The 52nd annual Sarnia Boys Silver Stick tournament is being held this weekend.
A total of 64 A, AA and AAA teams from across Canada and the United States will compete in the U11 and U18 age groups.
Action gets underway at 7 a.m. Friday at rinks across the city.
Tournament Director Kyle Mellor said they're excited to hold the tournament after it was cancelled the past two years due to COVID.
"It's a huge revenue generator for the community of Sarnia-Lambton," said Mellor. "With the teams coming in, they're staying in the city, eating at our restaurants, and they're buying things from our local businesses. There's a lot of economic stimulation that comes with that. Additionally, it's a major revenue generator for Sarnia Hockey and gives the opportunity for some kids to play hockey that otherwise may not be able to afford to do so."
Mellor said there are 18 American teams set to make the trip, coming from as far away as San Jose, Dallas, Colorado, Brooklyn, and Maryland.
He said the tournament has a storied history, with a number of famous names having competed in the U11 AAA division in past years.
"We actually have seven of the top 10 teams in North America competing. That's the age group where, in the past, you might have seen the likes of Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares. Wayne Gretzky even played in the tournament back in 1971."
Mellor said fans might even be able to see some future OHLers on the U18 AAA squads.
"Typically, the U16 year is the entry draft year for the OHL kids," he said. "However, as we know, there are late bloomers that continue to pursue their dreams of one day playing in the OHL or NHL. It's definitely high calibre hockey in the U18 AAA division."
Mellor gave praise to all of the hardworking volunteers that make silver stick possible.
"Every year we need more and more people to keep helping out with running clocks, scoreboards, and running game sheets back and forth. There's a lot of logistical things that need to take place. The tournament doesn't happen without all of those volunteers."
Opening ceremonies are at 5:30 p.m. Friday as the U18 Sarnia Jr. Sting face the Milton Winterhawks at Pat Stapleton Arena.
All of the finals will be held Sunday at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
There's no admission fee to attend any of the games.
More information can be found here.