Viking Cup

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Viking Cup
Viking Cup logo
StatusActive
GenreIce hockey tournament
VenueEncana Arena
LocationsCamrose, Alberta, Canada
Inaugurated1981
Most recent
2026
Activity
International ice hockey competition
Organized byAugustana Vikings Hockey Alumni Association

The Viking Cup is an international ice hockey tournament based in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. The original tournament was hosted by Camrose Lutheran College, later Augustana University College and now the University of Alberta Augustana Campus, and operated from 1981 to 2006.[1][2] The tournament brought university, college, junior and under-18 national teams from Europe and North America to Camrose.[2] After a hiatus of nearly 20 years, the Viking Cup returned to Camrose for a revived tournament held from December 2025 to January 2026.[3]

History

The Viking Cup was founded by LeRoy Johnson, who was athletic director at Camrose Lutheran College. Johnson had started the college's Vikings hockey program in 1967 and later developed the idea for an international tournament after travelling to Europe with the team in the late 1970s.[1] The tournament debuted in 1981 with teams including TPS of Finland, AIK of Sweden, the Prince Albert Raiders, Red Deer College, Centennial College and the host Camrose Lutheran College Vikings.[1]

The tournament was initially held in consecutive years before becoming a biennial event.[1] It featured teams from countries including Sweden, Finland, the United States, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Russia, as well as Canadian and American junior, college and university teams.[2] According to Hockey Canada, the Viking Cup was one of the first events to bring junior-aged players from the Soviet Union to Canada and gave NHL scouts an opportunity to see international players compete in person.[1]

The tournament combined hockey competition with cultural exchange. Visiting players were billeted with families in Camrose and the surrounding area, and the event became part of the city's reputation as a hockey community.[1][4] Canada's College Hockey History described the event as having included players who later appeared at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, IIHF World Championship and Winter Olympic Games.[4]

Hockey Canada credited Camrose's previous experience with the Viking Cup as one reason the city later hosted the World Junior A Challenge.[1] The Camrose Sport Development Society, which was formed by a group connected to Viking Cup founder LeRoy Johnson, also helped establish the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 1997.[5]

The original tournament ended after the 2006 event.[2][6]

Revival

In 2025, organizers announced the return of the Viking Cup after a hiatus of nearly 20 years. The revived event was organized by the Augustana Vikings Hockey Alumni Association and scheduled for December 27, 2025, to January 4, 2026, at Encana Arena in Camrose.[6] Teams listed for the revived tournament included the Czechia University Selects, SAIT Trojans, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League under-20 all-stars, Augustana Vikings and Midland University Warriors.[6]

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League all-stars won the revived tournament, defeating the SAIT Trojans 5–4 in overtime in the gold-medal game on January 3, 2026.[7]

Legacy

A number of future professional and international players competed in the Viking Cup. Hockey Canada listed Dominik Hašek, Sergei Zubov, Bobby Holík, Žigmund Pálffy, Pavol Demitra, Tomáš Vokoun, Olli Jokinen and Henrik Zetterberg among the tournament's alumni.[1] Organizers of the revived tournament stated that more than 400 Viking Cup alumni were later selected in NHL entry drafts.[6]

Johnson later wrote The Viking Cup: International Hockey: A Small College Town Scores Big Time, a book about the tournament's history.[8][9]

Results

The following table lists tournament champions and most valuable players for the original Viking Cup. Canada's College Hockey History published a retrospective list of Viking Cup champions and MVPs from 1981 to 2006.[10]

Year Champion Most valuable player
1981 TPS Juniors Hannu Virta, TPS Juniors
1982 CSSR Junior Selects Petr Klíma, CSSR
1984 NAIT Ooks Cleo Rowein, NAIT
1986 NAIT Ooks Mark Schultz, NAIT
1988 University of Alberta Golden Bears Brent Severyn, University of Alberta
1990 McGill University Redmen Jamie Reeve, McGill
1992 University of New Brunswick Red Devils Sergei Brylin, CIS
1994 Russia National Junior 18 Selects Sergei Luchinkin, Russia
1996 Finland National Junior 18 Selects Olli Jokinen, Finland
1998 SJHL Selects Mark Hartigan, SJHL
2000 United States National Junior 19 Selects Rick Gorman, United States
2002 Augustana University College Vikings Jeff Tambellini, BCHL
2004 Finland National Junior 18 Selects Tuukka Rask, Finland[11]
2006 University of Guelph Gryphons Patrick Ouelette, Augustana

The NAIT Ooks were the only team to win consecutive Viking Cup championships, winning the tournament in 1984 and 1986.[10]

Revived tournament

Year Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place Most valuable player
2026 SJHL U20 Selects SAIT Trojans Czechia University Selects Augustana Vikings David Routa, Czechia University Selects[12]

The SJHL U20 Selects won the revived tournament, defeating the SAIT Trojans 5–4 in overtime in the final.[13]

The tournament's most valuable player award was recorded for each original Viking Cup from 1981 to 2006 by Canada's College Hockey History.[10] David Routa of the Czechia University Selects was named most valuable player of the revived 2026 tournament.[12]

See also

References

  1. Jory, Derek (November 2, 2008). "A City's Love Affair". Hockey Canada. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  2. "About the Viking Cup". Viking Cup Tournament. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  3. "The Viking Cup Returns to Camrose: A New Tradition". Viking Cup Tournament. October 20, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  4. "Memory Maker". Canada's College Hockey History. January 1, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  5. Browne, Brett (November 3, 2008). "More Than a Game". Hockey Canada. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  6. "SJHL to participate in 2026 Viking Cup". Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. November 20, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  7. "Game Center: 2026 Viking Cup Tournament". Viking Cup Tournament. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  8. ""The Viking Cup" book is coming in fall 2021". University of Alberta Augustana Campus. June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  9. "The Viking Cup: International Hockey: A Small College Town Scores Big Time". FriesenPress. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  10. "NAIT Ooks Hall of Fame Reunion in Red Deer". Canada's College Hockey History. March 1, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  11. "Shawhan Guides USA Jr. Select Team to Silver Medal". OurSports Central. January 5, 2004. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  12. "Tournament All Stars Announced". Viking Cup Tournament. January 8, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  13. "SJHL Takes the Title". Viking Cup Tournament. January 3, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.

Further reading

  • Johnson, LeRoy (2021). The Viking Cup: International Hockey: A Small College Town Scores Big Time. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781525596438.