COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today that the sixth annual USA Hockey Sled Classic, presented by the National Hockey League, will be hosted by the Florida Panthers and Florida Sled Hockey Association. The four-day event will take place November 19-22, 2015, at the Florida Panthers IceDen, the official practice facility of the Florida Panthers, in Coral Springs, Florida.

First staged in 2010, the USA Hockey Sled Classic is an annual round-robin format tournament between NHL-affiliated sled hockey teams. All competing teams represent their affiliated NHL club by wearing official NHL licensed jerseys with local club marks and logos. 

Twenty NHL sled teams are expected to play in this year’s tournament and will feature three divisions: A division, B division, and C division. Last year, the event featured 16 teams affiliated with NHL clubs and culminated in the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Tier I Division, the Philadelphia Flyers claiming the Tier II Division, and the Minnesota Wild capturing the Tier III Division.

Full details surrounding the tournament will be released at a later date. 

NOTES: Select games may be played at the BB&T Center, the home of the Florida Panthers … The Colorado Avalanche hosted the inaugural USA Hockey Sled Classic in 2010 in Denver, Colorado, where the Colorado Avalanche Sled Hockey Team won the four-team tournament … In 2011, the Philadelphia Flyers held the event in Voorhees, New Jersey, where the Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey Team took first place among nine teams … In 2012, the Buffalo Sabres put on the tournament in Williamsville, New York, with the Dallas Stars winning the ‘A’ Division and the Washington Capitals capturing the ‘B’ Division … In 2013, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals repeated as the ‘A’ and B’ Division champions, respectively, while the Nashville Predators won the inaugural ‘C’ Division … A year ago, the Washington Capitals hosted the tournament in Arlington, Virginia, where the Chicago Blackhawks captured the Tier I Division, the Philadelphia Flyers claimed the Tier II Division, and the Minnesota Wild won the Tier III division … Participating teams in the tournament must have an official affiliation with an NHL member club … For more information on the sport of sled hockey and to view a list of sled hockey teams in the U.S., click here.