KIMMT tournament won’t be held in 2018
The Kelowna International Elite Midget Tournament — better known as KIMMT — is taking a “hiatus” in 2018 due to scheduling conflicts.
The KIMMT organizing committee made the announcement in a news release on Thursday, calling it a “difficult message to roll out to our hockey community.”
KIMMT has been a staple in Kelowna every January since 1979, with the 2018 tournament to have been the 39th annual showcase of top midget talent from across Canada, with some years also featuring international teams from eastern Europe or the western United States.
The KIMMT committee is “contemplating our options for future tournament dates in 2019,” and remains hopeful the tournament will return.
As for the reason for the 2018 cancellation, the release cited recent changes made to the 2018 league schedules for major midget hockey associations in Western Canada, including the Canadian School Sport Hockey League — featuring Winfield-based Pursuit of Excellence and Penticton-based Okanagan Hockey Academy — and similar leagues in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
These changes have resulted in scheduling conflicts that prevented teams from participating in the KIMMT tournament, which is typically held the week after the prestigious Mac’s midget tournament in Calgary.
The release went on to say that, as a result, “KIMMT is unable to field an elite tournament in 2018 that meets the level of competition that our participants have come to expect.”
Reflecting on the first 38 years of KIMMT, notable alumni players include: Brett Hull, Cliff Ronning, Russ Courtnall, Kent Manderville, Paul Kariya, Jeff Friesen, Robert Dirk, Jerome Iginla, Willie Mitchell, Cory Conacher, Joe Colborne, Martin Jones, Justin Schultz, Tyson Barrie, Matt Dumba, Curtis Lazar, Tyler Benson and Tyson Jost.
Notable on-ice officials have included: Steve Papp, Kevin Bennett, Ward Pateman, Kevin Crowell and Dave McMahon.
Numerous others have gone on to earn scholarships at universities and colleges, with KIMMT also awarding annual bursaries to support players and on-ice officials in their pursuit of higher education.
KIMMT has annually attracted dozens of hockey scouts — including more than 50 for the 2017 tournament — working for various leagues, such as the WHL, BCHL, KIJHL, AJHL and NCAA.
KIMMT stressed that this was a difficult decision to make but one necessitated by the changing face of minor hockey in Western Canada. However, the committee is hopeful to be in a position to resume the event for 2019.