Athletes of the Week: Trio of youth skaters invited to Brick Invitational, ‘The Little League World Series of Hockey’

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Every July since 1990, the top 10-year-old hockey players in North America skate at The Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in Edmonton, Canada, and three Alaskans were invited to what is dubbed “The Little League World Series of Hockey.”

“The guy that created it said he wanted to create the NHL experience for 10-year-olds and I just think for somebody to put that much effort into it and help them develop a passion, love for the game even further than these kids already have, is incredible,” Anchorage Youth Hockey coach Kirk Kullberg said. “You have 14 franchises that are filled with the best kids in that birth year across North America competing on a stage like the Edmonton Mall is second to none. That’s awesome. For them, the hockey I think is almost like a byproduct — it is the experience. That is something they are going to remember for the rest of their lives.”

Anchorage’s Evgenni Kharichkin, Eli Kullberg and Delta’s Linoln Pinkelman will be representing Alaska on Team Western Selects at the 2023 Brick Invitational as three of the best 10-year-olds in the region.

As of Friday, July 7, Team Western Selects posted a 2-4 record with two of the four losses coming in overtime. Pinkleman recorded two goals and two assists, Kullberg added a goal while Kharichkin held down the blue line on defense.

Copyright 2023 KTUU. All rights reserved.