CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, announced Wednesday that Yarmouth, N.S., will host the 2013 World Junior A Challenge from November 4-10, 2013.

This will mark the second year in a row the tournament will be held in Yarmouth, the first time in the eight-year history of the event it will be held in the same city in back-to-back years, and the first time a city will host the tournament more than once.

The 2013 World Junior A Challenge will follow the same format as previous years – two Canadian entries will be joined by four international teams, with two groups of three teams. The group winners will receive an automatic bye to the semifinals, while the second-place and third-place teams will crossover for the quarter-finals. The 2013 World Junior A Challenge will be based out of the Mariners Centre, home of the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners, with surrounding communities also hosting games.

Ticket information for the 2013 World Junior A Challenge will be announced in the coming months.

“The host committee in Yarmouth did a fantastic job hosting last year’s World Junior A Challenge, and we could not be more excited to be returning this November,” said Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada. “Our goal is to grow this event and grow the profile of Canada’s Junior A leagues, and we’re looking forward to showcasing elite talent on the ice in Yarmouth in the fall.”

“The 2012 World Junior A Challenge was one of the best ever thanks to Yarmouth's exceptional community leaders and volunteers,” said Kirk Lamb, president and chairman of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. “Yarmouth is home of one of Canada's strongest Junior A franchises and we are thrilled to be returning for 2013.”

“The return of the World Junior A Challenge is a significant win for Yarmouth and an exciting opportunity to showcase Nova Scotia as a world-class destination,” said Sterling Belliveau, minister of fisheries and aquaculture. “Hosting major events like these helps grow our economy and attract more visitors to the province to help build Nova Scotia’s $2 billion tourism industry.”

“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome some of the best young hockey players from around the world last November for the World Junior A Challenge, and we’re thrilled Hockey Canada has selected us to do it again,” said Mitch Bonnar, chair of the 2013 World Junior A Challenge host committee. “The people of Yarmouth could not have been more supportive of last year’s tournament, and we’re going to make sure the 2013 event is even bigger and better than before.”

Since the first World Junior A Challenge in 2006 in Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask., more than 100 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 18 first-round selections (Beau Bennett, Alexander Burmistrov, Joe Colborne, Nikita Filatov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Dmitri Kulikov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Hampus Lindholm, John Moore, Vladislav Namestnikov, Riley Nash, Dylan Olsen, Jordan Schmaltz, Jaden Schwartz, Brendan Smith, Kyle Turris, Andrei Vasilevski and Nail Yakupov).

Every gold medal game at the World Junior A Challenge has featured at least one Canadian team. Canada West won gold at the first two tournaments, in 20, before taking the top prize in 2011; it also earned silver in 2008, 2009 and last year. Canada East was silver medallist in 2006, 2007, 20, and claimed bronze in 2008.

Yarmouth joins Yorkton and Humboldt, Trail and Nelson, B.C. (2007); Camrose, Alta. (2008); Summerside, P.E.I. (2009), Penticton, B.C. (2010) and Langley, B.C. (2011) as host cities for the World Junior A Challenge.

For more information on the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac.

With less than a month to go until the first puck drop at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, the host committee in Yarmouth, N.S., with the help of Purolator, will host the official kick-off event Oct. 13 at the Mariners Centre. From 1-5 p.m., fans who purchased full-tournament ticket packages will be able to pick up their tickets.

Fans are encouraged to help support the local community by dropping off a cash or food donation to the Purolator teammates stationed at the Mariners Centre entrance. As part of their commitment to supporting communities where they live, work and play, Purolator will have a truck on-site to collect donations in support of the Yarmouth Food Bank.

In addition, the kick-off event will serve as the launch of the Paint the Town Red program, which begins Oct. 15 and encourages local businesses to show their community pride as Yarmouth welcomes hundreds of players, coaches, parents, scouts and fans for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge.

