Micah Hart is on the ice in Calgary this week, working hard to return to the roster of Canada’s national woman’s development hockey team.
Hart, from Saanichton, plays defense and is lining up with Team White as it faces off against Sweden’s national women’s team, a collection of university players and Team Red. Both Red and White teams consist of 42 players looking to crack the 23-player roster of the development team. If successful, Hart will join her teammates in a three-game series against the United States Aug. 17 to 20 in Calgary.
Hart spoke to the PNR briefly following Team White’s overtime win over Sweden Tuesday afternoon. She was not only pleased with her team’s win and how the camp has been going so far, but was also overjoyed at Canada’s bronze medal in women’s Rugby 7s in Rio this week.
“I was home for a couple months this summer and got to train with some of the women on the (rugby) team at PISE (Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence in Victoria),” she said, adding she was very happy to see them earn that medal.
Working out with them was also an eye-opener, Hart said.
“They work harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. There’s no lack of motivation there.”
In Calgary with Hockey Canada’s Summer Showcase, Hart spent the first days in dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions. She’s on the ice now, and was scheduled to suit up for two more games prior to the final roster selections.
Hart played for Canada’s national development team last year. She traveled to Lake Placid, New York for the three-game series there.
The year before that, Hart was playing at the Under 18 hockey level.
This past year, she also began her first year of college at Cornell University in Ithica, New York — a premier hockey school in the U.S. In her freshmen season, Hart led all defensemen with 18 points on the season and led all Division I rookie defensemen in points per game for much of the season, according to Cornell. Hart was named an All-Ivy Honorable Mention and the conference’s all-rookie squad.
Hart said she’s in Calgary until Saturday, hoping to move on to the next level.
