Haight, Young attend Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Summer Meetings
Saginaw, Mich. – This afternoon, Hockey Canada recognized 111 players who took part in the Program of Excellence summer meetings ahead of the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2024 IIHL World Junior Championship. Among them, Spirit forward Hunter Haight and first-round pick from the 2023 OHL Priority Selection Aiden Young took part in the meetings.
Haight arrived in Saginaw midway through his second OHL season via a trade with the Barrie Colts. He managed at least a point in his first ten contests wearing the Spirit crest, good for 19 points (7G, 12A) in that time. He would add an alternate captain’s ‘A’ to his jersey before season’s end, and was Saginaw’s regular-season scoring leader with 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points. He was one of 45 players who took part in Hockey Canada’s under-20 meetings for the National Junior Team.
The 16th overall selection from the 2023 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore, Aiden Young was among the 66 under-17 players invited to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence summer meetings. The London native skated in 34 games for the London Jr. Knights this season. Wearing the ‘A’, Young tallied 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points. During the 2023 OHL Cup, Young amassed eight points (6G, 2A) in five games.
Players took part in virtual meetings that covered a variety of topics, including education on the Program of Excellence, Sport Safety presentations, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with the Hockey Canada management group. The discussions will allow participants to continue to evolve as high-performance athletes and utilize the strengths and experience of the Program of Excellence’s leadership.
Players will continue to be evaluated through the early portion of the 2023-24 season before Canadian rosters are named for the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
For the most up-to-date information on the Saginaw Spirit, visit saginawspirit.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
For media inquiries, contact Dillon Clark at [email protected].