For $400, businesses receive a Paint the Town Red window decal, World Junior A Challenge window and floor decals, event poster, schedule poster and yard sign, along with two Paint the Town Red t-shirts and two six-game ticket packages. The package also includes 10 tickets donated to local schools in the business’ name as part of the World Junior A Challenge school program.

Full-tournament, 13-game ticket packages for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge are on sale for only $199 (plus applicable fees). All full-tournament packages, including those previously purchased, include a complementary ticket to the second CJHL Prospects Game on Nov. 11 at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth.

To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

Since the first World Junior A Challenge in 2006 in Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask., more than 100 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 18 first-round selections:

• Beau Bennett – Pittsburgh 2010 (20th overall) | United States, 2009
• Alexander Burmistrov – Atlanta 2010 (8th overall) | Russia, 2008
• Joe Colborne – Boston 2008 (16th overall) | Canada West, 2007
• Nikita Filatov – Columbus 2008 (6th overall) | Russia, 2007
• Mikhail Grigorenko – Buffalo 2012 (12th overall) | Russia, 2010
• Dmitri Kulikov – Florida 2009 (14th overall) | Russia, 2007
• Evgeny Kuznetsov – Washington 2010 (26th overall) | Russia, 2008
• Hampus Lindholm – Anaheim 2012 (6th overall) | Russia, 2011
• John Moore – Columbus 2009 (21st overall) | United States, 2008
• Vladislav Namestnikov – Tampa Bay 2011 (27th overall) | Russia, 2009
• Riley Nash – Edmonton 2007 (21st overall) | Canada West, 2006
• Dylan Olsen – Chicago 2009 (28th overall) | Canada West, 2008
• Jordan Schmaltz – St. Louis 2012 (25th overall) | United States, 2010/2011
• Jaden Schwartz – St. Louis 2010 (14th overall) | Canada West, 2008
• Brendan Smith – Detroit 2007 (27th overall) | Canada East, 2006
• Kyle Turris – Phoenix 2007 (3rd overall) | Canada West, 2006
• Andrei Vasilevski – Tampa Bay 2012 (19th overall) | Russia, 2011
• Nail Yakupov – Edmonton 2012 (1st overall) | Russia, 2009

Every gold medal game at the World Junior A Challenge has featured at least one Canadian team. Canada West won gold at the first two tournaments, in 20, before taking the top prize last year in Langley, B.C.; it also earned silver in 20. Canada East was silver medallist in 2006, 2007, 20, and claimed bronze in 2008.

For more information on the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac.

About Purolator

Purolator is Canada’s leading integrated freight and parcel solutions provider. Celebrating 50 years of delivering Canada, the company continues to expand its reach to more people, more businesses and more places across the country and around the world. Purolator is proud of its Canadian heritage and is positioning itself for future growth and success. As the recipient of the Logistics Quarterly Third-Party Logistics Sustainability Award, Purolator is growing globally in a sustainable manner while contributing to the well-being of the communities where its over 12,000 teammates live, work and play.

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, announced Wednesday the 60 players that will attend the Canada East evaluation camp in preparation for the 2011 World Junior A Challenge.

The evaluation camp, scheduled for September 18-22, will be held at the Sensplex in Kanata, Ont. The 60 players will be divided into three teams – Black, Red and White – and will play a series of intersquad games, in addition to daily practices.

The Canada East roster is comprised of players from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Junior Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL).

The evaluation camp roster was selected by Canada East head coach Curtis Hodgins (Courtice, Ont./Whitby, OJHL), along with assistant coaches Jason Nobili (Bolton, Ont./Toronto, OJHL) and Greg Walters (Toronto, Ont./Georgetown, OJHL).

“This is a tremendous group of talented players we’ve invited to camp, and we’re looking forward to getting on the ice,” said Hodgins. “As a coaching staff, we’re excited to get to Kanata and get to work building on last year’s silver medal performance.”

