Regina to host 2026 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: May 10, 2025 1:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Regina volition big the 2026 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, bringing elite young Indigenous hockey players to the Co-operators Centre from May 2 to 9, 2026.

The NAHC, organized by the non-profit Aboriginal Sport Circle and sanctioned by Hockey Canada, features 16 teams — 8 antheral and 8 pistillate — made up of bantam and midget-aged Indigenous athletes. The yearly lawsuit has served arsenic a cardinal level for Indigenous athletics improvement since 2002, said a Friday quality merchandise from the Regina Exhibition Association Limited.

The 2026 tourney volition people the archetypal clip Saskatchewan has hosted the championships since 2012, REAL's quality merchandise said.

The tourney is "a tremendous accidental for our state to showcase our committedness to Indigenous sport," Fabian Head, 3rd vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, said successful the release.

The championships create "a abstraction wherever Indigenous younker tin link with their culture, physique lasting relationships, and make skills that widen acold beyond the rink," helium said.

The 2026 lawsuit volition beryllium hosted successful concern with Ochapowace Nation successful southeastern Saskatchewan. 

Chief Shelley Bear says that reflects the community's absorption connected younker improvement done sports and recreation, which she called "vital tools for gathering confidence, enactment and resilience successful our young people."

"When we supply these opportunities, we're not conscionable processing amended athletes — we're processing stronger communities and aboriginal leaders who transportation their taste pridefulness with them successful everything they do," Bear was quoted arsenic saying successful the quality release.

The NAHC typically delivers much than $1 cardinal successful economical interaction per class to big communities, according to organizers.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski welcomed the announcement, calling the tourney a meaningful lawsuit for the metropolis and province.

The event "strengthens the bonds betwixt communities done the tone of sport," Bachynski said successful the property release.

The championship is portion of the province's efforts to answer the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to enactment astir sports and reconciliation, REAL's quality merchandise said.

Sandra Jackle, president and CEO of the Regina Hotel Association, which is supporting the championships, said the lawsuit is an "outstanding solemnisation of athletics and culture" that "strengthens taste connections and assemblage pridefulness crossed Canada."

More accusation connected schedules and tickets for the 2026 championships volition beryllium released person to the event.

This year's lawsuit is being held in Kamloops, B.C., and wraps up Saturday.