What? – The 29th Monctonian AAA Challenge featuring 20 major midget AAA teams (17 teams from the three leagues in the four Atlantic Provinces, one each from Ontario, Quebec and New England) plus 24 minor midget AAA teams from all four of the Atlantic Provinces. This will be the largest midget AAA tournament in Canada this year and the largest four-day in-season midget AAA tournament anywhere in the world.

When? – November 19-2, 2009, with action beginning at 9:00am Thursday, November 19.

Where? – Tim Hortons 4-Ice Centre, Millennium Drive, Moncton, NB. Scouts and fans will be able to watch four games going on at the same time during the first three days in heated comfort and enjoy the many other amenities the facility has to offer (including a coffee bar, a full service family restaurant and bar and an on-site sports shop). There is loads of free parking adjacent to the Centre. The Centre is conveniently located with easy highway access off highways 15 and 128, in the same area of the city as the Moncton Coliseum, home of the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL.

Who? – Over 900 young hockey players, mainly 15-17 years of age on 50 teams making this the largest four-day in-season midget AAA tournament in the world. Watching them will be in excess of 150 scouts and coaches from professional, university, major midget, junior A and junior B leagues and teams making the Monctonian the most highly scouted tournament in Atlantic Canada and one of the most highly scouted tournaments in Canada. Each year dozens of players at this tournament are drafted and recruited by junior teams across Canada.

Why? To showcase the top midget hockey players in Atlantic Canada in a competitive environment to scouts from teams at a higher level and to give the coaches and players an opportunity to evaluate how teams and individual players compare with ones from other provinces at this time of year.

How? The four-day tournament will operate with separate major midget AAA and minor midget AAA divisions with the teams divided into sections. The major midget AAA division will have five four-team sections while the minor midget AAA will have six four-team sections. Round robin play will take place from 9:00am Thursday through Saturday with playoff games Saturday afternoon and night and Sunday.

DID YOU KNOW?
(1) Moncton Wildcats assistant coach Fabian Joseph played at the first Monctonian with the Cape Breton Colonels.

(2) Several former players at the Monctonian will be back coaching teams this weekend including Andrew McKim, who played with Saint John Pepsis in 1986 before going on to play in the QMJHL, American and National leagues and with Team Canada will be behind the bench of the Tri-Pen Frost from Newfoundland.

(3) Players like Glen Murray of the Boston Bruins and Scott Pellerin, a former NHL player and now an assistant coach with the Manchester Monarchs in the AHL credit the Monctonian as the place they got really noticed for the first time. In all there are more than a dozen player players who have played at the Monctonian playing in the NHL

(4) Some scouts suggest that the teams from Atlantic Canada have a bountiful supply of 15 year-olds this year and they will be strutting their stuff here at the Monctonian.

(5) Four players off the host 2009-10 Moncton Flyers are playing in the QMJHL this season and two more are playing junior A.