Hockey Canada names 16 WHL players to National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp
Calgary, Alta. – Hockey Canada has invited 16 Western Hockey League players, as part of a group of 44, to attend Canada’s national men’s under-18 team selection camp. The camp will take place at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alta. from July 26-30th.
The players – four goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 24 forwards – will compete for a chance to represent Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Breclav, Czech, and Piestany, Slovakia. The breakdown of WHL players led by first-overall 2017 WHL Draft selection Kaiden Guhle of the Prince Albert Raiders, includes one goaltender, five defencemen and 10 forwards.
“We are excited to bring together a group of 44 athletes with a solid foundation of junior and international experience for selection camp,” said Shawn Bullock, director of men’s national teams for Hockey Canada. “The under-18 camp is unlike any other, as players are being evaluated from the moment they arrive at camp and are preparing to compete in short-term competition. Historically, Canada has been successful at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and we know all 44 players will come to camp ready to compete for a spot on the team and the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf in international competition.”
One of the only true, best-on-best competitions for this age group, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup will see Team Canada play its preliminary-round games at Ice Bors Arena in Breclav. The event will run from Aug. 5-10, with Canada facing off against the Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland in preliminary play before the tournament wraps up with the bronze and gold medal games on Aug. 10.
The team will be guided on the bench by head coach Michael Dyck (Lethbridge, Alta. / Vancouver Giants) and assistant coach Dennis Williams (Stratford, Ont. / Everett Silvertips). Dyck was named the head coach of the team earlier this month when Dan Lambert stepped aside from the position after accepting an assistant coaching role with the Nashville Predators.
Also joining Dyck and Williams are six other WHL staff members, including management group member Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont. / Moose Jaw Warriors), goaltending coach Adam Brown (Kelowna, B.C. / Kelowna Rockets), video coach Andrew Doty (Calgary, Alta. / Lethbridge Hurricanes), equipment manager Gord Cochran (Williams Lake, B.C. / Regina Pats) as well as guest coaches Mark O’Leary (Owen Sound, Ont. / Moose Jaw Warriors) and Ryan Smith (Winnipeg, Man. / Medicine Hat Tigers).
In 2018, the tournament was rebranded as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and hosted in Canada, with Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., serving as co-hosts. Canada captured gold on home ice, defeating Sweden 6-2 in the gold medal game.
Canada has won gold 22 times in 28 years of summer under-18 competition, along with two silver medals and one bronze.
For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team and the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Twitter.com/HC_Men.
WHL Players – National Men’s Summer Under-18 Selection Camp
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Born | Hometown | WHL Team | WHL Draft |
| Dylan Garand | Goaltender | 6’0” | 170 | 06/07/02 | Victoria, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | KAM 2017 (3,58) |
| Tyrel Bauer | Defenceman | 6’3” | 206 | 03/23/02 | Cochrane, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | SEA 2017 (2,41) |
| Kaiden Guhle | Defenceman | 6’3” | 186 | 01/18/02 | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Prince Albert Raiders | PA 2017 (1,1) |
| Daemon Hunt | Defenceman | 6’0” | 198 | 05/15/02 | Brandon, Man. | Moose Jaw Warriors | MJ 2017 (1,15) |
| Luke Prokop | Defenceman | 6’4” | 202 | 05/06/02 | Edmonton. Alta. | Calgary Hitmen | CGY 2017 (1,7) |
| Ronan Seeley | Defenceman | 5’11” | 175 | 08/02/02 | Olds, Alta. | Everett Silvertips | EVT 2017 (1,20) |
| Jakob Brook | Forward | 6’2” | 173 | 03/15/02 | Roblin, Man. | Prince Albert Raiders | PA 2017 (2,40) |
| Kyle Crnkovic | Forward | 5’7” | 153 | 02/10/02 | Chestermere, Alta. | Saskatoon Blades | SAS 2017 (1,10) |
| Jack Finley | Forward | 6’5” | 203 | 09/02/02 | Kelowna, B.C. | Spokane Chiefs | SPO 2017 (1,6) |
| Ridly Greig | Forward | 5’11” | 155 | 08/08/02 | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | BDN 2017 (1,8) |
| Seth Jarvis | Forward | 5’9” | 164 | 02/01/02 | Winnipeg, Man. | Portland Winterhawks | POR 2017 (1,11) |
| Ryder Korczak | Forward | 5’9” | 157 | 09/23/02 | Yorkton, Sask. | Moose Jaw Warriors | CGY 2017 (2,29) |
| Connor McClennon | Forward | 5’8″ | 151 | 06/25/02 | Wainwright, Alta. | Winnipeg ICE | WPG 2017 (1,2) |
| Jake Neighbours | Forward | 6’0” | 196 | 03/29/02 | Airdrie, Alta. | Edmonton Oil Kings | EDM 2017 (1,4) |
| Justin Sourdif | Forward | 5’11” | 163 | 03/24/02 | Surrey, B.C. | Vancouver Giants | VAN 2017 (1,3) |
| Ozzy Wiesblatt | Forward | 5’10” | 187 | 03/09/02 | Calgary, Alta. | Prince Albert Raiders | PA 2017 (2,25) |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
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