The best Jr. A hockey players in the world could be coming back to the Lakeland after the Town and MD of Bonnyville officially announced they will enter a bid to host the 2018 World Jr. A Challenge (WJAC).
The municipalities finalized the decision on Nov. 8, and will look to build on a successful 2016 event, which brought nearly $2-million into the town.
“Bonnyville did such a tremendous job in 2016 with all the support from corporations, community organizations, and of course, volunteers. This town made quite the impression. There is no guarantee we will win the bid, but it's a huge opportunity for the area,” explained Robb Hunter, co-chair of the 2016 WJAC.
The decision to join the race was made after Hockey Canada approached Hunter about Bonnyville entering their name.
The town had recently been denied its bid to host the RBC Cup when Hunter approached the town about the 2018 WJAC.
“We tried to get the RBC and we were unsuccessful. This opportunity came up and we said you know what, we had a very strong and successful event, let's throw our name in,” explained Mayor Gene Sobolewski.
Representatives from each municipality will work hand-in-hand, putting together a detailed bid. Their goal will be to build on the successes of the previous tournament, while correcting minor faults where necessary.
Neither municipality has any doubt that they'll be able to put on an even better tournament than the last time around.
“We know what we did right, and we also know there are issues we can improve upon,” said Sobolewski. “We're throwing another bid in because we can do it. There seems to be interest from Hockey Canada for us to submit. It was a very easy decision to work with the MD to jointly bid on this.”
If successful in their attempt, the tournament will run from Dec. 9 to 16 at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre.
For those seven days, six teams from across the globe will come together in Bonnyville to compete for international supremacy.
Echoing his colleague's comments, MD of Bonnyville Reeve Greg Sawchuk reiterated the importance of the town hosting in the past.
“We're looking to build on the success and the vibe that was around in 2016. I know that the organizing group has said that they learned a lot from the first time around. They know things they can improve on to make it a better experience,” explained Sawchuk.
Discussions about hosting the 2018 WJAC are still ongoing. If selected, a new organizing committee would be struck to help coordinate the event.
