CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League, announced Thursday the 40 players who have been invited to attend Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, August 3-6 at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ont.

The roster includes four goaltenders, 12 defencemen and 24 forwards.

The players, born in 19, were selected by Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast, in consultation with head coach Todd Gill (Cardinal, Ont./Kingston, OHL) and assistant coaches Yanick Jean (Alma, Que./ Victoriaville, QMJHL) and Scott Walker (Cambridge, Ont./Guelph, Ont.). Prendergast evaluated the players during the 2011-12 season, following them along with numerous other candidates during league play, as well as during the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont.

“These players are the cream of the crop of under-18 talent in Canada, and it’s going to be exciting to see them battle for 22 roster spots,” Prendergast said. “As it is every year, there were some tough decisions to get down to 40, and they’ll be even tougher decisions to make to finalize the roster.”

The camp roster includes 17 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 13 from the Western Hockey League and 10 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In total, 36 players (four goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 22 forwards) competed at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and four (Martin, Morrissey, Nurse, Reinhart) helped Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team win a bronze medal as underagers at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.

Of the 40 players who have been invited to the selection camp, 22 will be selected for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which will play in the 2012 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for August 13-18 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic.

For more information on Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca.