MYHockey Tournaments: #1 Youth Hockey Tournament Company
Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Classic
Fri Nov 29, 2024 - Sun Dec 1, 2024


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Pittsburgh's central location, within driving distance of Ontario, the East Coast, Southeast and Midwest, makes it one of our most popular tournament sites. The Pittsburgh area also offers a large variety of sightseeing, shopping and entertainment opportunities, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers and Pirates and many college sports, the Carnegie Science Center, Mt. Washington and the Gateway Clipper Fleet.
Games will be played at: Ice Castle Arena
Playing Levels
Co-ed 9U thru 18U: AA, A, B and House HS Varsity and JV
USA Hockey Sanction Number: MD25-030
Regional Account Manager: Ty Loney (Contact Info)
Order your tournament apparel by clicking the image below.
Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
$165/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: King with sleeper sofa or 2 Double Beds
breakfast pool restaurant lounge pets
Stay at the beautifully renovated Pittsburgh Airport Marriot
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Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Airport/Robinson Mall
$152/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: 2 queen beds
pool restaurant
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Limited Availability
DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh/Green Tree
$165/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: 2 Queen Beds
breakfast pool restaurant lounge pets
Located in the heart of the Pittsburgh region. Minutes from everything and a short drive to the ice arenas!
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Sold Out
Hampton Inn Pittsburgh Greentree
$155/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: A mix of 2 queens & king with a sleeper sofa
breakfast pool
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Sold Out
Embassy Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown
$167/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: Mix of King Suites and two Queen Suites
breakfast pool restaurant lounge pets
Skyline views in downtown Pittsburgh
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Sold Out
Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh South
$144/night*
*plus tax (currently 14%)
Room Type/Description: 2 Queen Standard
pool restaurant lounge pets
Hotel with access to downtown Pittsburgh
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  1. Any team whose home rink is greater than 70 miles from the tournament rink, will be considered and out-of-town team, and will be required to comply with MYHockey Tournaments' hotel policies and procedures.
  2. Do NOT contact hotels directly! Reservations must be done through MYHockey Tournaments.
  3. As a condition of acceptance to the tournament, all out of town teams MUST reserve rooms through MYHockey Tournaments and stay in an authorized hotel, at tournament rates. No other rates, discounts or hotel reward points, regardless of how obtained will be honored. No exceptions. Failure to comply and/or attempts to circumvent procedures and obligations will result in expulsion from the tournament. In this situation, registration fees will not be refunded.
  4. A minimum of 20 room nights is mandatory (i.e. an average of 10 rooms for 2 nights each is 20 room nights.) Teams with less than 20 total room nights will be ineligible for semi-final or championship play during the tournament. Teams with less than 20 total room nights may have their eligibility for semi-final or championship play reinstated by paying a penalty totaling $50 multiplied by the difference between 20 and the total number of room nights used by that team.
  5. Lists should be completed as soon as possible. After a completed list has been submitted to MYHockey Tournaments, your list will then be forwarded to the first available tournament hotel, based on your preferences.
  6. Information on your team's hotel, hotel contact person and game schedule will be available at least 14 days prior to the start of the tournament. Changes to the rooming after this time will be coordinated directly with your team's hotel contact at that time.
  7. Room additions, deletions and special requests or instructions regarding your team's room block should be coordinated through your hotel contact person. All hotels attempt to keep your team as close together as possible. However, keep in mind that special requests and rooming list changes may tend to fragment your block.
  8. The hotel will accept individual cancellations until 6:00 pm 72 hours (3 days) prior to arrival for the listed party. Individuals not canceling more than 72 hours in advance will be considered a "no show" and will be charged for one room night plus tax. Early departures (parties checking out earlier than the departure date listed on the rooming list form) are subject to fees determined by the hotel (typically one nights room and tax).
  9. Teams cancelling more than 50% of their entire room block within one (1) week of the tournament start date will be subject to charges for one night per room plus tax, for their entire block of rooms originally listed on the rooming list.
  10. At check-in a representative of each room should leave a credit card imprint to cover incidental charges (i.e. phone calls, room service, movies, etc.) incurred throughout the weekend.
  11. Teams and individuals may check in throughout the day or evening. Hotel check-in times are typically 3:00 - 4:00pm and are posted on the Hotel Information Page. All rooms are guaranteed for late arrival.
  12. Most Hotels, with the exception of hotels in Las Vegas, will provide a complimentary guestroom per team based on the team meeting a specific number of paid guestrooms. This should be used for either the coach, manager or bus driver. Maximum 1 comp room per team per night. Please indicate on the rooming list form, the room that is to be designated as the complimentary room if your team meets the hotel's requirements. Please refer to the Hotel Information Page for each hotel's specific Complimentary Room Policy. It will be indicated in each of the hotel's descriptions.
  13. Room types will be either 2 double beds or a King bed with a pullout sofabed, unless otherwise notated. There is no guarantee of room type, only that you will have one of these two types. Most room types can accommodate up to four individuals.
  14. Rollaways/cots are available at most hotels. Extra charges may apply (typically between $10-$20 per cot per night).
  15. Teams requesting lodging at the same hotel with other teams should indicate this to MYHockey Tournaments on the Hotel Preferences Page. It is best if teams requesting to stay together submit their lists on the same day. MYHockey Tournaments will accommodate these requests whenever possible, but cannot guarantee that suitable blocks will be available when the rooming lists are submitted.
  • All Tournaments: USA Hockey Sanctioned and roster requirements strictly enforced to protect all teams and participants
  • All Tournaments: Four Game Minimum, Five to Six games Maximum
  • NO GATE FEES; Free entry - all tournament games
  • All Games - Three stop-time periods
            Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee and Bantam - 13 minute periods
            Midget and High School - 14 minute periods
  •         All AAA Levels - 15 minute periods
  • No curfews, all games played to completion
  • Individual and team awards for 1st and 2nd place teams
  • Continuous, real time scores and standings direct from the tournament rinks to our website
  • A discount program is available that your team may be eligible for. Click Here for more details.

