Hockey Canada announced Wednesday the 22 players who will comprise Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. from December 26, 2010 through January 5, 2011.
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Hockey Canada’s senior director of hockey operations and national teams, Scott Salmond, head scout Kevin Prendergast, head coach Dave Cameron (Mississauga, OHL) and the coaching staff named the final roster at the conclusion of a four-day selection camp, which included two Red-White intrasquad games and a 6-2 win over a CIS all-star team on Tuesday night in Toronto, Ont.
Four of the players named on Wednesday are returning players – Jared Cowen (Allan, Sask./Spokane, WHL), Calvin de Haan (Carp, Ont./Oshawa, OHL), Ryan Ellis (Freelton, Ont./Windsor, OHL) and Braydon Schenn (Saskatoon, Sask./Brandon, WHL), helped Canada earn the silver medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask. Ellis also won a gold medal with Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ont. and will become only the seventh player all-time to represent Canada at three IIHF World Junior Championships (Jason Botterill, Jay Bouwmeester, Eric Lindros, Trevor Kidd, Martin Lapointe, Jason Spezza).
Canada’s National Junior Team will remain in Toronto until Friday, when it will move its home base to Niagara Falls, Ont. All of Canada’s on-ice sessions at the Gale Centre are open to the public free of charge.
Canada’s National Junior Team will play in three pre-competition games in southern Ontario prior to the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship, including games against Switzerland (December 20 in Oshawa), Sweden (December 21 in Toronto) and Finland (December 23 in Kitchener). While the games in Oshawa and Kitchener are sold out, there are still tickets available for the game in Toronto on December 21.
Canada will play its first game of the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship on Boxing Day, December 26 in Buffalo versus Russia, a game that will be broadcast LIVE by TSN/RDS and on The FAN Radio Network (check local listings).
Canada has medaled at twelve straight IIHF World Junior Championships, including gold medal performances in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, silver medals in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2010 and bronze medals in 2000 and 2001.
For more information on Canada’s National Junior Team and Hockey Canada, please visit www.HockeyCanada.ca.