Article content continued

#NHLJets announce they're going to join #Habs and #Sens in Belleville, Ont. for a rookie showcase from Sept. 6 to 9. Jets had been involved in YoungStars Classic in Penticton, BC since returning to the NHL in 2011 — Ken Wiebe (@WiebeSunSports) February 13, 2019

The Jets were the only other team involved in the 2018 edition. In past years other teams, most recently the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, were also involved.

But the Oilers and Flames organized their own event last year, held in Red Deer, and the feeling was that took away from the buzz that had usually been found in Penticton.

LISTEN: On the latest episode of the White Towel podcast, Paul Chapman and Patrick Johnston take a look at the Canucks’ goalie controversy this week and what it really means.

The tournament’s lead Penticton-based organizer, Andrew Jakubeit, called the news “disappointing.”

“We were quite fortunate to have the run that we did with the Young Stars and the young talent that we saw come through,” he said Thursday over the phone from his Penticton record store, The Grooveyard.

He said he figured the excitement and energy of the Young Stars may have been the inspiration behind the Flames and Oilers looking to build their own event in Alberta.

He said the door was still open for a return in 2020, noting that it was always up to the Canucks to secure the teams; his group took care of the off-ice aspects of event itself.

“Ultimately I hope to see it rotate back through,” he said. “Every year each team evaluates what’s best for their team and how to move forward.”

He was proud of how well-regarded the event had been and how well it showed off his Okanagan Valley community.

“Everyone from the GMs down to the equipment people were thrilled to come here — it’s not like this is about something that was done or not done,” he said.