19 WHL Graduates Named to 2009 Winter Universiade Men’s Hockey Roster

EDMONTON (CIS / CWUAA) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the Canada West Universities Athletic Association announced Monday the 22 Canada West players who will make up Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China, February 18-28.
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r19 of the 22 players selected to Canada’s roster for the 2009 Winter Universiade are Western Hockey League graduates.
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rFor the first time since 1993, Team Canada will enter the Universiade tournament as defending champion after a team from the Atlantic University Sport conference captured gold with a 3-1 win over Russia at the 2007 Games in Torino, Italy. The triumph marked the third Universiade men’s hockey title in history for Canada, which had previously been crowned in 1991 in Sapporo, Japan, while represented by the senior national team, and in 1981 in Jaca, Spain, when the University of Alberta Golden Bears wore the Maple Leaf.
rSince 1997, Canada has been represented at the University Games in men’s hockey by each of CIS’ three conferences on a rotating basis. Canada West Hockey players claimed bronze medals in 1997 (Chonju, South Korea) and 2003 (Tarvisio, Italy); Ontario University Athletics skaters won bronze in 1999 (Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia) and finished fifth in 2005 (Innsbruck, Austria); AUS all-stars returned home with silver in 2001 (Zakapone, Poland) before going all the way two years ago.
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rThe 2009 squad will be led by head coach Milan Dragicevic of the UBC Thunderbirds, assistant coach Blaine Sautner of the Regina Cougars, and assistant coach and team manager Eric Thurston of the reigning University Cup champion Alberta Golden Bears.
r“Any time you represent your country it’s a special opportunity,” said Dragicevic. “This is a chance that every player wants, to wear the leaf on his chest.
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r“Every time Canada competes in an international competition we’re playing for gold. You’re not playing for any other medal and that is the mandate we’re going to have with this team.”
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rThe 10 countries entered in the 2009 Universiade tournament will be split in two pools, with the top two teams in each group at the end of round-robin play advancing to the semifinals.
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rCanada will be grouped with host China, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and 2007 bronze medalist Kazakhstan, while the other pool will be comprised of Russia, the United States, Slovakia, Japan and Korea.
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rThe Canadians fly out of Vancouver on Sunday, Feb. 15 and open the competition against China on Feb. 20. The semi-finals are slated for Feb. 27 and the bronze medal game and championship final on Feb. 28.
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r“It’s a pretty short tournament. We need to get to know our players quickly and we have to gel as a team very fast,” said Dragicevic. “We have one goal going over there and that is bring back the gold and make Canada proud.”
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rFollowing a selection process that involved all seven Canada West Hockey head coaches, Dragicevic and his staff retained seven players from defending University Cup champion Alberta, four Calgary Dinos, three Saskatchewan Huskies, and two skaters each from UBC, Regina, the Lethbridge Pronghorns and the Manitoba Bisons.
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rLeading the way will be the goaltending tandem of Alberta’s Aaron Sorochan (Edmonton) and Regina’s Brant Hilton (Winnipeg).
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rA former CIS rookie of the year (2005-06) and first-team all-Canadian (2006-07) and a two-time University Cup champion, Sorochan leads all CIS number one goaltenders in both goals against average (1.21) and save percentage (.951) going into the December break, having allowed only nine goals in eight conference games. The fourth-year Golden Bear was named MVP of the 2008 CIS final after a 40-save performance in a 3-2 win over top-ranked UNB.
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rHilton, a 21-year-old sophomore, currently ranks second in Canada West Hockey in both goals against average (2.23) and save percentage (.919).
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rCanada got outstanding goaltending from Paul Drew during its gold-medal run in 2007. The UPEI netminder stopped 106 of 110 pucks fired his way for a stingy 0.73 goals against average and a phenomenal .964 save percentage.
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r“Hilton has been probably the best goalie so far this season in our conference and Sorochan has won a pair of CIS championships before, so I’m extremely confident with our goalies,” said Dragicevic.
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rUp front, there should be no shortage of firepower for Team Canada as 11 of the top 12 scoring forwards in Canada West Hockey at the midway point of the regular season will make the trip to Harbin.
