Five hockey players from across Northern BC will head to Whistler for the final tryout camp ahead of the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
On the boy’s side, Cameron Schmidt and Chase Harrington of Prince George are among 15 forwards vying for 12 spots at the U-16 training, which runs from December 16-18.
In addition, Cariboo Cougars U-17 netminder and local product Ryder Green are one of three goalies selected.
Schmidt was taken 7th overall by the Vancouver Giants in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, one spot ahead of Harrington, who was chosen by the Spokane Chiefs.
So far this year at the Kelowna-based Rink Academy, Schmidt has eight goals two assists, and 10 points in just six games on the U-18 prep team.
Harrington is torching the Canadian Sport School League at the Delta Academy’s U-18 prep team.
In eight games he’s tallied 15 points. The 15-year-old played his first WHL contest with Spokane on October 22nd against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Green, on the other hand, has a 5-0-1-0 record with Cariboo and has a 2.90 goals-against average.
He was selected in the eighth round (158th overall) in this year’s WHL Prospects draft by the Brandon Wheat Kings.
On the women’s side, two former Northern Capitals are attending the U-18 girl’s camp for Team BC.
Hailey Armstrong of the Rink Academy in Kelowna and the Maria Ayre of the Northern Alberta Xtreme have been invited.
Armstrong, who hails from Dawson Creek, has seven goals and five assists at Rink while Ayre, a Fort St. John product, has 15 points in 18 games and is on the same team as ex-Caps blueliner Kasey Ditner.
Both Ayre and Armstrong played on a line with graduated forward Brooklyn Hutchings with the Caps last season.
Armstrong also scored the overtime winner for Team BC at the 2021 Western Regional U18 championships in Manitoba.
She along with Hutchings and fellow Northern Capitals grad Keagan Goulet all received gold medals.
Armstrong had 47 points in 28 games last season with the Caps while Ayre tallied 28 points in 32 games.
The men’s hockey tournament is scheduled for the first week of the Games, February. 18-25.
The female tourney is slated for Feb. 27- March 5.
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