Seven players with B.C. roots have a shot at making Canada’s World Junior hockey team.
A 35-player “selection camp” roster was announced by Hockey Canada on Wednesday (Dec. 1), more than three weeks ahead of the Boxing Day start of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, this year played in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
The B.C.-raised camp invitees are Kamloops Blazers goaltender Dylan Garand (from Victoria), Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman Vincent Iorio (Coquitlam) and forwards Connor Bedard (North Vancouver, Regina Pats), Justin Sourdif (Surrey, Vancouver Giants), Jack Finley (Kelowna, Spokane Chiefs), Kent Johnson (Port Moody, University of Michigan) and Logan Stankoven (Kamloops, Kamloops Blazers).
The camp starts Dec. 9 in Calgary, and the team’s final roster will be announced five days later.
As always for Team Canada, the goal is to win gold on home ice.
The three goaltenders – Garand, along with Brett Brochu (Belle River, Ont.) and Sebastian Cossa (Fort McMurray, Alta.) – have been named to Canada’s final roster.
Among the 35 camp invitees are three returnees who won a silver medal at the 2021 World Juniors – Garand, Kaiden Guhle (Sherwood Park, Alta.) and Cole Perfetti (Whitby, Ont.).
Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp will be held at the WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park. It will include practices and two games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars on Dec. 11 and 12 before the team heads to Banff, Alta., for a training camp from Dec. 14-19.
Broadcast on TSN, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day with Canada kicking off its tournament schedule against the Czech Republic.Canada will also play Austria on Dec. 28, Germany on Dec. 29 and Finland on Dec. 31 to wrap up preliminary-round action. All Team Canada games will be played at 4 p.m. Pacific time.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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