2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Begins Thursday
HITMEN ROOKIE READY TO STEP UP FOR TEAM PACIFIC – Brett Sonne has spent the first half of his rookie season in the Western Hockey League helping the Calgary Hitmen in their quest for WHL supremacy.
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rNow, the 16-year-old Maple Ridge, B.C. native will do his best to help Team Pacific to a Gold medal at the 2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Saskatchewan.
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râI’m definitely excited about the opportunity,â? said Sonne, who suit up for Team Pacific for their opening round-robin game Thursday versus Finland in Regina, SK. âIt will be great to being able to play with and against a lot of the guys you hear about and play against every night in the WHL.â?
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rWith one glance at Team Pacific’s roster – made up of players from Alberta and B.C. – one could say they have a solid chance at making a run for the Gold. The team is loaded with high-end WHL talent – 17 WHLers in all – including the likes of Red Deer Rebels rookie Brandon Sutter, Lethbridge Hurricanes freshman Zach Boychuk, and Seattle Thunderbirds’ blueliner Thomas Hickey.
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râA lot of the guys look pretty strong,â? said Sonne about the roster for Team Pacific. âI’ve played with most of them before in spring hockey or at other camps, so it’ll definitely be a good squad.â?
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rOf course, Sonne isn’t expecting a cakewalk to the Gold medal for Team Pacific. After all, the competition his team will face is formidable considering the U-17 tournament is a showcase of the world’s top young hockey talent.
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rOne meeting Sonne is hoping for is an encounter with Team Western, whose roster also boasts 11 WHL players including Sonne’s teammate in Calgary, defenseman Alex Plante.
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râIt’ll be good,â? said Sonne of the possibility the two could face each other. âWe’re still teammates up until the moment we face each other, so I wish him the best of luck, and the team that’s the best on the day will be the winner.â?
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rAn encounter between Team Pacific and Team Western would only happen when the playoffs begin as both teams are in opposite pools.
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rSonne has the ability to be an impact player for Team Pacific, judging by his first-half performance for the Hitmen. The speedy center has potted six goals and 11 points through his first 34 games of the season, and has shown the skill, tenacity and work ethic that indicate he’ll be an important cog in the Hitmen’s offense for years to come.
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râIt’s been great so far,â? said Sonne about his first full-time gig in the WHL. âComing up last year for the playoffs, and just watching and being around the guys really helped me out.
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râI’ve definitely had a good start, and hopefully I can finish even better,â? he added.
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rBeing a full-time WHL player has also meant that Sonne has had to adjust to being away from home and playing more games.
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râIt’s been alright,â? said Sonne about adapting to life in the WHL. âI always keep in touch (with family) and let them know what’s going on, so it’s been pretty smooth so far.â?
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rYet, for the next week, Sonne’s focus will shift from helping his WHL club to helping Team Pacific in their quest for Gold at the U-17 tournament.
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râI’m pretty excited to go there and give âer all I’ve got,â? he said.
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rThe World Under-17 Hockey Challenge begins Thursday, December 29th with games in Regina, Balgonie, Southey, and Moose Jaw, SK.
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rFor more coverage of the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, visit the Hockey Canada Website.
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rJesse Watts
rwhl.ca
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