This could be a golden year for the Sherwood Park Crusaders, and even those outside the league are taking notice.
The World Junior A Canada West selection camp was held at the end of October, with five Crusaders being invited out and one making the team.
Local players Andrew Taverner, Marshall Donald, Josh Healey, Matt Tomkins and Bowen Croft all received invitations to the tryout camp, which saw players participate from five Junior A leagues across Western Canada.
Healey was the only one to make the final cut, and is playing in the international tournament that started on Monday, Nov. 5 and runs until Nov. 11.
“I think he exerts a role that, on our team, he’s one of our best defencemen and plays in all situations, but at the pinnacle of it all, he fits a role where he’s a real tough defender to play against — he skates well, he’s physical — and he’s willing to accept the role,” Crusader head coach and general manager Tim Fragle said of Healey. “I think on that team, they basically kind of said to him ‘Hey, you do all of the things that we like.’ He had a very strong camp from what I’m hearing, and he was rewarded accordingly.”
Of the five that were invited to try out, only three could actually attend the camp, as Tomkins and Croft are both out with long-running injuries.
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