It is our goal at MYHockey Tournaments to place teams in divisions which provide the closest match to your team's age and skill level. This goal is made more difficult because age divisions and skill classifications vary from state to state and between the US and Canada. It is possible that your team may play teams that are slightly older or younger than those in your home playing area or with a different designation, AA, A, B, AE, etc. for skill level.

Age groups for teams from the US and Canada are largely the same, however areas with larger numbers of players, Ontario, Michigan and Western New York, for example, separate major and minor aged players within the age group. When evaluating placement the age make-up of a team is one of the first factors we explore.

2024-25 USA Hockey age groups (effective April 2024 - March 2025):
Level Player Birth Years
8U / Mite (Canada U9) 2016 & 2017
10U / Squirt (Canada U11) 2014 & 2015
12U / Peewee (Canada U13) 2012 & 2013
14U / Bantam (Canada U15) 2010 & 2011
16U / 15U / Midget Minor (Canada U16) 2008 & 2009
18U / Midget Major (Canada U18) 2006 & 2007
Skill Levels

Most teams and associations are now familiar with the website, www.myhockeyrankings.com. The rankings website includes game scores for teams of many levels across North America and calculates ratings and rankings for teams based on their scores and the scores of their opponents. Differences between ratings are useful in predicting competitiveness between teams. The rankings website is the single best resource for comparing and placing teams and we will place teams primarily based on their rankings and ratings at www.myhockeyrankings.com. In some cases a AA team from one league may fit best into an A division based on their ranking/rating and an A team from another league may fit best into a AA division based on their ranking/rating and we will make these types of placements when appropriate. For early season tournaments, we may utilize ranking and rating info from previous seasons as well as our experience with organizations, teams and leagues to guide placements. As the season progresses, the rankings and ratings become more accurate and this information becomes the primary reference source used to place teams.

We will place your team based on all of the information available to us. We have extensive experience in placing teams from throughout North America and we reserve the right to make the final decision on placement. We are very happy to discuss your team's placement, based on all of the information we have, and the rankings/ratings of the other teams within your team's division.

