CALGARY, ALBERTA - Forty-four of Canada's top junior hockey players have been invited to Canada's National Junior Team's Development Camp in August, 2002, the Canadian Hockey Association and the Canadian Hockey League announced on Thursday.
The 2003 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will be held from through in the Halifax, NS.

The CHA's newly named Head Scout Blair Mackasey will oversee player evaluation at the August Camp and will continue to monitor these players and other eligible players over the course of the first few months of the hockey season, prior to inviting over 30 players to the National Junior Team's Selection Camp in December, 2002.

The NJT Development Camp roster includes nine players that claimed silver medals with Canada's National Junior Team at the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic, including one goaltender, Olivier Michaud (Beloeil, QC/Shawinigan, QMJHL), three defencemen Jay Bouwmeester, (Edmonton, AB/Medicine Hat, WHL, Carlo Colaiacovo (Toronto, ON/Erie, OHL), Nathan Paetsch (Leroy, SK/Moose Jaw, WHL), and five forwards: Jay McClement (Kingston, ON/Brampton, OHL), Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/London, OHL), Jason Spezza (Mississauga, ON/Belleville, OHL), Scottie Upshall (Ft. McMurray, AB/Kamloops, WHL) and Stephen Weiss (Markham, ON/Plymouth, OHL).

The National Junior Team Development Camp roster also includes:

• 12 members of the 2000 National Under 18 Team which won gold at the 2000 Under 18 Four Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic: Bell, Eminger, Milroy, Paetsch, Roy, Spiller, Stepp, St. Jacques, Tootoo, Upshall, Weiss, Woywitka

• 5 members of the 2001 National Under 18 Team which also won gold at the 2001 Under 18 Six Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic: Bouchard, Nash, Paillé, Talbot, White

• 26 players have been drafted or signed by NHL teams

• 18 players eligible for this month's 2002 NHL Entry Draft in Toronto

• 19 players from the WHL, 13 players from the OHL, 10 from the QMJHL, 1 from a U.S. College and 1 from the U.S. Junior ranks.
  The team will get together from August 10-20 for a nine -day development camp in Halifax, NS with Head Coach Marc Habscheid of the WHL's Kelowna Rockets and assistants Mario Durocher, of the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Castors and Mike Kelly of Shamrock, PEI.

The CHA also confirmed the National Junior Team support staff, including Equipment Manager, Steve Hildebrand (Saskatoon, WHL), Therapist, Scott Hoyer (Kelowna, BC), Team Doctor, Dr. Roy Diklich (Windsor, OHL) and Sport psychologist Paul Dennis (Toronto, NHL).