The 2026 BCHL All-Star Weekend has a new home. For the first time, Spruce Grove, Alberta, will host the festivities and — more importantly — the event is taking place outside of British Columbia for the first time in its history.
From 2022 to 2024, the Penticton Vees hosted the league’s All-Star Weekend. Since Penticton joined the Western Hockey League for this season, it was no longer a candidate to host the BCHL’s mid-season all-star event. After granting last year’s All-Star Weekend to Salmon Arm, the league announced in October that this season’s celebrations would be held in Spruce Grove.
This article is about the 2026 All-Star Weekend. I’ll cover the city and the venue. To wrap, I’ll speculate where the All-Star Weekend could go next.
The City of Spruce Grove
Spruce Grove is the ninth-largest city in the province of Alberta. In 2021, the population of Spruce Grove was 37,645. The community sits on the south side of Highway 16, the road that connects British Columbia with Edmonton via Jasper.
Geographically, Spruce Grove is 30 kilometres west of Edmonton and 55 kilometres west of Sherwood Park. Both communities are members of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.
Spruce Grove’s history as a village dates back to 1907. It was dissolved in 1916 before being reincorporated in 1955. It formally became a town in 1971 and a city in 1986. It’s the hometown of Hockey Hall of Fame member and legendary goaltender Grant Fuhr.
Fuhr is an all-time NHL great. From 1984 to 1990, he won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and has an arena in Spruce Grove named after him. The Grant Fuhr Arena served as the Saints’ former home.
The host venue for All-Star Weekend
On Sept. 19, the Saints played their home opener at the Thompson Family Arena at the brand new, $85-million Heavy Metal Place. The arena has a seating capacity of 1,665, with a capacity of 2,512 for non-ice events. The Thompson Family Arena is the first brand-new facility to host the BCHL All-Star Weekend. The South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton opened in 2008, and Rogers Rink in Salmon Arm opened seven years prior.
Future hosts of this marquee BCHL event
For potential future hosts, I’ll limit my picks to one city from each division. I’ve chosen each city with several factors in mind, including proximity to a major city, arena size, and building age. I will give special consideration to renovated arenas.
My first choice is in Alberta — representing the Interior East Division. I believe the next Alberta host should be Blackfalds, based on several factors.
As a town, Blackfalds is 12 kilometres north of Red Deer, Alberta. The Bulldogs’ home rink — Eagle Builders Centre — only opened in 2021. Like Spruce Grove, Blackfalds isn’t far from Edmonton and Calgary, and has a modern facility.
For the Interior West Division, I’m picking Vernon as a potential host. The city is 55 kilometres north of Kelowna, B.C. and 49 kilometres south of the rival Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Kal Tire Place is a modern facility that has 3,006 seats for hockey. It even once hosted a pre-season NHL game as part of the 2016 Kraft Hockeyville contest. Although Kal Tire Place isn’t the newest facility — opening in 2001 — it was expanded at a cost of $15-million in 2018.
From the Coastal East Division, my pick is the Langley Rivermen’s home rink at George Preston Recreation Centre. While the team is commonly associated with Langley, it is important to note that the Rivermen play in the Township of Langley, not the City of Langley. The City of Langley is a separate, smaller municipality. The Township of Langley is part of the Metro Vancouver Regional District and is also home to the BCHL’s head office.
George Preston Recreation Centre opened in 1973. Although it’s the oldest arena referenced as a potential location for the All-Star Weekend, it has undergone several renovations since the Rivermen moved there in 2016. Part of the renovations included a new exterior and new seating inside the building.
The final city I’m choosing is Victoria from the Coastal West Division. The Q Centre is a modern venue in Colwood, B.C., which is a city southwest of Victoria. The arena hosted the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings during the 2004-05 season and training camp for the Vancouver Canucks in 2007 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008.
An NHL pre-season game between the Canucks and San Jose was also played at The Q Centre after the District of North Saanich won the 2015 Kraft Hockeyville contest.
Spruce Grove fits the profile the BCHL appears to be targeting for its showcase event — a growing market, proximity to major centres, and a modern facility. Hosting the All-Star Weekend outside British Columbia for the first time also expands the list of viable future hosts. While cities like Blackfalds, Vernon, Langley, and Victoria stand out as logical options, there are clearly other communities across the league that could also step into the role.
Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
