Two Penticton Vees alumni will play for Team Canada at the World Hockey Championship in Slovakia as Canada looks for its first gold medal since 2016.
Troy Stecher and Dante Fabbro will both mark multiple times they have stepped on the ice for Team Canada.
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Stecher, from Richmond, finished his third season in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks in 2018-19, scoring twice and adding 21 assists in 78 games. He averaged 19:55 of ice time per game this season, fifth on the Canucks. He has one more year on his contract he signed in July of 2018.
With the Vees, Stecher appeared in 159 games from 2010-13 scoring 18 goals and 91 assists. He helped the Vees claim the Fred Page Cup, Doyle Cup and RBC Cup in the 2011-12 season, being awarded the RBC Cup’s top defenceman award.
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As team captain in 2012-13, Stecher set career highs with eight goals and 39 assists to help the Vees reach the Fred Page Cup final, where they would lose to the Surrey Eagles.
Following his BCHL career, Stecher played three seasons at the University of North Dakota recording 13 goals and 40 assists. In his junior season he scored eight goals and 13 assists to help North Dakota win the National Championship. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks following the win.
The World Championships will mark the first time Stecher has played for Team Canada at the professional level, but during his time in Penticton he represented Team Canada West at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in both 2012 and 2013.
The Team Canada World Championship roster consists of NHL’ers including John Tavares, Matt Murray, Sam Reinhart and Kyle Turris.
“It’s always a special opportunity when you get the call to represent you country on the international stage. This roster is a mix of youth and veterans who will help lead the way in this short-term competition. Our coaching staff is excited to work with these players as we get set for a competitive tournament in Slovakia starting May 10,” said Jason Botterill, part of Canada’s management group.
Fabbro, from Coquitlam, signed his entry level NHL contract with the Nashville Predators March 27 after a three-year tenure at Boston University where he scored 22 goals and 58 assists in 112 career games.
Fabbro appeared in four NHL games during the regular season, scoring his first NHL goal against the Chicago Blackhawks April 6, before skating in all six playoff games. He recorded one assist as the Predators lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars.
Fabbro spent two seasons in Penticton from 2014-16, scoring 18 times and adding 82 assists in 89 games. He helped the Vees win the 2015 Fred Page Cup.
He has played for Canada internationally at least once every season since 2014-15, at events such as the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, IIHF World Under-18 Championships, World Junior ‘A’ Challenge on two occasions, World Junior Championships on two occasions and the Spengler Cup this year. He has a gold and silver medal from the World Junior Championships.
Canada opens the tournament May 10 against Finland. They will also face Denmark, Great Britain, France, Germany, the host Slovakia and the U.S. in the preliminary round. The bronze and gold medal games will be played on May 26.
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