Weekend Preview Nov. 14-16: Blue Ox, Monctonian & Pat Quinn Tourneys Take us from Coast to Coast
We’re halfway through the month of November already, with American Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season rapidly approaching. The holidays always seem to bring even more great hockey, and the weekend of Nov. 14-16 is no different.
This weekend we turn our attention to a Bantam AA tournament in Minnesota and North Dakota the includes eight of the top 10 teams in the MHR Minn-Kota Week 8 rankings. Meanwhile, we also are focusing on two great AAA Boys tournaments that have become longtime traditions on each coast of Canada.
Our Minn-Kota AA rankings went live last week, and many of the top Bantam AA teams in that region are in Moorhead, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., Nov. 14-16 for the Youth Hockey Hub Battle for the Blue Ox tournament. The tournament features AA and A divisions, with 32 teams competing in the AA format and 16 playing at the A level. This year’s Battle for the Blue Ox includes eight of the top 10 Minn-Kota Boys Bantam AA teams, according to the MHR Week 8 Rankings, and 14 of the top 20.
A staple of the November North American tournament slate is the annual Monctonian Challenge. This year’s 44th edition of the tournament is being played Nov. 13-16 in Moncton, New Brunswick, and features many of Eastern Canada’s top U15, U16 and U18 Boys AAA programs. Each division is divided into four-team pools for round-robin play, with a total of 60 teams competing across the three age groups.
Likewise, the U15 Elite Pat Quinn Classic is being played in Burnaby, B.C., Nov. 13-16. Burnaby has hosted an international bantam tournament since 1962, and in 2015 this event was renamed in honor of Hockey Hall of Famer Patt Quinn with the intention of carrying forward his legacy and passion for developing hockey players and leaders.
This year’s tournament features a mix of U15 AAA Boys teams from Western Canada, American 14U Tier 1 and 2 teams and Hockey Canada accredited school teams. Three of Western Canada’s top 10 U15 AAA Boys teams, according to the MHR Week 8 Rankings, are participating. Six teams in the field are from the United States, including the No. 16 14U Tier 1 and No. 3 Tier 2 teams, while five are school-based Canadian teams and five represent Western Canada AAA clubs.
The Battle for the Blue Ox began in the Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., area Friday, Oct. 14, and concludes Sunday, Oct. 16. There are 32 teams competing in the Bantam AA bracket, with 16 more in the A division. Teams that participate in the lower division must come from an organization that also rosters a Bantam AA team.
There are eight of the current MHR top 10 Minn-Kota Bantam AA Boys teams competing and 14 of the top 20. The AA Division is set up much like the Minnesota district and state AA tournaments, with two brackets of 16 competing to advance to the championship game. Victorious teams advance through the winners bracket, while the teams that lose in each round drop into a consolation bracket.
AA Semifinals are scheduled for 7 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. EST Nov. 15 at Cullen Hockey Center in Moorhead. The championship game is Nov. 16 at 2:15 p.m. EST. Some tournament games are being played at Moorhead Sports Center as well as West Fargo Sports Arena and Veterans Memorial Arena in West Fargo.
Moorhead captured the 2025 Battle of the Blue Ox Bantam AA championship.
Games played at all but the Moorhead Sports Center should be available for viewing via LiveBarn. Some games at MSC and other venues are available for viewing on the Youth Hockey Hub livestream.
Battle for the Blue Ox Top Bantam AA Teams
#1 Minnetonka Skippers
#2 Andover Huskies
#3 Spring Lake-Coon Rapids
#4 Woodbury Predators
#5 Moorhead Spuds
#7 Prior Lake-Savage Lakers
#8 Hermantown Hawks
#9 Stillwater Ponies
#11 Chaska-Chanhassen Stormhawks
#12 Rogers Royals
#14 Duluth East Greyhounds
#16 Eagan Wildcats
#17 Wayzata Trojans
#20 White Bear Lake Bears
CLICK HERE for the Battle for the Blue Ox Bantam AA bracket & schedule
CLICK HERE to access all Battle for the Blue Ox schedules, scores & standings
CLICK HERE for the Youth Hockey Hub’s tournament preview
The tournament’s Bantam A Division includes 16 teams competing in a format similar to the AA division but with half the teams. Winner’s bracket semifinals are scheduled for 4:30 and 6:15 p.m. EST Nov. 15 at Moorhead Sports Center, with the championship game set for Cullen Hockey Center at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 16. Osseo-Maple Grove won the championship in last year’s Bantam A Division.
