Forty of Canada's Best Invited to Canada's National Under-18 Summer Team Development and Selection Camp

NR.062.03
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June 17, 2003
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CALGARY, ALBERTA – Forty of Canada's best under-18 hockey players have been invited to attend Canada's National Under-18 Summer Team Development and Selection Camp that will run from August 1-7, 2003 at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary, AB as Canada goes for an 8th straight international Under-18 Summer Event gold medal, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League announced on Tuesday.

Twenty-two of the players at camp will be selected to the National Under-18 Summer Team, which will participate in the U18 Junior World Cup in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, from August 11-18, 2003. Canada has participated in an August Under-18 Tournament in Europe since 1997, capturing gold at all seven events.

The players and staff will assemble in Calgary, AB on August 1st for a seven-day training camp under the direction of Head Coach Bob Lowes (Regina, WHL) and assistants Dave Cameron (Toronto St. Michael's, OHL) and Pascal Vincent (Cape Breton, QMJHL). On August 7th, 22 of the 40 players will depart for Europe. Other teams participating in the U18 Junior World Cup include: the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.

Hockey Canada's Head Scout, Blair Mackasey, along with the coaching staff, will oversee the camp evaluations and selection of the players named to the roster for the U18 Junior World Cup in Europe.

The Under-18 National team is part of Hockey Canada's three-stage Program of Excellence beginning with the regional Under-17 teams and ending with the National Junior Team. The primary objectives of the Under-18 program are to identify, evaluate and condition players to the rigors of international competition by giving them their first exposure to international hockey, international officiating, larger ice surfaces, and travel.

• Thirty-nine of the 40 players have prior experience in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence, having played at the 2003 Canada Winter Games last year Bathurst, New Brunswick;

• Ontario, bronze medal winners at the 2003 Canada Winter Games, placed nine players, while Alberta (gold medalists) and Quebec (silver medalists) each placed 8 players on the Development Camp roster;

• Thirty-six of the 40 players played in the Canadian Hockey League last season (WHL - 21; OHL – 8; QMJHL – 7; Other – 4)

Canada will participate in two major international Under-18 events this season. Canada will be defending World Champions at the 2004 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in April, 2004 along with nine other countries. The coaching staff for the World Under-18 Team will be named at a later date.

Canada's 2003 Men's World Championship Team, which won gold in Finland, included 12 players with prior Program of Excellence experience, having played for Canada's National Junior and/or Under-18 teams and/or with a Regional Under-17 team. Sixteen of the 23 players who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics got their start playing for Canada in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence.

