The Virden trio of Mason Auger, Dawson Densmore, and Easton Pitz competed for Manitoba Junior Ice teams at the event. The prestigious tournament at the West Edmonton Mall returned after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I really enjoyed competing against kids from all over North America,” Densmore said. “The entire tournament was really cool. They really make all of us kids feel like NHL players.”
Started in 1990, the Brick Invitational is traditionally for 10-year-olds. This year’s edition featured a tournament for 2012-born players and a separate one for 2011-birth year athletes who missed their opportunity in 2021. Players such as Mike Comrie and Jordan Eberle played in past Brick Tournaments before going onto successful NHL careers.
“The tournament is a first-class event,” said Jean-Pierre Vigier, the coach of the 2011 Junior Ice. “The energy and details they put into this is extraordinary. Kids will have this memory for a lifetime. It was my first time there and have never seen anything like this for kids.”
In the tournaments, the Virden players competed against quality teams from all over.
“I was glad I got to play against a whole bunch of good teams,” Pitz said. “We played teams from Detroit, Boston, Pennsylvania, Montreal, Alberta and B.C. There were tons of skilled players, and all the teams were really good.”
The teams also had the opportunity to have some fun off the ice.
“I did get to check out the Edmonton Oilers dressing room and locker room area,” Auger said. “Our team also got to go to the West Edmonton Mall waterpark and Galaxyland on the Saturday of the tournament.”
Mason Auger and Easton Pitz
The 2011 Junior Ice team with Auger and Pitz went 1-4. It capped its tournament with a victory over its age group’s Montreal Canadiens.
“I would say the thing I will remember most about the Brick Invitational was scoring the overtime goal to win the game versus the Montreal Junior Canadiens,” the son of Kati and Shane Auger said.
Pitz enjoyed the atmosphere of the event.
“I really liked playing in front of all of those people and hearing my name and number get called after a goal or a game star,” the son of Barry and Tara Pitz said. “I’m thankful for being there.”
Vigier said that both Auger and Pitz demonstrated tremendous effort during the tournament. He stated that “Mason showed that he can skate with any player in the tournament.” Auger led the Junior Ice blue line with three points, including a goal.
Pitz, a forward, scored three goals and recorded four points. He was second on the team in points. Vigier said, “Easton showed he can protect the puck very well while getting himself in an offensive position.”
Dawson Densmore
Densmore and the 2012 Junior Ice were 3-3 at the Brick Tournament. Playing forward, Densmore scored three goals and accumulated four points.
Heading into the tournament, head coach Brennan Frykas praised Densmore, whose mother is Ashton Densmore and father is Travis Erickson, for being coachable, having great speed, working hard, and possessing offensive capabilities but also being good defensively.
Competing at the Brick Tournament and playing summer hockey in general requires commitment not only from the players and coaches but also from their families.
“My family’s support was the most important part of playing summer hockey,” Densmore said. “I always had family members wanting to take me to hockey whether it be practices and games in Winnipeg every weekend, hockey camps, or tournaments that were far away. At games and tournaments, I’d have multiple family members in the stands including siblings, parents, my nanas and papas, aunts and uncles, cousins, and great grandparents. They all encouraged and supported me all season and most importantly always reminded me that I’m just a kid so to go out there and have some fun. I would have never been able to do it without all of them.”
