Carrick gets call to Ontario squad
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Sam Carrick of the Brampton Battalion is one of 22 players named to the Ontario team that will play in the World Under-17 Challenge, it was announced Thursday.
Carrick is one of 13 forwards on the roster, consisting entirely of Ontario Hockey League players, for the 10-team tournament at Port Alberni, B.C., from Dec. 29 to Jan. 4.
“It’s a big honour to be named to this team,” said Carrick. “I wasn’t taking anything for granted. I just went out and worked hard and hoped that one of their scouts would like what they see.”
A first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in May, Carrick, a 16-year-old resident of Stouffville, Ont., has four goals and five assists for nine points in 18 games this season at centre and right wing.
“I’ve been playing a lot, and I think that’s one of the main reasons I was chosen to be on this team. I guess they liked the fact I was playing a lot and playing on the power play. On the Ontario team, I want to be a guy who’s a leader and a guy who can play different roles.
“I think we’ll have a skilled team with a lot of character. We’ll be good. There will be a lot of expectations on us, but we’ll go out and play as hard as we can.”
The Battalion now has placed 12 players on under-17 teams, with centres Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene having played key roles in the last two years. Hodgson helped claim gold at the Canada Winter Games at Whitehorse, Yukon, in February, 2007, and Duchene won gold last January at the World Under-17 Challenge at London, Ont.
Other Battalion members to play on under-17 teams include defencemen Tyler Hanchuck and Jay Harrison and left winger Wojtek Wolski, all of whom took part in the Canada Winter Games.
Centres Matt Grennier and Jay McClement, left wingers Adam Henrich and Aaron Snow, defenceman John de Gray and goaltender Brad Topping played in the World Under-17 Challenge.
In addition to Ontario, the field features four other Canadian regional teams, namely Pacific, West, Quebec and Atlantic, as well as teams from Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia and the United States.
Ontario’s head coach is Mario Cichillo, who holds the same position with the Niagara IceDogs. He is to be assisted by Jake Grimes and Troy Smith of the Belleville Bulls and Kitchener Rangers respectively.
