Academy tourney a big draw

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo

OHA (white) and Compete Hockey Academy will be two of the teams at the 2015 CSSHL hockey championships.

All of the private hockey academies involved in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League will converge in Penticton next month for the CCSHL championships.

The events will be hosted jointly by Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton and Global Spectrum Facility Management.

The event, scheduled for March 12-15, will be held at the South Okanagan Events Centre, OHS Training Centre, Memorial Arena and McLaren Park Arena.

"The operational partnership between OHA and Global, combined with the support of the City of Penticton and the Penticton Hospitality Association, will allow us to host a world-class championship weekend here in Penticton," said OHA president Andy Oakes.

More than 600 student athletes and 100 staff members will be in Penticton for the event, as well as an estimated 1,000 family members and scouts. This will amount to an estimated 2,000 or more hotel rooms being filled over the four days.

Teams from Western Canada and Idaho representing 11 sports schools will be competing in five divisions, including bantam, midget and elite 15s.

Several top-end prospects will be competing in the event, including nine players selected in the first round of last year's WHL Bantam Draft.