Home »
Byram and Krebs off to U17 Hockey Challenge
Cranbrook’s Bowen Byram (pictured above), currently playing with the Vancouver Giants is one of 66 players selected by Hockey Canada to represent Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Also selected is the Kootenay ICE’s Peyton Krebs, among 23 players currently playing for or drafted by one of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) 22 member clubs.
Krebs (Okotoks, Alta.) and Byram, along with Kirby Dach (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. / Saskatoon Blades) were the top three selections from the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
The 66 players will be divided into three teams representing Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red, and Team Canada White when they compete against the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States in their quest for a gold medal.
On July, 111 players were invited to the week-long national under-17 development camp, marking the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. The players chosen to compete at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge were selected by Brad McEwen (Whitewood, Sask.), Hockey Canada’s head scout, in consultation with U17 POE management group lead Steve Staios (Hamilton, Ont./Hamilton, OHL), along with regional scouts Carl Bouchard (Quebec), Barclay Branch (Ontario), Barclay Parneta (West), Kevin Mitchell (Atlantic), and Darrell Woodley (Ontario).
“There is a strong, talented, and skilled group of players to choose from and we feel the 66 we have selected are a great representation of the depth of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence,” said McEwen. “These young men have demonstrated an ability to learn, grow, and develop while giving Canada the best chance at bringing home gold on Canadian ice.”
The tournament opens November 5 at the Encana Events Centre in Dawson Creek – an all-Canadian affair as last year’s silver-medalist, Team Canada Black, takes on Team Canada White at 2:30 p.m. MT. The opening day concludes with Sweden facing Russia at North Peace Arena in Fort St. John.
TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters for Hockey Canada, will air one semifinal and the bronze- and gold-medal games; please check local listings for details.
e-KNOW
