For Knoch 7th-grader Maddox Dawson, chance to play in elite Quebec hockey tournament a dream come true
Weeks before his 13th birthday, Maddox Dawson found himself playing on an NHL-caliber rink.
The Knoch seventh-grader hopes it was a harbinger of things to come.
In his fourth season with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program, Dawson played left wing on the team’s second line as it participated in the Tournoi de Quebec, the 66th Quebec International PeeWee hockey tournament. The event ran from Feb. 11-22 and featured 118 teams from 21 countries in five divisions.
“I want to play in the NHL,” Dawson boldly stated when asked about his long-term hockey goals. He turns 13 on March 7.
The tournament attracted more than 225,000 fans and numerous former NHL players were on hand as part of the event.
Dawson played on the 2013 Pens Elite Gold team, which competed in the highest skill division.
“The skill level was high, but we were used to it,” Dawson said. “We play at that level of competition during the regular season.”
Dawson has scored 15 goals for Pens Elite this season. He had a goal and a couple of assists during the Quebec tournament as his team won five of seven games. Victories came against a Japanese team, the Buffalo Junior Sabres, North Shore Winter Club, St. Louis Junior Blues and a team from Switzerland.
There were 32 teams in Pens Elite’s division. The Pens contingent was among the final seven before getting eliminated. Slovakia defeated Team Illinois 8-4 in the championship game.
Teams have to be invited to participate in the tournament. More than 30 NHL players once played in this youth tournament, including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
“It’s pretty cool playing in the same tournament the greats once played in,” Dawson said.
Games were played in the 18,000-seat Videotron Centre and the Guy Lafleur Pavilion. Pens Elite played its first game in Videotron Centre, which was built to house an NHL team when Quebec was hopeful of landing an franchise.
“It was awesome ... so cool,” Dawson said.
Pens Elite players play games on weekends, traveling to such cities as Boston, Cleveland and Detroit. They begin practice in August and play a 50-game schedule into March.
“It’s a rigorous schedule and quite a grind,” said Keith Dawson, Maddox’s father. “But we wanted Maddox to be challenged, to compete against the highest level possible. ”Playing for the Pens Elite has definitely elevated his game.
“He’s tenacious and smart, a very good two-way player. He’s working on his hands and trying to get faster. All of the kids at that level are trying to do that.”
Keith Dawson would know. A 1994 Butler graduate, he played hockey for the Golden Tornado and was his team’s leading scorer.
“Maddox’s skills go well beyond what I was,” he said. “We put him on skates on the ice when he was 3. He played for the Armstrong Arrows, at the Frozen Pond (Valencia), the North Pittsburgh Wildcats. ... He stood out in those leagues, so we decided to have him try out for Pens Elite.”
Players must try out for Pens Elite every year in April. He made the squad each of the four years he’s tried out.
“I get pretty tired sometimes,” Maddox Dawson said. “But it’s worth it. I do my homework in the few hours I have before practice.”
Maddox, who carries a near straight-A average in school, hopes to play college hockey at the University of Michigan one day.
“I’ve played in Ann Arbor, and I loved it,” he said.
“Getting to play Division I college or junior hockey is very difficult, a long-shot, obviously,” his father said. “But I’m not about to squash anybody’s hopes that way.
“Hey. ... Dream big.”
