Strathclair, Manitoba’s Conor Geekie and Winnipeg Ice team mate Matt Savoie are among the 44 players who have been invited to the national junior team summer camp in advance of the 2023 IIHF world junior championship this coming winter in Halifax and Moncton.
Geekie and Savoie will be joined at the four-day camp, which begins July 23 in Calgary, by goalie Tyler Brennan (Winnipeg) of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, defencemen Denton Mateychuk (Dominion City) of Moose Jaw and Owen Pickering (St. Adolphe) of Swift Current.
Brandon Wheat Kings forward Nate Danielson (Red Deer) rounds out the group of six players on the roster with ties to Manitoba. Danielson has a late birthdate and won’t be eligible for the NHL entry draft until 2023.
Geekie, Savoie, Mateychuk and Pickering are all expected to be first-round selections in next month’s draft in Montreal while Brennan is the top-rated prospect among North American goalies.
Four goalies, 14 defencemen and 26 forwards have been invited to the camp, which will be used to identify candidates for the national junior team selection camp in mid-December.
Hockey Canada has also announced the list of 44 players who will try out for the country’s entry in the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which begins late next month in Red Deer.
Zach Benson (Chilliwack) of the Winnipeg Ice is among the 26 forwards competing for a berth on that team, while Carlson Bjarnason (Carberry) of the Brandon Wheat Kings will battle three other goalies for the right to wear the Maple Leaf in that event.
Canada’s opening game is set for 8 p.m. CT versus Switzerland. The other six countries competing in the tournament are the United States, Sweden, Finland, Chechia, Slovakia and Germany.
Comments