CLICK HERE for the Battle for the Blue Ox Bantam A bracket & schedule
The 44th Annual Monctonian Challenge
The 44th edition of the Montonian Challenge in New Brunswick features a total of 60 AAA Boys teams from Canada’s Atlantic Region competing across three age groups. There are 24 teams in the U15 Division, 12 in the U16 Division and 24 in the U18 Division.
Each division is divided into four-team pools for round-robin play, with the opening round concluding with the final games on the night of Friday, Nov. 14, Playoffs begin early the morning of Nov. 15 and conclude with Sunday afternoon’s championship games.
Games are being played at Greenfoot Energy 4-Plex, Byron Dobson Arena and Crossman Community Centre-Kay Arena.
CLICK HERE for Montonian Challenge webstream info
CLICK HERE for links to Monctonian Challenge schedules, scores, stats and standings
Monctonian Challenge U18 Division
The U18 Division includes 24 teams competing in six pools. The top team in each division, plus four wildcards, advance to the playoffs, with division winners earning first-round byes. Eastern Canada’s top 10 U18 Boys AAA teams, according to the Week 8 MHR Rankings, are competing.
U18 Top Competing Teams
#1 Moncton Flyers
#2 Halifax McDonald’s
#3 Fredericton Caps
#4 Dartmouth Steele Subaru
#5 Pictou Week’s Majors
#6 Kensington Wild
#7 St. John Vito’s
#8 Charlottetown Knights
#9 Valley Wildcats
#10 Northern Moose
Monctonian Challenge U16 Division
There are 12 U16 teams competing in four pools. The top team and a wildcard team from each pool advance to the playoffs. While the MHR Eastern Canada U16 AAA Boys rankings have yet to go live, the tournament field features a group of teams that have gotten off to strong starts to their 2025-26 seasons.
U16 Top Competing Teams
St. John Vito’s (9-3-0)
Cabot Highlanders (9-4-0)
Eastern Dukes (8-4-0)
Western Rebels (7-6-0)
Basin Armada (6-4-0)
Monctonian Challenge U15 Division
The U15 Division includes 24 teams spread equally among six divisions. Similar to the U16 Division, MHR’s Eastern Canada Boys AAA U15 Rankings have yet to go live, but there will be eight teams with two losses or fewer competing. The top team in each division, along with four wildcards, will advance to the playoffs. The division winners receive a bye for the first playoff round.
U15 Top Competing Teams
East Hants Rangers (8-1-0)
Tantallon Gulls (7-1-0)
Eastern Express (7-1-0)
Fredericton Caps (10-2-0)
Moncton Hawks (9-2-0)
Pictou Bombers (6-2-0)
Charlottetown Islanders (5-2-0)
Halifax Wolverines (5-2-0)
The 2025 U15 Elite Pat Quinn Classic got underway Thursday, Nov. 13, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 16. Games are being played at venues in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Delta, British Columbia.
Since its inception, the objective of the Pat Quinn Classic has been to create a top international-caliber tournament in Western Canada that showcases local teams alongside some of the strongest programs from other parts of Canada, the U.S. and around the world. Organizers have worked with the Quinn family to create a unique tournament that strikes a balance between exciting hockey, skill and leadership development and community engagement.
This year’s tournament field includes four BC-based scholastic teams - Yale Hockey Academy, Delta Hockey Academy, St. George’s School and Burnaby Winter Club Academy - that are ranked among Western Canada’s top 16 along with the KC Squires, the 22nd-ranked Western Canada Boys U15 AAA team from Alberta. In addition, the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, the No. 16 USA Boys 14U Tier 1 team, is among the six teams representing USA along with the Texas Tigers, USA’s third-ranked 4U Tier 2 team.
Games played at Burnaby Winter Club, Planet Ice Coquitlam and Planet Ice Delta should be available for viewing live and on-demand via LiveBarn.
CLICK HERE for the complete Pat Quinn Classic schedule
CLICK HERE for the list of Pat Quinn Classic teams and rosters
U15 Elite Pat Quinn Classic Top Participating Teams
#1 Western Canada Yale Hockey Academy
#3 USA Tier 2 Texas Tigers
#5 WC Delta Hockey Academy
#9 WC Burnaby Winter Club Academy
#16 WC St. George’s School
#16 USA Tier 1 LA Jr. Kings
#22 WC KC Squires
#41 WC Fraser Valley Thunderbirds
#49 WC Vancouver NE Chiefs
#53 WC Pacific Coast Hockey Academy
