Steel Cracks Summer U18 Roster
Regina, Saskatchewan – Regina Pats forward Sam Steel is among the 22 young Canadians set to represent their country at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, August 10-15 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia. Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League, announced the players who will comprise Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team on Tuesday.
Steel was the Pats’ 2nd overall pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. The Sherwood Park, AB product broke into the WHL with an impressive 54 points (17G, 37A) in just 61 games. His 37 assists led all Pats players and placed him second among WHL rookies. Steel was named the Pats’ Rookie of the Year to close the season. He is already rated as one of the top prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft, appearing on Central Scouting’s futures list for the 2015-16 season.
This is the second time Steel represents Canada on the international stage. He was a member of Team Canada Black at the 2014 World U17 Challenge where he had three points (1G, 2A) in five games.
The roster was selected following a five-day selection camp that included daily practices and three Red-White intrasquad games during Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
CLICK HERE FOR CANADA’S NATIONAL MEN’S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM ROSTER
CLICK HERE FOR THE 2015 U18 IVAN HLINKA MEMORIAL CUP SCHEDULE
Canada’s roster is made up of 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. Ryan Jankowski, director of player personnel for Hockey Canada, alongside Dale DeGray, a member of the management group with Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and head coach Stan Butler (Toronto, Ont./North Bay, OHL), assembled the roster with support from assistant coaches Shaun Clouston (Viking, Alta./Medicine Hat, WHL) and Darren Rumble (Barrie, Ont./Moncton, QMJHL).
Named for the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats are the oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world operating from its original location. Since their founding in 1917, the Pats have won three Memorial Cup championships and compete in the WHL’s Eastern Division. To learn more about the Pats, call 306-337-1535 or visit www.reginapats.com.
