Former Penticton Vees defenceman Dante Fabbro has earned an invite to Canada’s national junior team selection camp for the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“Hockey at all levels across the country continues to produce talented and elite-level hockey players that makes our evaluation and selection process a difficult one,” said Shawn Bullock, Hockey Canada’s senior manager of hockey operations and men’s national teams. “With a talent pool as deep as we have in this country, we believe the 22 players eventually selected from camp will give us the best chance at bringing home a gold medal. We couldn’t be more excited for our staff and players to get together in St. Catharines and begin the journey.”
Related: Vees Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro selected in first round of NHL draft
Hockey Canada moved one step closer to finding out who will wear the red-and-white at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, as 32 players earned an invitation to Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp in St. Catharines, Ont., Dec. 12-15.
The selection camp, taking place in St. Catherines, Ont. from Dec. 12 to 15, has a roster includes Fabbro and six other returnees from last year’s silver medal team: goaltender Carter Hart (Sherwood Park, Alta./Everett, WHL); defencemen Jake Bean (Calgary/Calgary, WHL), Kale Clague (Lloydminster, Alta./Brandon, WHL), and Dante Fabbro (Coquitlam, B.C./Boston University, HE); and forwards Dillon Dubé (Cochrane, Alta./Kelowna, WHL), Michael McLeod (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga, OHL) and Taylor Raddysh (Caledon, Ont./Erie, OHL).
Related: BCHL alumni settle for silver with Team Canada at world juniors
In seven games in last year’s tournament, Fabbro had one assist. Vees alumni Tyson Jost also played in that tournament and scored one goal and had three assists.
Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp features a trio of games – two against a U SPORTS team on Dec. 13 and 14, and a game against Denmark on Dec. 15.
Related: B.C. players named to U SPORTS hockey all-star squad
Following the four-day camp, Canada will pare down its roster to the final group of 22 players that will wear the Canadian jersey in Buffalo, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, as they seek to win the nation’s 16th World Juniors gold medal.
