CALGARY, Alberta – Nine of the thirty players invited to Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp have Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) experience.
The roster was released at a news conference early this week and includes 2 goaltenders, 11 defencemen, and 17 forwards. Ryan Jankowski, director of player personnel for Hockey Canada, and Tim Speltz, member of the Program of Excellence management group, were responsible for all player selections.
The former CJHL Prospect of the Year, Jake Walman (OJHL), who currently plays for the 2015 NCAA Champion Providence College Friars, as well as the highest selected CJHL player in the 2014 NHL draft, Brandon Hickey (AJHL), who plays at Boston University, lead an impressive list of former CJHL alumni. Hickey has the most CJHL playing experience playing 106 games for the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL, while Travis Dermott played 53 games with the Newmarket Hurricanes (OJHL). Jake Walman played 43 games two years ago with the Toronto Jr. Canadians (OJHL) and Mitchell Marner played 20 games with the St. Michaels Buzzers (OJHL).
The selection camp, being held at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke, Ont., will feature two games against a team of players from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), with a roster that includes (8) eight CJHL alumni on Dec. 12 and 13. In total, 22 players will be selected to represent Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship from December 26, 2015 to January 5, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.
Canada opens the tournament against the United States on Saturday, December 26 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters, TSN and RDS, are scheduled to broadcast all tournament games, including three pre-tournament games Dec. 19, 20, and 23; check local listings for details.
The following players played at least (4) four games in the CJHL.
- Brandon Hickey, Spruce Grove Saints, AJHL
- Brayden Point, Canmore Eagles, AJHL
- John Quenneville, Sherwood Park Crusaders, AJHL
- Mathew Barzal, Coquitlam Express, BCHL
- Michael Dal Colle, St. Michaels Buzzers, OJHL
- Travis Dermott, Newmarket Hurricanes, OJHL
- Mitchell Marner, St. Michaels Buzzers, OJHL
- Travis Sanheim, Winkler Flyers, MJHL
- Jake Walman, Toronto Jr. Canadians, OJHL
For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, and Twitter.