Canada East’s evaluation camp roster includes:
six goaltenders, 18 defencemen and 36 forwards
26 players from the OJHL, 20 players from the CCHL, six players from the LHJAAAQ, four players from the MHL and four players from the NOJHL.

five players returning from the 2010 World Junior A Challenge (Baun, Hampton, Tylor Spink, Tyson Spink, Tardif)
two players who participated in the 2011 RBC Cup, Canada’s National Junior A Championship (Pembroke – King; Wellington - Murphy)

All practices at the Canada East evaluation camp are free to attend. Tickets to the three intersquad games are available for just $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and can be purchased in person at Sensplex.

Canada East will play in Group B at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, joined by the Czech Republic and Russia, while Canada West, Sweden and the United States will comprise Group A. Round-robin play will run until Wednesday, November 9, with both semifinals taking place Friday, November 11. The gold medal game, which will be shown nationally on TSN/RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, is set for Sunday, November 13 (check your local listings). All preliminary round games, quarter-finals, semifinals and the bronze medal game can be seen live via webcast through FASTHockey at hockeycanada.fasthockey.com.

Full-tournament 15-game ticket packages are now on sale, including tickets to all 13 games at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, both CJHL Prospects Games and a free souvenir tournament program, for only $150. To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

Single-game ticket information will be announced closer to the start of the 2011 World Junior A Challenge.

Canada West has appeared in four of the five gold medal games at the World Junior A Challenges, winning gold in 2006 in Yorkton, Sask., and 2007 in Trail, B.C., before settling for silver in 2008 in Camrose, Alta., and 2009 in Summerside, P.E.I. It finished fourth last year in Penticton, B.C.

For more information on the 2011 IIHF World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.HockeyCanada.ca/wjac, or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac.

PENTICTON, B.C. – It didn’t matter that Canada West earned the silver medal at last year’s World Junior A Challenge, or that it steamrolled Canada East 9-1 in the semifinals, handing the easterners their worst loss ever at the tournament.

For Larry Wintoneak, all that mattered was that he left Summerside, P.E.I. without a gold medal around his neck.

An assistant coach in 2009, Wintoneak has made the step up to head coach for the 2010 event, looking to lead Canada West to its first gold medal since the second of back-to-back titles in 2007. He says he didn’t need to return to the tournament to remember last year’s 2-1 loss to the United States.

“It bothers you all the time, knowing how close you were to gold,” says Wintoneak, head coach of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. “Everybody wants a second chance, and I’m lucky enough to have one.”

But Wintoneak is not the only Canadian coach with a second chance – Canada East head coach Todd Gill returns for his second go-round as bench boss, with memories of last year’s fourth-place finish fresh in his mind.

Canada East’s performance in Summerside was the worst ever by a Canadian entry at the tournament; it marked the first time in the four-year history of the event that a Canadian team failed to medal.

Gill says he is bound and determined not to let that happen again.

“We’re going to do things different this year,” says the head coach and general manager of the CHL’s Brockville Braves. “Hockey wise, how we do things on the ice won’t change much. But some changes need to be made regarding how we handle off-ice activities, and we’ll make those this year.”

A 19-year NHL veteran who played 1,007 games with seven teams, Gill got to wear the red and white of Team Canada just once, chipping in three assists in six games as Canada finished eighth at the 1992 IIHF World Championship.

Gill calls that experience one of the best of his career, and hopes his players realize their opportunity in Penticton may be once in a lifetime.

“I only had the one chance to represent my country, and it was an absolute honour,” he says. “Last year I think we had a few kids who thought it was more of a birthright, but we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again; we think we’ve got a terrific group.”

For both Gill and Wintoneak, only one result is acceptable – to be the last team standing on November 14.

“You don’t get many chances to win a gold medal,” Wintoneak says. “Last year we got a taste of what it is like to be right there, to have that chance, and we want to make sure we get back, and this time finish the job.”

