Grande Prairie Storm fans have already taken notice of the great start to the season which goalie Curtis Skip has had. So has the Storm coaching staff. Now, Hockey Canada has too.
The Grande Prairie minor hockey product is one of 19 AJHL Players Invited to Canada West Selection Camp for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge from October 28th-31st. Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, announced Tuesday the 60 players that will attend the Canada West selection camp in preparation for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge.
The selection camp will be held at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary. The 60 players will be divided into three teams ? Red, White and Blue ? and will play three intrasquad games, in addition to daily practices. Players named to the Canada West selection camp roster were selected from the CJHL ?s five western Junior A leagues: the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
?These players represent some of the best prospects in the entire game, not just Junior A, ? said CJHL president Kirk Lamb. ?Canada West has enjoyed tremendous success at the World Junior A Challenge and we are very confident these selections will allow Canada West to be very competitive in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. ?
Skip is one of six goaltenders invitied to camp. There are also 18 defencemen and 36 forwards.
The 2012 World Junior A Challenge will be held Nov. 5-11 at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, N.S. Canada West will play in Group A, joined by the Czech Republic and Russia, while Canada East, Switzerland and the United States will comprise Group B.
For more information on the 2012 IIHF World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac, or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac