While much attention at this time of year is given to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship and the BCHL players and alumni competing in that tournament, it is also worthwhile to check out the Spengler Cup, one of the oldest hockey tournaments held in Davos, Switzerland.
The six-team, invitation-only event has been presented since 1923 and heralds itself as the oldest invitational hockey tournament in the world.
Several former BCHL players are competing in this year’s tournament, a handful representing Canada and a couple of others representing their respective professional clubs.
Layton Ahac (Team Canada)
The defender from North Vancouver, B.C. played two seasons (2017 – 19) in the BCHL with the Prince George Spruce Kings, amassing 61 points in 110 games. After spending his junior years in PG, Ahac went on to play in the NCAA with Ohio State University. After parts of four seasons in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, The 23-year-old is playing this season in the American Hockey League with the Abbotsford Canucks.
Embed from Getty ImagesDaniel Carr (Team Canada)
If you have listened to the Buck Tales podcast, you know this forward from Sherwood Park, Alberta is a fan favourite of mine and Chris Keck’s. Carr had a brief stint in the BCHL, scoring 27 points in 22 games with the Powell River Kings in the back half of the 2009-10 season. He has since played 117 games in the NHL mostly with the Montreal Canadiens, but also with stops in Vegas, Nashville, and Washington. The 33-year-old is in his fifth season with HC Lugano in Switzerland’s National League. He last represented Canada at the 2022 Spengler Cup.
Embed from Getty ImagesCurtis McKenzie (Team Canada)
From Golden, B.C., McKenzie played two seasons in the BCHL with the Penticton Vees from 2007 – 09, scoring 74 points in 102 games. He has played 99 career NHL games with the Dallas Stars after being drafted by them in 2009. The 33-year-old has captained the Texas Stars in the AHL for five of the past eight seasons, including this year. He is an alternate captain for Canada during this year’s Spengler Cup.
Embed from Getty ImagesMatt Irwin (Team Canada)
Irwin played three full seasons in the BCHL with the Nanaimo Clippers between 2005 and 2008, scoring 111 points in 175 games. He also made three appearances with the Clips as an affiliate player in 2004-05. The 37-year-old journeyman defender from Victoria, B.C. has played 461 NHL games with San Jose, Boston, Nashville, Anaheim, Buffalo, and Washington, putting up 25 goals and 93 points in that time. He hasn’t played anywhere of note in 2024-25 after spending last season with the Abbotsford Canucks. Irwin joins McKenzie as an alternate captain for Canada in Davos.
Embed from Getty ImagesAdam Tambellini (HC Davos)
A member of Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Tambellini was in the BCHL from 2011 through 2013, split between the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles. He was also an affiliate for the Sherwood Park Crusaders in 2010-11, notching one goal in three games with the then-AJHL club. He finished his BCHL career with 121 points in 107 games. The 30-year-old forward from Edmonton, Alberta, previously played for Canada at the Spengler Cup in 2019. This year, he’s playing for the host HC Davos team, where he has 13 goals and 29 points in 33 games this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesTravis St. Denis (Straubing Tigers)
St. Denis, from Trail, B.C., played four seasons in the BCHL with the Trail Smoke Eaters and Penticton Vees from 2008 to 2012, scoring 225 points in 203 games. He went on to four seasons at Quinnipiac University in the NCAA before turning pro with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL. After five AHL seasons, the 32-year-old signed with Straubing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in 2021 and has played in the Bavarian city for three of the last four seasons. St. Denis spent the 2023-24 season with rival ERC Ingolstadt before rejoining Straubing last July. In 22 games with the Tigers this season, he has tallied seven goals and eight assists.
