On Monday, a list of 84 names of Junior A players was released as Hockey Canada invites for the upcoming tournament in Alberta this December. 44 players will gather in Calgary, AB. from December 3rd-5th as the hopefuls battle for a spot on Team Canada West, while 40 players hoping to crack Team Canada East will do the same from the 2nd to 4th of December in Etobicoke, ON.
The MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons, Portage Terriers and Swan Valley Stampeders will be represented as both the Pistons and Terriers will have two players attending camp, while the Stampeders will have one. Steinbach goaltender Matthew Radomsky will join MJHL teammate Kyle Bettens, while Terriers’ defenceman Owen Murray and forward Reilly Funk will join Swan Valley’s Matt Osadick in the tryout process.
The three-day selection camp will be an opportunity for these hand picked players to showcase their skill on the national level while participating in an evaluation process that includes much practice, off-ice testing and some scrimmages/games. The five Manitobans invited to the camp will fly to the Markin MacPhail Centre at the WinSport Canada Olympic Park, where Head Coach Rick Swan will name the team roster prior to taking off for Bonnyville on December 6th.
Players making up Team Canada West will come from the five Junior A leagues in Canada’s western region: the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Team Canada West will begin the tournament against the United States on December 9th, while Team Canada East will kick things off against Russia earlier that day.
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