Image Credit: Penticton Vees
December 10, 2014 - 2:02 PM
PENTICTON –The Penticton Vees Jr. ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce four players have been named to the Team Canada West roster for upcoming World Junior ‘A’ Challenge (WJAC). Defensemen, Gabe Bast (96) and Dante Fabbro (98), along with forwards, Demico Hannoun (95) and Tyson Jost (98), will wear the maple leaf for Canada West.
President, General Manager and Head Coach Fred Harbinson “Going into the camp, all five, including Miles Gendron who didn’t make the final roster, had been playing extremely well. Losing four is a difficult situation for our team in the meantime, but we understand it’s a great opportunity for them. In saying that, when players return from the tournament, they usually come back even better players then they were to start.”
Rookie blue-liner, Gabe Bast, is making his international hockey debut at the WJAC. The Red Deer, Alberta native is the seventh highest scoring defenseman in the BCHL with three goals and 22 points in 30 games; he’s tied for the team lead in assists.
Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro are the two youngest players to make Team Canada West and the first 16-year-olds to crack the roster since St. Louis Blues forward Jayden Schwartz did in 2008. Jost and Fabbro have already worn the Hockey Canada jersey this season as they played at the 2014 World Under 17 Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario in November. Jost is fifth in team scoring with 11 goals and 25 points in 24 games. Fabbro has 18 points in 22 games and is tied for the fourth most assists on the Vees.
Demico Hannoun is one of five returning players from last year’s bronze medal winning Canada West squad in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Hannoun is second in team scoring with 16 goals and 28 points in 30 games; Hannoun leads the Vees in power-play goals with nine.
With the four Vees selected to this year’s Canada West team, the Vees have had 23 players play for Canada West since the inception of the tournament in 2006. Including Team USA representation, the Vees have had 26 players play at the event.
Canada West is in Group B with Russia and newcomers Denmark. The 2014 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge runs December 14th-20th in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. All preliminary round games, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the bronze medal game can be viewed on www.Fasthockey.com free of charge. The gold medal game will be broadcasted on TSN.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014