Schmidt Named to Hockey Canada’s Summer U-18 Team Selection Camp
Calgary, Alta. – Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt is one of 41 players invited to Hockey Canada’s national men’s summer under-18 team selection camp, which will run July 27-30 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, Alta.
Following this camp, 24 players will be selected to compete for Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which runs August 5-10 in Edmonton, Alta. This annual summer U18 tournament is the first opportunity for scouts to see NHL draft-eligible prospects in their draft year, 10 months ahead of the draft.
“The Vancouver Giants organization is proud to see Cameron earn this opportunity with Hockey Canada,” Giants General Manager Barclay Parneta said. “We wish him good luck at selection camp later this month.”
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Among the 41 invited are 31 skaters and two goaltenders that suited up for Team Canada Red or Team Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, including Schmidt, who scored the Golden Goal for Canada White last November, potting the overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over the United States. The roster also includes five players who won gold at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (Desnoyers, Hamilton, Ivankovic, McKenna, Schaefer).
Head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) led the player selection process with assistance from senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond (Creston, BC). U18 Program of Excellence management group lead Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL), head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL) and assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Dalhousie, NB/Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL) and Ryan Oulahen (Newmarket, ON/North Bay, OHL) also provided input.
Thirteen of the 41 invitees currently play in the Western Hockey League.
Schmidt and McKenna – the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft – are the only two players invited to selection camp that scored 30 or more goals in their 16-year-old rookie seasons in the CHL. Schmidt scored 31 goals in 59 games, while McKenna scored 34 times in 61 games.
Canada will open the preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. PT. It will also take on Slovakia and Sweden on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.
