Attack’s Smith Seeing Red
The Owen Sound Attack is pleased to announce that forward Gemel Smith has been selected to participate on Team Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World U18 Championship, set for April 12-22 in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic.
Smith was one of twenty players named to the squad by Hockey Canada and one of six returning players from the 2011 Gold Medal entry at the Ivan Hlinka tournament last August. The Toronto native had a fantastic sophomore season for the Attack compiling 21 goals and 39 assists while suiting up in all 68 regular season games.
Canada’s coaching staff – head coach Jesse Wallin and assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer and Todd Gill – collaborated with Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams, Shawn Bullock, Hockey Canada’s manager of hockey operations/national teams and Kevin Prendergast, Hockey Canada’s head scout for the men’s Program of Excellence, to finalize the roster.
“As a coaching staff we are looking forward to getting together with the players we have chosen and working towards our goal of a gold medal for Canada,” said Wallin. “A number of these players have previous international experience through the Program of Excellence at the under-17 and under-18 levels. That experience will prove invaluable in the Czech Republic.”
Canada’s roster includes 10 players from the Ontario Hockey League, seven players from the Western Hockey League and three players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Six players helped Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team capture the gold medal at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in August 2011 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The entire roster is listed below.
Goaltenders (3):
Spencer Martin (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors)
Matt Murray (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Brandon Whitney (Victoriaville Tigres)
Defencemen (6):
Mathew Dumba (Red Deer Rebels)
Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert Raiders)
Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Adam Pelech (Erie Otters)
Damon Severson (Kelowna Rockets)
Warren Steele (Kingston Frontenacs)
Forwards (11):
Troy Bourke (Prince George Cougars)
William Carrier (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Brendan Gaunce (Belleville Bulls)
Scott Kosmachuk (Guelph Storm)
Scott Laughton (Oshawa Generals)
Anthony Mantha (Val d’Or Foreurs)
Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice)
Kerby Rychel (Windsor Spitfires)
Gemel Smith (Owen Sound Attack)
Branden Troock (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Mike Winther (Prince Albert Raiders)