The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), in partnership with Hockey Canada, has announced the coaching staffs for Canada East and Canada West for the 2010 World Junior A Challenge.

Larry Wintoneak of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Kindersley Klippers will take over as head coach of Canada West after serving as an assistant coach in 2009. The assistant coaches for Canada West include Jomar Cruz (OCN Blizzard, MJHL), Andrew Milne (Canmore Eagles, AJHL) and Kevin Hasselberg (Olds Grizzlys, AJHL).

"It was a tremendous opportunity to be involved in the World Junior A Challenge and work with Hockey Canada last year," says Wintoneak. "Experience is everything and it will benefit me as a head coach and our entire staff in the preparation for this year's tournament. The expectation to win remains the same."

Cruz held the position of video coach at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge, while Milne and Hasselberg were both members of the Team Pacific coaching staff at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont.

Rylan Ferster of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks was recently named as Canada West’s general manager. Ferster represented Canada West as an assistant coach in 2008 and head coach in 2009. Leonard Strandberg, who served as general manager in 20, has been appointed as head scout.

Head coach Todd Gill of the Central Junior Hockey League’s Brockville Braves will lead Canada East alongside general manager Troy Ryan of the MJAHL’s Halifax Lions. Gill returns for his second season as head coach while Ryan has served as an assistant coach for Canada East since the inaugural World Junior A Challenge in 2006.

For a third consecutive year, Patrice Bosch (Inouk de Granby, LHJAAAQ) has been selected as an assistant coach, while Curtis Hodgins (Bowmanville Eagles, CCHL) will also join Canada East as an assistant coach.

"Last year I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot, but did not achieve the goal we set out for our team," says Gill, who led Canada East to a fourth-place finish in 2009. "The experience I earned through competing at such a high level of international competition, and the knowledge I gained of the selection process and team building was invaluable."

The 2010 World Junior A Challenge will feature the best 19-and-under Junior A aged players from six competing countries. The World Junior A Challenge tournament will be held in November 2010; the respective dates and location will be announced shortly.

TRURO, Nova Scotia – For the first time since 2017, Team Canada West has won the gold medal at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge, claiming its sixth gold with a 7-2 win over Team Canada East on Sunday at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Jack Silverberg (Sherwood Park, AB/Okotoks, AJHL) opened the scoring 1:10 into the game, setting the table for a seven-goal outburst from Canada West, the most goals scored in the gold medal game since the United States scored seven in 2008.

Ronan Buckberger (Saskatoon, SK/Nipawin, SJHL) and Matthew Van Blaricom (Southey, SK/Humboldt, SJHL) each scored twice, while Erick Roest (Lethbridge, AB/Sherwood Park, AJHL) turned aside 30 shots for the win.

“This win today truly shows the character of this team,” said Canada West head coach Scott Barney (Oshawa, ON/Humboldt, SJHL). “We had a tough start to this tournament, but we had some deep heart-to-heart conversations with the players and staff and we got everyone pulling on the same rope. Guys bought in to the right way to play and this is a great feeling.”

Canada West snuck into the playoff round with only a single win in the preliminary round, before stunning the undefeated United States in overtime in Saturday’s semifinals.

Jack Silverberg (Sherwood Park, AB/Okotoks, AJHL), Nathan Brown (Winnipeg, MB/Niverville, MJHL) and Layne Loomer (Lethbridge, AB/Blackfalds, AJHL) rounded out the scoring for Canada West.           

“This is an amazing feeling,” said Van Blaricom. “It is hard to believe really with how we started this tournament, but it’s truly crazy how far we came as a team to get to this point. When you look around that [dressing] room, we knew we had a tough road to get here, but all we needed was a chance and we made it count.”

Trevor Hoskin (Bellville, ON/Cobourg, OJHL) and Vincent Gauthier (St-Zotique, QC/Valleyfield, LHJAAAQ) scored for Canada East, which collected its eighth silver medal.

