Sports tourism is again expected to pay off for the region as Sarnia hosts another Silver Stick event this weekend.
Tournaments in Lambton County started on November 27, 2025, and are scheduled to continue through February 15.
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Executive Director Mark Perrin said overall, the 12 Silver Stick events for 2025-2026 amount to roughly 736 games, 340 teams, and over 5,000 players.
He said the economic spinoff is estimated to be upwards of $5 million.
"Once everything is complete, then we use the numbers and the hotel feedback and reports to generate exactly what that number is," Perrin said. "With the majority of those Silver Stick events already completed, we're really watching where we're at, and we're projected to be between that $5 million to $6 million range this year."
Perrin said the region is starting to see a bounce back in tourism and is close to where it was pre-pandemic.
"Our region has had steady increases since COVID and 2025 was another year we saw an increase in visitations to our region," Perrin said. "Definitely, sports tourism is key to our area so these Silver Stick tournaments - and any other sporting tournaments we bring in - is one of the key economic generators and tourism pieces for us to promote and work with."
In November, 26 teams came to the city for the Sarnia boys finals. Perrin said about 47 teams are expected to participate in this weekend's event, which is scheduled for Friday, January 16 to Sunday, January 18.
This weekend's tournament will include 106 games for the U11 AA and A, and U18 AA and A divisions.
The Sarnia Sting U18 AA team will open their weekend against the Whitby Wildcats on Friday, January 16 at 8 a.m. at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
The U11 Sarnia team will face the Parma Flyers at 9 a.m. at Clearwater Arena.
A full schedule can be found on the Silver Stick website.
Some of the American teams are travelling to Sarnia from Arlington, Virginia; Dakota Ridge, Colorado; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Rochester, Michigan; and Toledo, Ohio.
Perrin said with the boys tournaments being split into two separate weekends, it allowed for more accommodation availability at local hotels.
"There's not a lot of rooms available but there are some still available," he said.
The Silver Stick Forest finals are scheduled to take place January 23 to January 25, and the final event is slated for February 13 to February 15 during the Lambton Shores regional.
