From the Brick Invitational, the champion Detroit Jr. Red Wings team celebrates. Carter Oney, of Haskins, is No. 10 — to the far left in the second row. (Submitted photo)
By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
DETROIT — Ten-year-old former Haskins resident Carter Oney helped lead the Detroit Jr. Red Wings youth hockey team to a championship in the prestigious 35th Brick Invitational earlier this month. Oney and his family relocated to South Lyon, Michigan in 2022.
The Jr. Red Wings are coached by former Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, who also has a son, Henry, on the team.
“I’m just so proud of these boys,” Howard told HNLive following the championship game win. “This is what it’s all about. This isn’t about me. It’s about them. They went out there and got the job done for all the people back in Detroit.
“These boys are with each other a lot. The majority of this team plays falls and winters together. I’m so proud of them. They worked so hard all week, and they deserved it.”
A product of Otsego schools, Oney tallied one assist in each of his team’s first four round-robin games.
With his play, the Jr. Red Wings eventually finished with an 8-0 record in the seven-day tournament, which included a 5-2 win over the Boston Jr. Bruins in the semifinals and a 4-3 win over the Toronto Bulldogs in the championship.
In round robin play, the Jr. Red Wings defeated Western Selects, CCM Chicago, the Montreal Jr. Canadiens, the Saskatchewan Jr. Pats, the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and the Toronto Bulldogs by a combined 32-11 score.
The tournament, which was played inside Canada’s West Edmonton Mall, saw Christian Kolarik’s hat trick lead the Jr. Red Wings to a come-from-behind win in the championship game.
The Brick Invitational’s 2024 edition welcomed promising young hockey players, ages nine and 10, from across North America to face off in Edmonton July 1-7.
Held annually, the Brick Invitational is recognized as one of the most distinguished minor hockey tournaments around the world, with hundreds of players going on to play in junior, university and professional ranks.
Players such as P.K. Subban, Steven Stamkos, Jordan Eberle, Cole Caufield, Auston Matthews and Brent Seabrook are a few of the NHL alumni from the tournament, which has been a hallmark of the youth hockey world since 1990.