Full gold medal game stats are available HERE on the Hockey Canada website.

Earlier Sunday, the United States earned its fourth bronze medal with an 8-5 win over Sweden. Trevor Connelly scored four goals, including a hat trick in the first period, to power the U.S. to victory. Connelly because just the third player to score four goals in a game at the tournament, joining Kyle Turris (2006) and Ty Daneault (2022).

For more information on the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Instagram, Facebook or X.

He’ll wear the Maple Leaf for the first time this week, but Simon Mullen is no stranger to the World Junior A Hockey Challenge.

“When I was in my second year of [U13], I volunteered with my brother Owen and his [U15] team as part of the ice crew for the tournament in 2017,” Mullen recalls. “It was a huge experience for me, especially at that young age. I would look up and see these junior guys and think they’re so much older and see how good they are, and now here I am in that position.”

Mullen is the lone local product to crack the Team Canada East lineup for the 2023 edition of the tournament, and just the second Bearcat ever – joining Stephen Horyl, who had a goal and four points in four games to help East to silver in 2008.

But unlike Horyl, who came to the Maritime Hockey League (MHL) team by way of River Ryan, Nova Scotia, Mullen is Truro through and through – a born and raised product of the community, on and off the ice.

From learning to skate at the local Deuville’s Rink to his first years of U7 hockey with the Truro and Area Minor Hockey Association, the 18-year-old has spent all but one year of his career at home – he played the 2020-21 season with the Pictou County Majors of the Nova Scotia U18 Major Hockey League.

“Truro is a special place,” the defenceman says. “I’ve played every single year of hockey here except one, so to have a chance to play at an international level, this is special.”

Never one known for his offensive contributions from the blue line, Mullen has instead focused on work ethic and playing the right way in his own zone. But the offence has started to come this season – his 20 points (1-19—20) in 23 games are as many as he had in 82 games combined in his first two seasons with the Bearcats.

He also played his 100th MHL game a few weeks ago, becoming the youngest defenceman in Bearcats history to reach the century mark.

His improvement is most evident to the ones who have seen his career evolve.

“He has a quiet confidence in him that allows him to be proud of what he’s accomplishing,” says Ainsley Mullen, Simon’s mother. “The fact that he’s chosen to stay home is an added feather in the cap and shows that he’s proud to be from here and represent the Bearcats. This full-circle opportunity to represent Team Canada in Truro is a pat on his back for that commitment to play at such a high level while staying in Truro.”

Despite getting that taste of international hockey six years ago, when he had a front-row seat to Team Canada West claiming its most recent World Junior A Challenge gold medal at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, Mullen wasn’t sure where hockey would take him.

It wasn’t until his rookie season with the Bearcats in 2021-22 that everything truly began to fall into place.

“In my 16-year-old year, I didn’t have many goals or expectations, but I ended up playing a lot of games around really good coaches and leaders and they led the way for me,” Mullen recalls of helping Truro reach the MHL final. “Now as I’m older, I want to bring those habits and work ethic into my game now and work with the younger guys and in the community.”

Talking to Mullen, there’s that one word that keeps coming up – community. He knows he wouldn’t be where he is without the people around him, and he has never hesitated to give back to a town that has long been behind him.

He volunteers his time alongside his Bearcats teammates with local minor hockey programs during the season, and pays it forward in the summer when he’s not working at the local golf course.

But there’s no better way to say thank you to Truro than by giving his all during the World Junior A Hockey Challenge, and hopefully adding a gold medal – which would be the first ever for Team Canada East.

“There’s no words to explain the moment I step on the ice with Canada here,” Mullen says. “Seeing all the kids with the signs and looking down at the logo on the jersey, it’s just something you dream of. I’m going to do my best out there and hopefully open some eyes.”

CALGARY, Alberta – Team Canada East and Team Canada West have announced their final rosters ahead of the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge, and 44 of the top Junior A players in Canada will wear the Maple Leaf in Truro, Nova Scotia, Dec. 10-17 .