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rSaskatchewan’s Steven DaSilva (Saskatoon), one of two freshmen selected to the Universiade team, leads the conference in scoring at the break with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 16 outings. Sophomore Steven Gillen (Kindersley, Sask.), DaSilva’s linemate with the Huskies, is currently second in league scoring with nine markers and 13 helpers for 22 points in 16 games.
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rRounding out the group of 13 forwards is the Alberta trio of Ben Kilgour (Leduc, Alta.), Chad Klassen (Saskatoon) and Ian McDonald (Edmonton), the Calgary threesome of Reid Jorgensen (Vancouver), Brett O’Malley (Calgary) and Torrie Wheat (Nanaimo, B.C.), Manitoba teammates Mike Hellyer (Brandon, Man.) and Rick Wood (Rivers, Man.), Lethbridge’s Dustin Moore (Red Deer, Alta.) and Regina’s Kyle Ross (Regina).
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rKilgour, the only fifth-year forward on the Canadian squad, was a first-team all-Canadian in 2006-07 and is a three-time University Cup champion. McDonald, in his third season with the Bears, was named tournament MVP at last year’s University Cup after he led all scorers with four goals and six points in three games.
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rO’Malley, now in his fourth campaign with the Dinos, represented Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship in 2002 in Piestany, Slovakia. He had a goal and two assists at the tournament playing alongside current NHLers Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Eric Staal, while the leading scorer at the championship was current NHL megastar Alexander Ovechkin, who had 18 points.
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rOn defence, Calgary’s Travis Friedley (Delia, Alta.) is the top scoring rearguards in Canada West Hockey at the halfway mark of the regular schedule with 16 points in 16 games, while Lethbridge’s Ryan Pottruff (Woodstock, Ont.) is tied for second wit 12 points.
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rThey are joined by the Alberta duo of Kyle Fecho (Hanna, Alta.) and Jason Fransoo (North Battleford, Sask.), the UBC twosome of Craig Lineker (Calgary) and freshman Matt Pepe (London, Ont.), as well as Saskatchewan’s Derek Endicott (Saskatoon), the lone fifth-year senior among defencemen.
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r“We have a great roster and I think the talent in Canada West Hockey is so good that we actually left people off that are more than deserving to go,” said Dragicevic. “We have a solid group of highly-skilled forwards with a lot of speed but we also have some energy players who have a lot of grit. Our defencemen are a great mix of puck-movers who can jump into the play and create offensive opportunities and some shutdown guys.”
rCanada’s participation in the Universiade is managed by the CIS International Programs.
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rTEAM CANADA ROSTER
rWHL Clubs in brackets
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rGoaltender: Brant Hilton, Regina (P.A., S.C.)
rGoaltender: Aaron Sorochan, Alberta (P.A., Van, Let)
rDefence: Derek Endicott, Saskatchewan (R.D., Sas)
rDefence: Kyle Fecho, Alberta (Reg, Sea, M.J.)
rDefence: Jason Fransoo, Alberta (S.C., Evt)
rDefence: Travis Friedley, Calgary (S.C., Evt)
rDefence: Craig Lineker, UBC (Reg, Sas, Cgy, Cwk)
rDefence: Matt Pepe, UBC
rDefence: Ryan Pottruff, Lethbridge
rForward: Steven DaSilva, Saskatchewan (Ktn)
rForward: Steven Gillen, Saskatchewan (Spo, M.J.)
rForward: Mike Hellyer, Manitoba (P.A.)
rForward: Reid Jorgensen, Calgary (Kam)
rForward: Ben Kilgour, Alberta (T.C.)
rForward: Chad Klassen, Alberta (Spo, Sas)
rForward: Ian McDonald, Alberta (T.C.)
rForward: Dustin Moore, Lethbridge (R.D.)
rForward: Brett O’Malley, Calgary (Let, Cgy)
rForward: Kyle Ross, Regina (R.D., Reg)
rForward: Torrie Wheat, Calgary (S.C., Evt)
rForward: Rick Wood, Manitoba
rForward: Brian Woolger, Alberta (Por)
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rStaff
rHead coach: Milan Dragicevic, UBC
rAssistant coach: Blaine Sautner, Regina
rAssistant coach / team manager: Eric Thurston, Alberta
rAthletic therapist / equipment manager: Brandon Thome, Calgary
rAthletic therapist / equipment manager: Trevor Len, Regina