Tournaments & Showcases
The Telus Cup
Canada's national U18 AAA championship. The week-long tournament is a key showcase for players in their CHL draft year and for late-blooming prospects scouts may have missed.
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 AAA championship. It crowns the best U18 AAA club team in the country at the end of each minor hockey season, and is one of the most-watched events at that level.
Format
Five regional champions qualify (Pacific, West, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic), joined by a host club, for six teams total. They play a round-robin, with the top finishers advancing to a single-elimination semifinal and final. Games are played over about a week in a single host city.
Where it sits in the pipeline
Most Telus Cup players are in their CHL draft year (16 or 17 years old) and have already heard from CHL teams. For others, a strong Telus Cup is the moment scouts notice. For prospects who took longer to develop, this tournament can move a player from late-round consideration to a serious draft conversation.
History
The tournament began in 1979 as the Air Canada Cup, ran under that name through 2003, and has been the Telus Cup since 2004. The roll of past champions includes clubs from every major Canadian hockey region, and many alumni went on to long CHL and NHL careers.