A pair of Kamloops Blazers will be heading to Hockey Canada’s selection camp for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships.
Forwards Logan Stankoven and Caedan Bankier are among the 29 players who will hope to impress at camp, which runs from Dec. 9 to Dec. 12, and earn the right represent their country at the tournament in Halifax and Moncton later this month.
A member of the gold medal winning 2022 World Junior team, Stankoven assisted on the tournament winning goal, scored by Kent Johnson, as Canada beat Finland 3-2 in Edmonton. He’s expected to be a lock to make the team once again.
“It’s always great news when you can represent your country and have a chance to play at the World Juniors,” Stankoven said. “For me and Banks, we’re just going to go there and do everything we can to solidify our spot and prove to coaches that we belong on that team.”
Bankier, a Surrey native, is hoping to earn his way onto the team after a number of impressive performances for the Blazers this year.
“It is a huge honour. you grow up watching thee World Juniors and you want to be a part of it someday and I’m pretty fortunate that I got the call, and I’ll be heading over to Moncton with Stanks,” Bankier told NL Sports Monday.
“It was a big goal for me coming into this year. Last year that I’m eligible to play in the tournament so I was working all summer towards this goal and obviously to be I guess not rewarded but to get the achievement, I guess, that is pretty awesome.”
If Bankier makes the final roster, it will be the third straight World Juniors where the Blazers have had two players represent Team Canada. Stankoven and Dylan Garand won gold in 2022, while Garand and Connor Zary won a silver medal in 2021.
The 2023 World Juniors run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, with Canada playing their first game against Czechia on Boxing Day. Kamloops players who crack the final roster could miss nine to ten Blazers’ games, if Canada reaches the gold medal game.
Canada will open its exhibition schedule with games in Moncton, facing Switzerland on Dec. 19 and Slovakia on Dec. 21.
– With files from Jon Keen
2⃣9⃣ players have earned invites to Moncton for 🇨🇦’s National Junior Team selection camp, competing for spots on Team Canada at the #WorldJuniors.
ROSTER ➡️ https://t.co/10aasap6hT
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 5, 2022