Mark Pysyk, Brad Ross and Alexander Petrovic have cracked the roster to represent Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament.
All three players have been a part of Hockey Alberta’s Team Alberta Program most recently earning a silver medal as a part of Team Pacific at the 2009 World U17 Hockey Challenge.
The 22-player roster was finalized on Tuesday following Hockey Canada’s four-day selection camp at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary. The camp included daily practices, along with three Red-White intersquad games.
Canada’s roster is made up of 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. Bob Boughner (Windsor, Ont./Windsor, OHL), Canada’s head coach, assembled the roster along with assistants Chris DePiero (King City, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) and Mark Holick (Penticton, B.C./Kootenay, WHL). Hockey Canada’s head scout, Al Murray, provided support throughout the process.
“Selecting these 22 players was a difficult task,” says Boughner. “It was a very competitive camp, and all 40 players performed well. However, we feel we have selected the best players to represent Canada in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.”
National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team breakdown
2 goaltenders, 7 defencemen, 13 forwards
21 players from the Canadian Hockey League
10 players from the Ontario Hockey League
7 players from the Western Hockey League
4 players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
1 player from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League
22 players with experience in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence
Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will compete in the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament from August 11-15. Canada has won the tournament four of the past five years. Canada will play in Group A with the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland, a group that will be based in Breclav, Czech Republic. Group B, which will play in Piestany, Slovakia, consists of Finland, Russia, Slovakia and the United States.
Canada will play a pair of pre-tournament games, August 7 against Slovakia and August 9 versus the United States, both in Piestany. Canada opens the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament on August 11 when it faces Sweden in Breclav.
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