Player S/C Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown 2002-2003 Team
Joueur L/C T. P. Naissance Ville d'origine Équipe 2002-2003
Goaltenders/Gardiennes de but
DiRienzo, Carlo L/G 5'11 162 02/10/86 Toronto, ON Kitchener (OHL)
Dubnyk, Devan L/G 6'5 182 05/04/86 Calgary, AB Kamloops (WHL)
Ellis-Plante, Julien L/G 6'0 192 01/27/86 Tracey, QC Shawinigan (LHJMQ)
Watt, Jim L/G 5'10 174 04/07/86 Edmonton, AB Spokane (WHL)
Defence/Defense
Barker, Cam L/G 6'3 206 04/04/86 Winnipeg, MB Medicine Hat (WHL)
Bélanger, Maxime R/D 5'11.5 201 03/03/86 Drummondville, QC Baie-Comeau (LHJMQ)
Card, Mike R/D 6'0.5 190 02/18/86 Penticton, BC Kelowna (WHL)
Festerling, Brett L/G 6'0.5 180 03/03/86 Quesnel, BC Tri-City (WHL)
Fistric, Mark L/G 6'2 230 06/01/86 Edmonton, AB Vancouver (WHL)
Funk, Michael L/G 6'3 180 08/15/86 Abbotsford, BC Portland (WHL)
Jones, Landon L/G 6'0.5 172 03/06/86 High Prairie, AB Vancouver (WHL)
Magnan-Grenier, Olivier L/G 6'5 179 05/01/86 Sherbrooke, QC Magog (LHMAAAQ)
O'Neill, Wes L/G 6'3.5 194 03/03/86 Essex, ON Green Bay (USHL)
Rogers, Andy L/G 6'4 195 08/25/86 Calgary, AB Calgary (WHL)
Schulz, David R/G 6'3 177 01/03/86 Winkler, MB Swift Current (WHL)
Sigalet, Jonathan L/G 6'0.5 170 02/12/86  Cloverdale, BC Salmon Arm (BCHL)
Forwards/Avants
Aubin, Brent R/D 5'8.5 179 06/18/86 Ste-Sophie, QC Rouyn-Noranda (LHJMQ)
Barnes, Joe L/G 6'3 202 06/16/86 Winnipeg, MB Saskatoon (WHL)
Blunden, Michael R/D 6'2.5 190 12/15/86 Gloucester, ON Erie (OHL)
Bourret, Alex L/G 5'9.5 198 10/05/86 Drummondville, QC Sherbrooke (LHJMQ)
Boyd, Dustin L/G 5'11 175 07/16/86 Winnipeg, MB Moose Jaw (WHL)
Cabana, Frederik L/G 6'0 175 05/16/86 Fleurimont, QC Halifax (LHJMQ)
Chipchura, Kyle L/G 6'1 195 02/19/86 Vimy, AB Prince Albert (WHL)
Comeau, Blake R/D 6'0 185 02/18/86 Meadow Lake, SK Kelowna (WHL)
Crosby, Sidney L/G 5'10 175 08/07/87 Dartmouth, NS Shattuck St. Mary's (USHS)
Garlock, Ryan L/G 6'0 190 04/24/86 Iroquois Falls, ON Guelph (OHL)
Hunter, Eric L/G 6'0 183 08/11/86 Oakbank, MB Prince George (WHL)
Jones, Blair R/D 6'0.5 164 09/27/86 Craik, SK Red Deer (WHL)
Jorgenson, Reid L/G 5'10 172 01/31/86 Burnaby, BC Kamloops (WHL)
Laliberté, David R/D 6'0 185 03/17/86 St-Jean-Richelieu, QC Montreal (LHJMQ)
Lammers, John L/G 5'11 188 01/29/86 Langley, BC Lethbridge (WHL)
Lukacevic, Ned L/G 6'0 180 02/11/86 Port Coquitlam, BC Spokane (WHL)
Mailhiot, Kevin L/G 6'1.5 184 04/18/86 Granby, QC Drummondville (LHJMQ)
McGrath, Evan R/D 5'11.5 170 01/14/86 Oakville, ON Kitchener (OHL)
Morrison, Jordan L/G 5'11 158 06/04/86 Uxbridge, ON Peterborough (OHL)
Rabbit, Wacey L/G 5'8.5 156 11/16/86 Airdrie, AB Saskatoon (WHL)
Rizk, Jean-Michel R/D 6'0.5 190 03/24/86 New Liskeard, ON Saginaw (OHL)
Stone, Colin L/G 5'11.5 158 07/04/86 Calgary, AB Swift Current (WHL)
Tsimikalis, Peter L/G 5'10.5 183 01/10/86 Aurora, ON Ottawa (OHL)
Wolski, Wojtek L/G 6'2 188 02/24/86 Toronto, ON Brampton (OHL)

Staff/Personnel
Director, High Performance/Directeur, haute performance: Denis Hainault CHA /ACH
Head Scout/Dépisteur-en-chef: Blair Mackasey CHA/ACH
Manager, High Performance/Gérant, haute performance: Scott Salmond CHA/ACH
Head coach/Entraîneur-chef: Bob Lowes Regina (WHL)
Assistant coach/Entraîneur adjoint: Dave Cameron Toronto St. Michael's (OHL)
Assistant coach/Entraîneur adjoint: Pascal Vincent Cape Breton (LHJMQ)
Equipment manager/Gérant de l'équipement: Serge Leblanc Moncton (LHJMQ)
Therapist/Thérapeute: Mikki Lanuk Kamloops (WHL)
Team physician/Médecin: Dr. Ian Auld Calgary (WHL)

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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