Examples of divisions that we often field:

  • AAA Divisions - These are "Elite", Tier I or AAA teams and are generally the top teams chosen with their region or city. AAA divisions are almost always fielded as single birth year, Major or Minor, divisions.
  • AA or Major divisions - Teams in AA or Major divisions will often be the "best" or first picked travel team within a Tier II organization. These teams will often consist primarily of "second year" or "major" aged players within the age group. In some cases, Major aged "A" teams, with an appropriate ranking/rating will fit best into these divisions. We will sometimes field multiple AA or Major divisions within a tournament and will designate these as AA1, AA2, etc. or Major 1, Major2, etc. The idea behind fielding multiple divisions is to provide a narrower range of competition. There will be separate champions for each division.
  • Minor divisions - when divisions are labeled as "minor" they will include only minor aged players within the age group. In areas close to many minor aged teams, we will commonly field minor aged divisions. The teams in the minor divisions may include Minor AA, Minor A or Minor AE teams and will be grouped based on their MYHockey rankings/ratings into competitive divisions. We will sometimes field multiple Minor divisions within a tournament and will designate these as Minor 1, Minor 2, etc. The idea behind fielding multiple divisions is to provide a narrower range of competition. There will be separate champions for each division.
  • A Level - Teams in the A divisions will generally be the second, and possibly lower, travel level teams chosen within a Tier II organization. These teams will often consist primarily, but not necessarily exclusively, of "first year" or "minor" aged players within the age group. In some cases, AA teams with lower rankings/ratings may fit within the A divisions. We will sometimes field multiple A divisions within a tournament and will designate these as A1, A2, etc. The idea behind fielding multiple divisions is to provide a narrower range of competition. There will be separate champions for each division.
  • B Level - Teams in the B divisions will generally be the third, or lower, travel level teams chosen within a Tier II organization or teams that are classified as Tier III. In many leagues, there are multiple A levels designated in different ways, Gold, Silver Bronze, Upper A, Lower A, A1, A2, etc. and in some areas the third level of play with in a league is designated as B In some cases, these "lower A", "A2" or other "A" labeled teams may compare directly to B level teams from other areas. We will utilize rankings/ratings information to compare these teams and leagues to make appropriate placements and so some of the teams within the B divisions may play under an A level in their home area. We will sometimes field multiple B divisions within a tournament and will designate these as B1, B2, etc. The idea behind fielding multiple divisions is to provide a narrower range of competition. There will be separate champions for each division.
  • House Level - House divisions are fielded exclusively in our Chicago, IL, Holland, MI and Rochester, NY locations and will include only teams chosen through a draft, in which all players within an organization are assigned to a team, with the goal of creating teams of equal skill level, within their own organization, with no players "cut". We will sometimes field multiple House divisions within a tournament and will designate these as House 1, House 2, etc. The idea behind fielding multiple divisions is to provide a narrower range of competition. There will be separate champions for each division.
Roster Requirements

All teams are required to present a copy of their official roster that is issued by their respective sanctioning body, either USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. For tournaments in Illinois, rosters must be received 72 hours prior to the tournament. For all other locations please provide a copy of your official, certified roster to our on-site director at the site of your first game.

Only players included on your team's official roster may participate in the tournament. This is a requirement of our USA Hockey sanction so that all team's insurance will be in force. This rule also protects all teams from the possibility that players of a higher level would be added to any team. If you must add players to your roster due to injuries or other issues, these players must be formally added to your official roster by USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. Please contact your local associate registrar or your organization's registrar with questions on rules and procedures for adding players to your certified roster.

Age Level Period Length Price
8U ADM 15 min. running $925
10U 13 min. $1775
12U 13 min. $1825
14U 13 min. $1875
16U 14 min. $2075
18U 14 min. $2075
Deposits, Payment Due Dates

Register for this event by clicking the Register button near the top of this page. Payment is not required when registering. Teams will be invoiced upon acceptance into the event. If registering more than 30 days before the event, a $500 deposit or full payment is required within 7 days of registration. Full payment is required 45 days before the event or earlier if the tournament sells out more than 45 days in advance. If registering inside 30 days, full payment (ACH or Credit Card) is required within 24 hours of registration. Payments may be made by ACH, credit card, or check.


Canadian teams registration fees, paid by cheque in Canadian funds, accepted at par with the U.S. dollar.