The players named to Canada East were selected from the five eastern leagues in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) - the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL). Canada West selected its players from CJHL’s four western leagues - the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).

Canada East’s 22-player roster was selected by head coach Billy McGuigan (Summerside, PE/Summerside, MHL) , alongside director of operations Chris Vanstone (Mississauga, ON/Ontario Junior Hockey League) . Assistant coaches Peter Goulet (Kingston, ON/Powassan, NOJHL) , Derek Smith (Belleville, ON/Trenton, OJHL) and Josh Hardiman (Montréal, QC/Powassan, NOJHL) also provided input.

“We feel the team we have assembled gives us an excellent opportunity to be competitive every game,” said Canada East head coach Billy McGuigan, “There is a tremendous amount of talent across this country and narrowing it down to two teams of twenty-two players is no easy task. Our staff and this group of players is eager to play for a gold medal on the world stage in Atlantic Canada.”

Canada West’s 22-player roster was selected by head coach Scott Barney (Oshawa, ON/Humboldt, SJHL) and director of operations Nigel Dube (Lampman, SK/Lloydminster, AJHL) , alongside assistant coaches Alex Mandolidis (Calgary, AB/Winnipeg, MJHL), Kelvin Cech (Edmonton, AB/Niverville, MJHL), and video coach Bryan Arneson (Sherwood Park, AB/Canmore, AJHL).

“Our staff has done a great job of identifying the top players in Western Canada,” said Canada West head coach Scott Barney, “We are excited to get to Nova Scotia and compete against the world. This is an amazing opportunity for these young men and something we as a staff want to reiterate every day. It is not every day you get to wear the maple leaf so take advantage of it, enjoy it, and play the game that got you here.”

In addition to the 44 players, the support staff that will work with Canada East and Canada West at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge have been announced.

• Athletic therapist Leah Toffelmire (Treton, ON/Trenton, OJHL)
• Athletic therapist / Equipment manager Samantha Delsing (Cochrane, AB/Drumheller, AJHL)
• Physiotherapist Justin Giesbrecht (Niverville, MB/Niverville, MJHL)
• Physiotherapist / Equipment manager Caitlin McCuaig (Frankford, ON/Wellington, OJHL
• Equipment managers Carmelo Pugliese (Ottawa, ON/Ottawa, CCJHL) and Jason Savill (Leduc, AB/Flin Flon, SJHL)

Canada West will kick off the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge against Sweden on Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. AT, followed by Canada East facing off against Slovakia at 7:30 p.m. AT. The top four teams will advance to the playoff round, with the medal games taking place at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. AT on Dec. 17.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the gold medal game. All preliminary-round games, both semifinals and the bronze medal game will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca .

The 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), Hockey Nova Scotia, NHL Central Scouting and the local organizing committee. The five-team format includes Team Canada East, Team Canada West, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States.

Full-event ticket packages for the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge are now available for $192 and can be purchased at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets . The package includes one ticket to all 14 games, including both medal games.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca , or follow along via social media on Facebook , X and Instagram .

From Zack Rose’s dominant performances between the pipes to Dylan Holloway’s international impact as a 16-year-old and Jacob Bernard-Docker’s steady confidence on the blue line, there are plenty of memorable moments from the last time the World Junior A Hockey Challenge came to Truro, Nova Scotia, in 2017.

The trio played key roles in leading Canada West to the gold medal, and the experience on the East Coast has stayed with them as they’ve moved on in their hockey journeys.

Rose – who earned MVP honours in 2017 – is in his fifth year of NCAA eligibility with Augustana University, having fashioned a 20-10-4 record in the college games; Holloway went 14th overall to the Edmonton Oilers in the 2020 NHL Draft; and Bernard-Docker was the 26th pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2018.

