BROOKS, AB – The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are excited to announce the team’s participation in the U20 Super Challenge in Karlstad, Sweden.
The tournament runs from August 15-20, 2023, hosted by Farjestad BK at Lofbergs Arena. It features eight teams in two groups, with teams travelling from around Europe to participate.
“The opportunity to travel and compete internationally was something we couldn’t pass up,” said Bandits Head Coach and GM Ryan Papaioannou.
“The competition will be strong and the considerations of larger ice, time change and international rules will be a unique challenge for our staff and players. The organizing committee has been a pleasure to work with and the undertaking of this trip has been substantial.”
The Bandits will compete in Group B with Valerenga IF (Norway), Denmark and Hungary. Group A will feature the host Farjestad BK with France, Austria and Italy.
Schedule
*All times CET, Central European Time
(8 hours difference MST)
- Tuesday, Aug 15: Brooks vs Valerenga IF (7:15 pm)
- Wednesday, Aug 16: Brooks vs Denmark (7:30 pm)
- Thursday, Aug 17: Brooks vs Hungary (7:15pm)
- Saturday, Aug 19: Semifinals
- Sunday, Aug 20: Finals
Located 300km west of Stockholm, and 220km east of Oslo, Karlstad is a city of 65,000 residents. The Lofsbergs Arena seats 8,645 for hockey, and is the home of Farjestad BK, whose professional team competes in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the country’s highest level. Farjestad’s U20 team are the reigning champions of the U20 Super Challenge.
“The timing of the event is certainly untraditional from a North American perspective and with the ability to only roster 22 players we will focus on travelling with returning junior players. We remain committed to our recruits and regular training camp will begin August 26th in Brooks,” added Papaioannou.
The 2022 edition of the tournament was streamed online for fans to watch. Details on how to watch the games will be made available closer to the event.
The Bandits 2023 AJHL Exhibition Season begins Tuesday, September 5th when they host the Okotoks Oilers at the Centennial Regional Arena. The 2023-24 Regular Season begins September 15th in Drayton Valley when the Bandits begin their defence of three straight National Championships.