Teams canceling their tournament entry within thirty (30) days of the tournament start date are not entitled to any type of refund. If we are able to fill your team's spot with a team that is paying an entry fee to play in the tournament, we will apply a credit to entry in a future tournament. No refunds, by cash or check, will be made.
2024-25 Season Discount Program

Traveling teams will receive a 20% discount for the first out-of-town tournament they attend. The out-of-town tournament discount increases by 5 percent for every subsequent event. Thus, traveling teams will receive a 25% discount on their second out-of-town event, 30% off their third out-of-town event, 35% off their 4th, and 40% percent off their 5th and all subsequent events.

All discounts applied per team, per season. Discounts do not carry over from one season to the next or from one team to another within the same club.

This applies to all events EXCEPT the Grizz Cup (Salt Lake City).

Sportsmanship Policy

Noisemakers have been used to inhibit teams' ability to communicate and have led to confrontations that have diminished the positive environment at many events. As a result, noisemakers are banned from buildings/rinks where are our events are being conducted. Noisemakers include, but are not limited to megaphones, horns, whistles, cow bells, kazoos, and thunder/clap sticks.

Roster Requirements

All teams are required to present a copy of their official roster that is issued by their respective sanctioning body, either USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. For tournaments in Illinois, rosters must be received 72 hours prior to the tournament. For all other locations please provide a copy of your official, certified roster to our on-site director at the site of your first game.

Only players included on your team's official roster may participate in the tournament. This is a requirement of our USA Hockey sanction so that all team's insurance will be in force. This rule also protects all teams from the possibility that players of a higher level would be added to any team. If you must add players to your roster due to injuries or other issues, these players must be formally added to your official roster by USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. Please contact your local associate registrar or your organization's registrar with questions on rules and procedures for adding players to your certified roster.

Schedule Release

Schedules are generally released and sent to team contacts, along with final hotel information and confirmations, two weeks prior to the tournament start date. It is important to note that entry fee balances and all required documentation must be received prior to release of the schedule to your team. We will contact you if additional information is required. The schedule will generally be published to our website for public viewing four to five days prior to the tournament start date.

Tournament Start and Finish Times

Tournaments held Friday through Sunday could begin as early as 7:00am on Friday and all championship games will be concluded by approximately 6:00 pm Sunday.

For tournaments listed as Friday through Monday, teams will play either a Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday schedule. The Grizz Cup is the only exception to this, as it will run Friday through Monday for all teams. In general, the decision of which divisions run on which days will be finalized 4-6 weeks prior to the tournament start date. Teams playing Friday through Sunday, could begin play as early as noon Friday and will complete championship games by 5 pm Sunday. Teams playing Saturday through Monday could begin play as early as 7:00 am on Saturday and will finish by 6:00 pm Monday.

For Saturday through Monday tournaments, held over various holiday weekends, play will begin on Saturday at 7:00 am and all championship games will conclude by 6:00 pm Monday.

Generally, younger teams (mites, squirts, pee wees) begin play earlier each day and will complete their championship games earlier on Sunday or Monday. Bantam and Midget teams will begin later on Friday or Saturday and will play the later championship games on Sunday or Monday.

We will always be candid with you team contacts regarding what we can and cannot do in regard to the schedule and we ask team contacts to be candid with their parent groups in regard to scheduling guidelines and parameters. Plan for success when making flight arrangements; assuming that your team will play in the championship game on the last day of the tournament.

Air Travel and Scheduling Requests

Teams traveling by air should provide us with flight times no later than 21 days prior to the tournament start date. If you are considering flight times that conflict with the guidelines listed above, please contact us to discuss the times before booking.

If your team is planning a team function or would like to attend another event, please provide us with that information at least 21 days prior to the tournament start date. It is generally best to check with us before purchasing tickets or making reservations and we will confirm our ability to meet your schedule request.

Once the schedule is released, it is unlikely that we will be able to make changes to accommodate your schedule request. Please remember that once the schedule is released, your request to change the schedule will affect your opponent and probably several other teams. We will do our best to accommodate your schedule requests prior to release of the schedule and we will be candid with you about what we can and cannot do, but most teams prefer that the schedule remains stable once it is released.

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