But what ended up as a golden moment for Canada West didn’t start very well at all; losses to Czechia and the United States left the westerners 0-2 in preliminary-round play and needing to find their game with the playoff round looming.

“We had a rocky start, but we figured things out after the round robin,” Bernard-Docker says. “Having that necessary step of losing those first two games, the team came together as a tight knit group and had fun, really enjoyed the home crowd and turned it around.”

The winless prelims set up an all-Canadian matchup in the quarterfinals against Canada East. West got off to a strong start, with Holloway finding captain Carter Turnbull in the slot to open the scoring six minutes into the game before Bernard-Docker joined the offence 67 seconds into the second period when his his centre-ice dump took a bounce off the end boards and past Canada East goaltender Jett Alexander.

Canada East wouldn’t back down, taking the lead in the third period when Nick Campoli and Jack McBain (a 2022 Olympian) gave it a 3-2 advantage, but Ross Armour tied the game with 6:31 left in regulation before scoring the overtime winner 42 seconds into the extra period to second West on to the semifinals.

The semifinal proved that Canada West was getting better as the games got more important, as it avenged its prelim loss by defeating the Czechs 5-1 . The game was a goaltending battle early, with Rose and Milan Kloucek combining to stop 36 of 37 shots through 40 minutes.

Zdenek Sendek tied things midway through the third period, but Angus Crookshank restored the West advantage 41 seconds after that, and Holloway, Brett Stapley and Brendan Budy helped the Canadians pull away late.

The semifinal success set up a gold medal game showdown against the United States, which had claimed four of the previous five tournament titles.

“The rivalry between U.S and Canada, nothing compares to that rivalry, and that’s something you dream of being in as a kid,” Rose says. “To be a part of that and dominate against them, it speaks to the talent we had on that roster and the leadership of the coaching staff. To come out on top, we played one game at a time and we didn’t look back once we had the opportunity in front of us.”

Brendan Budy got the festivities started with a shorthanded marker midway through the first period, and Crookshank and Corey Andonovski pushed the Canadian advantage to 3-0 by the 12:15 mark of the second. The Americans got one back before the intermission, but Armour and Holloway capped the scoring and finish off a 5-1 victory .

Rose saved his best for the playoff round; he stopped 79 of 84 (a .940 save percentage) in wins over East, the Czechs and Americans, capped by a spectacular 35-save effort in the gold medal game, where West was outshot 36-19.

“The experience was electric throughout the time in Truro, and especially for the final game against the U.S,” Holloway says. “It was my first time in the Maritimes, the crowd was packed, everyone was cheering for us. To play the way I did, it was an honour to play for Canada and put me on the radar with all the eyes that come to the tournament.”

Bernard-Docker adds, “At that point, I just wanted to improve and get better after my first year with Okotoks [in the AJHL] and prepare myself the best I could for college. That tournament put me on the map and helped me gain confidence, realizing I could play with the best players around.”

Rose is forever grateful for the opportunity to represent his country. Offering his advice for those playing in the tournament, he hopes players take time to soak in the whole experience.

“For most people, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Rose says. “Take in every moment because it’s so special to play for Canada. Beyond that, I was a player who didn’t have a [college] commitment going into that tournament, but playing a few good games turned that around and I got offered a scholarship to go to Bowling Green and I gained the confidence and the lessons from the coaching staff to play at that level.”

The World Junior A Hockey Challenge continues to be a tournament that sets a foundation for a lucky few Junior A players across the country. Not only do players gain experience, but they have memories to cherish for a lifetime.

“Thinking of all the history with that logo on your chest, nothing can beat it,” Rose says. “Being able to represent millions of Canadians on the world stage, there is no better hockey country than Canada, and to be able to be one of the lucky people to wear that jersey, there is no better feeling. It gives me chills just thinking back to it.”

The 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge gets underway Dec. 10 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre. Looking to be part of the festivities in Truro? Tickets are now on sale at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets .