Hockey Canada announces U-18 roster

NEWS RELEASES

HOCKEY CANADA

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HOCKEY CANADA ANNOUNCES NATIONAL MEN’S SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM FOR MEMORIAL OF IVAN HLINKA TOURNAMENT

CALGARY – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League, announced on Wednesday the 22 players who will make up Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, which will be held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from August 14-18.

The players were selected by the coaching staff and Al Murray, Hockey Canada’s head scout. Team Canada’s coaching staff is made up of head coach Dave Barr (Edmonton, AB/Guelph, OHL) and his assistants, Jacques Beaulieu (Longlac, ON/Saint John, QMJHL) and Guy Boucher (West Island, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL). The 22 players, born in 1990 or later, were selected out of the 40 who competed at the National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, which ran August 4-8 in Calgary.

Steven Stamkos (Unionville, ON/Sarnia, OHL) has been named captain of the team. The assistants will be Alex Pietrangelo (King City, ON/Mississauga, OHL), Yann Sauvé (Rigaud, QC/Saint John, QMJHL) and Kelsey Tessier (Fredericton, NB/Quebec, QMJHL).

Team Canada breakdown 2 goaltenders, 7 defencemen, 13 forwards 8 players from the Ontario Hockey League 7 players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 6 players from the Western Hockey League

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team will complete in the 2007 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, a tournament which Canada has claimed three straight years. Canada is in Group A, along with the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. All of Canada’s round-robin games will be played in Hodonin, Czech Republic. Group B consists of Finland, Russia, Slovakia and U.S.A. Teams in Group B will play round-robin games in Piestany, Slovakia.

Team Canada will face Team Slovakia in exhibition action in Piestany, Slovakia on August 12th at 7 p.m. local (1 p.m. ET). Canada will begin defence of its title on August 14th against Team Sweden in Hodonin, Czech Republic at 3:30 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. ET). Canada has won 10 of the past 11 summer under-18 tournaments.

*** ROSTER:

Goaltenders 30 Peter Delmas - Bedford, NS, Lewiston Maineiacs/QMJHL 31 Kevin Poulin - Montreal, QC, Victoriaville Tigres/QMJHL

Defence 3 Tyler Cuma - Bowmanville, ON, Ottawa 67's/OHL 4 Michael Del Zotto - Stouffville, ON, Oshawa Generals/OHL 5 Shawn Lalonde - Orleans, ON, Belleville Bulls/OHL 6 Michael D'Orazio - Richmond Hill, ON, Owen Sound Attack/OHL 8 Yann Sauvé - Rigaud, QC, Saint John Sea Dogs/QMJHL 10 Alex Pietrangelo - King City, ON, Niagara Ice Dogs/OHL 20 Colten Teubert - White Rock, BC, Regina Pats/WHL

Forwards 9 Cody Hodgson - Markham, ON, Brampton Battalion/OHL 11 Chris Doyle - Charlottetown, PE, P.E.I Rocket 12 Kyle Beach - Kelowna, BC, Everett Silvertips/WHL 14 Kelsey Tessier - Fredericton, NB, Quebec Remparts/QMHL 15 James Wright - Saskatoon, SK, Vancouver Giants/WHL 16 Kevin King - Calgary, AB, Kootenay Ice/WHL 17 Jordan Caron - Sayabec, QC, Rimouski Océanic/QMJHL 18 Geordie Wudrick - Abbotsford, BC, Swift Current Broncos/WHL 19 Steven Stamkos - Unionville, ON, Sarina Sting/OHL 21 Nazem Kadri - London, ON, Kitchener Rangers/OHL 22 David Toews - Winnipeg, MB, Shattuck St. Mary's/USHS 23 Phillipe Cornet - Val d'Or, QC, Rimouski Océanic/QMJHL 27 Jordan Eberle - Calgary, AB, Regina Pats/WHL

Coaches Dave Barr, Head Coach, Edmonton, AB, Guelph Storm Guy Boucher, Assistant Coach, West Island, QC, Drummondville Voltigeurs Jacques Beaulieu, Assistant Coach, Longlac, ON, Saint John Sea Dogs

Staff Bob Nicholson, President, Penticton, BC, Hockey Canada Johnny Misley, Vice president, Vancouver, BC, Hockey Canada Brad Pascall, Sr. Director Men`s National Teams, Coquitlam, BC, Hockey Canada Scott Salmond, Dir. Men’s National Team, Creston, BC, Hockey Canada Al Murray, Head Scout, Regina, SK, Hockey Canada Corey Hirsch, Goaltending Consultant, Medicine Hat, AB, Hockey Canada Ron Pyette, Manager Men’s National Team, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Hockey Canada Dr. Bill West, Team Doctor, Delta , BC, Hockey Canada Darren Keily, Video Coach, Meaford, ON, Peterborough Petes Andy Martin, Equipment manager, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Tony Carbonette, Therapist, Kanata, ON, Hockey Canada Chris Jurewicz, Media Relations, Moose Jaw, SK, Hockey Canada *************************

WHO WAS IVAN HLINKA?

Arguably the most important figure in Czech hockey, and undoubtedly one of the best players in his country’s history, Ivan Hlinka was a teenage hockey star, making his debut in the Czechoslovak league at the tender age of 16.

By 20 he was the captain of his Litvinov team and a member of the Czechoslovak national team, for whom he played 256 games with, scoring 132 goals. Hlinka won IIHF World Championship gold medals in 1972, 1976 and 1977, and was runner-up at the inaugural Canada Cup tournament in 1976, where he was named Top Forward. He also won a pair of Olympic medals, in 1972 (bronze) and 1976 (silver). Hlinka was captain of the national team from 1977-80

In his Czechoslovak league career he scored 347 goals in 544 games, and was named the league’s top player for the 1977-78 season. Following the 1980-81 season, Hlinka and fellow Czech Jiri Bubla joined the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, where, in 1982, the pair became the first Czech players to play in a Stanley Cup Final, losing in four straight to the New York Islanders. They also became the first Czech citizens to play in the NHL with the permission of the Czech authorities. To this day Hlinka co-holds the Canucks’ franchise record for points in a season by a rookie, with 60.

After two seasons in the NHL, Hlinka returned to Europe to finish his playing career, retiring following the 1984-85 season with EV Zug in Switzerland.

With his playing days over, Hlinka returned to Litvinov as head coach, where he actually made an on-ice comeback during the 1986-87 season with his team languishing at the bottom on the Czechoslovak league standings. He played 19 games and racked up 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists), impressive numbers for a 37-year-old who hadn’t played competitively in almost two years.

In the early 1990s Hlinka joined the Czechoslovak, and later Czech, national team as head coach, leading them to a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics, and bronze at the 1992 and 1993 IIHF World Championships.

After a three-year hiatus in the mid-90s, Hlinka returned to the national team in 1997 and became a national hero by leading the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first involving NHL players. He cemented his reputation in 1999 when his team took home gold from the 1999 IIHF World Championship.

After spending a year-and-a-half in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, leading them to a surprising berth in the Eastern Conference Final in 2001, Hlinka returned to the Czech Republic to spend one year as general manager of the national team and one as head coach of Avangard Omsk of the Russian Superleague. He was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2002.

Tragically, Hlinka died in a car accident on August 16, 2004 near Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic at the age of 54 when his car collided with a truck driving on the wrong side of the road.

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