Trio of Canes to Represent Team
Lethbridge, AB – Lethbridge Hurricanes fans will have three especially exciting reasons to check out the fifth edition of the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge this week. Among the WHL stars competing in the two games on November 28th in Kootenay and November 29th in Medicine Hat are Hurricanes Captain Ben Wright and forwards Mitch Fadden and Zach Boychuk.
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rTeam WHL is made up of Canadian-born WHL players who are eligible for Canada’s World Junior Team. These players will take on a Russian Select team in a pair of exhibition match ups.
rFor Wright, who was named the 17th captain in Hurricanes history this year, this is a great opportunity to show his prowess amongst the WHL’s best.
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r “It’s a great honor for me, I’ve never had the chance to play at an international level” says Wright, a 2005 NHL Draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who will play the November 29th game in Medicine Hat “It’s a great opportunity to prove myself against some of the best players in the league and hopefully I can go out there an just have a good game.”
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rWright was a workhorse on a young Canes blue line last season and is looking to improve on his 47 points (10G, 37A) and seven PPGs, in 64 games last season. Thus far, as the centerpiece of a strong defense corps, he has tallied 17 points (3G, 14A) this season, including 11 assists and a plus 8 +/- rating in the month of November alone.
rFor Fadden, who will play in both games, this will be the second time he has represented his country at the junior level after helping Team Canada to victory in the 2005 U18 Junior World Cup. A product of Salmon Arm, BC, Fadden has proven himself to be one of the most skilled prospects in the WHL today.
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rIn the Hurricanes first 29 games this season, Fadden tallied a team leading 35 points (16G, 19A) including the WHL Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept.24th-Sept.30th. That week, Fadden recorded seven points in three games (4G, 3A) and a plus-5 +/- rating. In the second half of October, Fadden tallied two goals, five assists and a highlight reel shootout winner in Moose Jaw (Oct.20th) helping the Hurricanes to a 5-0-0-1 record over that span.
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rThis past summer, Fadden was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 4th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He then followed that up with a strong showing at the Traverse City Prospects tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. Fadden tied for second in Lightning Prospects scoring with four points (2G, 2A) and a plus-4 +/- rating in the four game tournament. During the Canes most recent winning streak the flashy forward once again raised the level of his game, tallying 10 points (6G, 4A) in the Hurricanes last five wins coming into last week. Fadden is currently tied for fifth in the WHL Scoring race with 35 points (16G, 19A)
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rZach Boychuk represented Team Canada in the 2006 U18 Junior World Cup, the U18 World Championships in Finland this past spring before tallying six points (4G, 2A) in seven games for Team Canada in the Canada/Russia Super Series this past summer. Thus far this season, Boychuk has become a staple in the Top 20 of the WHL scoring race, racking up 31 points (14G, 17A) and remaining a spark plug in the Hurricanes offence. Boychuk was the lone Hurricanes representative in the 2006 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.
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r“We’re happy to see our players recognized as players that can represent our league and I am sure they will represent us well.” said Hurricanes Head Coach Michael Dyck adding “We all had a feeling that Zach [Boychuk] would be a part of it with his recent involvement in the Super Series, but to see Ben [Wright] and Mitch [Fadden] get recognized obviously is a feather in our cap as an organization and should give those guys a lot of confidence as well.”
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rCanada currently leads the series 3-1 over the Russian Selects after a pair of wins by Team OHL. Be sure to tune into Rogers Sportsnet West for the November 28th game in Kootenay and November 29th game in Medicine Hat. (Check local listings for air dates and times or log on to www.adtcanadarussiachallenge.com for further details)
