Team Canada Calls
The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club would like to congratulate defenceman Jake Bean and prospect Tristen Nielsen on their invites to Hockey Canada’s men’s camps as part of the National Teams’ Summer Showcase from July 26-Aug. 6.
Bean is one of 41 players attending Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp in Toronto from July 30-Aug 2. The event will feature a four-game series against the U.S., Sweden, and Finland from Aug. 3-6 in Plymouth, Mich.
Nielsen is among 111 players invited to Canada’s national under-17 development camp at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary from July 26-Aug. 2.
Bean, the top-rated Western Hockey League prospect heading into this weekend’s NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY., had a terrific 2015-16 regular season. Not only was he co-winner of the club’s Tommy Gun’s Original Barbershop Top Defenceman Award but league-wide his career-high 24 goals led all defencemen, his 12 power play goals were tied for top spot among blueliners and his 64 points was sixth among rearguards. Bean was named the WHL Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player and represented Canada last summer, winning gold at the U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia.
Nielsen, from Fort St. John, B.C., signed a WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Hitmen in June 2015 after being selected 20th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft. The 16-year-old centre, who skated this past season at Calgary-based Edge School (CSSHL) in the Midget Prep Division, helped Team Canada win silver at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. He was also a member of Team Alberta’s gold medal performance at the 2015 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.
Earlier this month, Hitmen head coach Mark French was named one of the assistant coaches for Hockey Canada’s summer selection camp and the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
