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2026 Cross Border Challenge Schedule Released
April 28, 2026
Hockey Eastern Ontario is proud to partner again with Hockey Northwestern Ontario and Hockey Quebec to present the 3rd annual Cross Border Challenge. The Cross Border Challenge is a combined Program of Excellence (POE) event at the U14 and U15 levels.
The POE is Hockey Canada's elite development and competitive program that provides players with exposure to international competition concepts and some of the best high-performance coaching in the country. The program is offered by Hockey Eastern Ontario to start and educate young athletes on the Hockey Canada POE Pathway (U17, U18, U20 and Olympic Teams).
This event provides our elite athletes with exposure to competition and development opportunities outside of HEO, which aligns with similar type programming that is being run in other regions of the country by other Hockey Canada Member Branches.
2026 Cross Border Challenge
The 2026 Cross Border Challenge will feature five Ontario teams and seven Hockey Quebec teams. The Ontario teams are made up of players and coaches from Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Northwestern Ontario. All practices and games will take place at the Richcraft Sensplex.
On top of on-ice practices and games, Ontario athletes will receive presentations from Hockey Canada, the OHL and Team Ontario. Athletes will also participate in fitness testing and a sports psychology workshop.
The U14 division will feature three Ontario teams and five Hockey Quebec teams. Each team will receive two practices and play four games.
The U15 division features two Ontario teams and two Hockey Quebec teams. Each team will receive two practices and play four games
This year’s Cross Border Challenge will serve as a scouting opportunity for the 2026 Ontario Summer Games and the 2027 Canada Winter Games for the U15 athletes. The last Canada Winter Games that took place in 2023 featured NHL rookie standout, Matthew Schaefer, on the gold medal winning Team Ontario.
The full Cross Border Challenge event schedule can be found here.