded to 12 teams in 1994 and the current 16-team format in 2009.
This year marks the 47th annual Bantam tournament in St. Albert. It was renamed in 2004 to honor John Reid, who lost his battle with cancer in 2003 after being a beloved member of the hockey community in the area as a player and coach for almost his entire life.
The 2026 edition of the John Reid Memorial Tournament includes 14 teams from Western Canada, each of which is ranked among the MHR Week 17 Western Canada Boys 15U AAA top 23. That includes Week 17’s top nine Western Canadian teams and 10 of the top 11. They are joined by USA Tier 1 14U teams from Okanagan Hockey Colorado and Fairmont Prep in California. Okanagan is the No. 28 USA Tier 1 national-bound team.
The 16-team tournament is broken down into four-team pools. Pool play got underway Thursday, Jan. 15, and runs through the evening of Jan. 16. Playoffs begin the morning of Jan. 17, and champions will be crowned the afternoon of Jan. 18.
Games are being played Service Credit Union Place in St. Albert and can be viewed online at HNLive.ca.
John Reid Memorial Tournament Competing Teams
Iginla Division – Pool A
#1 Yale Hockey Academy
#4 Edge School Calgary
#11 St. George’s School
#18 Sherwood Park Flyers
Iginla Division – Pool B
#7 Red Deer Rebels
#8 Burnaby Winter Club Academy
#15 St. Albert Sabres
#28 USA Okanagan Colorado
Reid Division – Pool C
#2 OHA Edmonton
#6 Calgary International Hockey Academy
#12 Calgary Bisons
#23 Okanagan Rockets
Reid Division – Pool D
#3 Northern Alberta Xtreme
#5 Delta Hockey Academy
#9 Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg
Fairmont Prep (California)
CLICK HERE for John Reid Memorial schedule and results
CLICK HERE for John Reid Memorial standings
CLICK HERE for links to John Reid Memorial rosters and stats
Moose Goheen Memorial Tournament
Many of Minnesota’s top Peewee and Bantam AA teams, according to the Week 17 MHR Rankings, are in White Bear Lake, Minn., for the annual Moose Goheen Memorial Tournament Jan. 16-18.
The tournament is named for Frank “Moose” Goheen, a White Bear Lake native who won a silver medal at the 1920 Olympics and was considered along with Hobey Baker to be one of the all-time great American-born hockey players. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952, the second American to earn that distinction.
This year’s tournament includes 28 total teams competing in the Bantam and Peewee divisions. There are four pools of four in the Bantam AA Division and three pools of four at the Peewee AA level.
The tournament began early the morning of Jan. 16 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 18, with playoffs being held most of the final day. Games are being played at the White Bear Sports Center, TCO Sports Garden, White Bear County Arena and Aldrich Arena.
All games should be available via LiveBarn for online viewing.
The Bantam AA Field includes each of the top seven teams in the Week 17 Minn-Kota Rankings and 13 of the top 20. On the Peewee side, there are three of Minn-Kota’s top eight teams participating and six of the top 20. All 12 Peewee teams are ranked among the Minn-Kota top 31.
Moose Goheen Invitational Bantam Competing Teams
Bantam AA Black Pool
#4 Osseo-Maple Grove
#6 Andover Huskies
#13 Edina Hornets
#22 White Bear Lake Bears
Bantam AA Gray Pool
#2 Moorhead Spuds
#12 Wayzata Trojans
#17 Centennial Cougars
#37 Farmington Tigers
Bantam AA Orange Pool
#1 Minnetonka Skippers
#14 Duluth East Greyhounds
#15 Rogers Royals
#36 Rochester Mustangs
Bantam AA White Pool
#3 Woodbury Predators
#7 Stillwater Ponies
#11 Eden Prairie Eagles
#26 Hermantown Hawks
Moose Goheen Invitational Peewee Competing Teams
Peewee AA Black Pool
#7 Andover Huskies
#11 White Bear Lake Bears
#19 Rochester Mustangs
#30 Hermantown Hawks
Peewee AA Orange Pool
#5 Woodbury Predators
#16 Prior Lake-Savage Lakers
#23 Grand Rapids Thunderhawks
#27 Blaine Bengals
Peewee AA White Pool
#8 Grand Forks Aviators
#21 Duluth East Greyhounds
#25 Stillwater Ponies
#31 Rogers Royals
CLICK HERE for links to Moose Goheen scores, schedules and standings
