For the first time in franchise history, the Estevan Bruins will be hosting the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship.

The announcement was made Thursday morning at Affinity Place, which will be the site of the tournament over 10 days in May 2022.

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The tournament represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Saskatchewan Hockey Association and the Estevan Bruins, and is steered by a local host organizing committee.

“This is a very proud day for the City of Estevan, for the Estevan Bruins Hockey Club and southeast Saskatchewan,” said Greg Hoffort, co-chair of the bid committee and councillor of the City of Estevan. “With city support, our first-class facility and the strong hockey tradition here in Estevan, we are confident in our ability to host one of the best championships to date.”

Cory Prokop, co-chair of the bid committee and president of the Estevan Bruins, added: “Hosting this national event is a result of all the incredibly successful events this community has hosted over the past number of years as well as the success the Estevan Bruins have attained.

“The board, management, staff and team are committed to icing a championship team each and every year and look forward to hosting this prestigious event in 2022.”

This is the sixth time the championship has been held in Saskatchewan, and the first time since the Humboldt Broncos hosted the tournament in 2012.

The tournament brings together the top junior A teams in the country, and the host Bruins, to compete for the national championship.

Speakers at the press conference included Hoffort and Prokop, as well as Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood, Mayor Roy Ludwig and Bruins captain Jayden Davis.

Hoffort noted that previous editions of the tournament have generated upwards of $3 million in economic activity for the host committee.

It was also announced that Tim Hortons has come on board as the presenting sponsor of the toournament, starting with the 2020 tournament in Portage la Prairie, Man. It will be known as the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.

The Bruins announced in late April that they had submitted a bid for the 2021 national tournament. Estevan was short-listed for the event, along with the B.C. communities of Penticton and Salmon Arm. It was announced in October that Penticton would host the tournament, but since the Penticton and Estevan bids were so close in the eyes of Hockey Canada, the decision was made to award Estevan the 2022 tournament.