Penticton Vees defencemen Jonny Tychonick and Ryan O’Connell have been named to the Team Canada West roster for the upcoming World Junior A Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia.
Vees defenceman Luke Reid was also at the camp, but will return to the team this week.
The three players have been in Calgary since Saturday trying out for the roster along with 57 other skaters from the Western Canadian provinces.
Related: Vees get invite to Team Canada West camp
This years event runs from Dec. 10 to 16 and features two teams from Canada (East and West) along with teams from the United States, Russia, Czech Republic and Switzerland.
Tychonick, from Calgary, has skated in 25 games with the Vees this season scoring five times and adding 18 assists. He was on Team Canada West at last year’s World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta., scoring a goal and an assist in four games.
Related: Vees defenceman makes NHL scouting list
O’Connell, from Gloucester, Ont., is in his first year with the Vees and has three goals and 11 assists in 25 games. O’Connell joined the Vees from St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ont., and was a seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in last year’s NHL Draft.
In 2016, Team Canada West finished in fifth place with a 5-3 win over Switzerland. The United States won the gold medal, shutting out Team Canada East 4-0.
Canada West last won gold at the event in 2015 when Vees alumni Tyson Jost was named tournament MVP with nine points in four games. Dante Fabbro was also part of that team, registering three assists.
With Tychonick and O’Connell making the roster, the Vees have now had at least one player represent Canada West at this event every year since its inception in 2007.
