SHARKSPAGE

Tournament Season: Sharks announce participation in 5-team rookie tournament near Vancouver, 2010 NARCh roller hockey Finals set for SJ, Sweden season opener dates vs Columbus plus exhibition notes

A flurry of news updates were released today by the San Jose Sharks. First, they announced plans to join the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks for a 5-team rookie tournament prior to training camp from September 12-16 near Vancouver. The Sharks previously competed in a 4-team Pacific Shootout with Anaheim, LA and Phoenix, before the Coyotes and the Kings split off. The Sharks rookies swept the Ducks rookies in three games during head-to-head rookie meetings last September prior to the start of training camp (game1, game2, game3).

A press release from the Sharks:

Sharks to participate in 4-team Rookie Tournament in Penticton, British Columbia Sept. 12-16, San Jose, Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver Rookies Will Take Part in Eight-Game Session

San Jose, CA – The San Jose Sharks announced today that they will participate in a round-robin rookie tournament, featuring prospects from the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks from September 12-16 in the city of Penticton, British Columbia.

Tournament packages, which include a ticket to each of the eight games, will be available for purchase, starting at $66 plus applicable fees. The first 1000 fans to purchase a tournament package will also receive an exclusive pass, providing them with reserved seating and priority access to the Main Camp. Tournament ticket packages will go on-sale June 26 at 10 am online at www.valleyfirstTIX.com, by phone at 1-877-763-2849 or in person at the South Okanagan Events Centre box office. Single game tournament tickets will be made available in mid-August. Game dates, times and opponents subject to change.

Tournament Schedule:

Game 1 – VAN vs. EDM, Sept. 12, 4PM
Game 2 – SJ vs. ANA, Sept. 12, 7:30PM
Game 3 – ANA vs. CAL, Sept. 13, 4PM
Game 4 – SJ vs. VAN, Sept. 13, 7:30PM
Game 5 – CAL vs. EDM, Sept. 14, 7:30PM
Game 6 – ANA vs. VAN, Sept. 15, 4PM
Game 7 – EDM vs. SJ, Sept. 15, 7:30PM
Game 8 – CAL vs. VAN, Sept. 16, 12noon

More information regarding the Sharks 2010 training camp will be released at a later date. The Sharks will open the 2010-11 season in Stockholm, Sweden against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 8-9 as part of 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere and NHL Face-Off.

The Sharks-Bluejackets series in Sweden will join Carolina-Minnesota from Helsinki, Finland, and Boston-Phoenix from the Czech Republic to open the 2010-11 NHL season. The Hurricanes and Coyotes will also face off against Kontinental Hockey League clubs in exhibition action as part of the Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge. The Hurricanes will face SKA St. Petersburg in Russia on Oct. 4th, and the Coyotes will face Dinamo Riga in Latvia on Oct. 6th.

According to NHL.com, all 6 NHL teams competing in the Compuware Challenge will face off against European clubs for exhibition games. Other possible exhibition locations include Belfast, Ireland (birthplace of former captain and current free agent Owen Nolan), and Mannheim, Germany. A historical list of NHL teams competing overseas is available here.

[Update] A hockey market is not judged by television ratings and attendance alone, also important are grassroots efforts to grow the sport. San Jose has seen regional college hockey tournaments, NHL Rookie Tournaments and a USA Hockey Women/Girls tournament at Sharks Ice in San Jose, the largest skating and hockey facility on the West Coast of the U.S. The massive 2008 NARCh Finals saw 436 roller hockey teams compete at the new Silver Creek Sportsplex in San Jose. The facility is also regarded as one of the best roller hockey venues in the U.S. After recent regional tournaments wrapped up competition, the 2010 NARCh Finals are again set at Silver Creek Sportsplex in San Jose from July 15th to August 1st.

More from Phillip Brents of California Rubber Magazine:

(NARCh president Daryn) Goodwin said the participation numbers for this year’s Finals should be large once again with all four California regionals boasting sell-outs. A record 436 teams participated in 2008 when the season-ending mega tournament was held in San Jose. Despite the downturn in the economy, Goodwin sees a very robust presence from around the country, particularly from the Golden State, for the 2010 Finals later this summer.

“Overall, it’s been a great year for the regional qualifiers,” Goodwin said. “Participation is up at every regional west of the Rocky Mountains, which is sort of expected. Wherever the NARCh Finals are at, you’ll get more teams from within that region. Last year, since we were in Toronto, we had more teams from Ontario and Michigan and, while some of those dedicated teams will make the trip to San Jose, many won’t.

“Foreign teams have also been an important part of the NARCh Finals and we expect more than ever this year. Since California has a bigger base of teams than any other state, we expect a large turnout for the Finals this year. I’m not sure if it will break the all-time record but I would be surprised if it’s not at least 400.”

Sharkspage couldn’t make it out to the NARCh Finals in 2008, but if they have room for us this year we could be all over it in 2010.

[Update2] Penticton to host Canucks training camp, young stars tournament – Vancouver Sun.

[Update3] Something new for Shark prospects: rookie tournament in B.C. starting Sept. 12 – Working the Corners.

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