CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced on Sunday the 22 players that will comprise Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship set for April 13-23 in Minsk and Bobruisk, Belarus.

The roster is comprised of players born in 1992 or earlier whose teams are no longer competing in the CHL playoffs with their respective club teams. Many of Canada’s players named today will be among the top selections at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, Calif. in June.

Seven of the 22 players announced to the Team Canada roster are from the Western Hockey League. In the past five IIHF World Under-18 Men's Hockey Championship, 36 WHL players have helped Team Canada capture three Gold medals.

Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team Roster (WHL players in bold)

Canada’s coaching staff – head coach Guy Carbonneau and assistant coaches George Burnett and Rob Sumner – collaborated with Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s Senior Director of Men’s National Teams, Shawn Bullock, Hockey Canada’s Manager of Manager of Men’s National Teams and Al Murray, Hockey Canada’s head scout for men’s national teams, to finalize the roster. Murray has been traveling across Canada evaluating and ranking players as part of his duties.

“As a coaching staff we are looking forward to getting together with the players we have chosen and working towards our goal of a gold medal for Canada,” said Carbonneau. “A number of these players have previous international experience, and that will prove invaluable in Belarus.” 

Canada’s roster includes 13 players from the Ontario Hockey League, seven (7) players from the Western Hockey League and two (2) players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  Eleven (11) players helped Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team capture the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in August 2009 in the Czech Republic, and three (3) (Connolly, Gudbranson, McFarland) represented Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship as underage players.

Canada’s roster also includes 19 players who took part in the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C., including 10 members of the gold medal-winning team from Ontario, and one player (Murray) who competed at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Timmins, Ont.

Canada is a two-time champion at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, earning gold in 2003 and 2008. It finished fourth at the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn.

The team will convene in Toronto, Ont. on Monday, April 5, before flying to Europe on April 6. There will not be any on-ice sessions prior to arriving in Europe.  Prior to the World Championship, Canada will play one exhibition game on April 9, vs.  Finland in Minsk, Belarus at 5 p.m. (Local time)/ 10 a.m. (Eastern).

The 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championship opens for Canada on April 13 in Bobruisk when it takes on Switzerland. The Canadians will also face Belarus, Sweden and the United States in the preliminary round.

TSN/RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will broadcast Canada’s final preliminary round game against Sweden on Sunday, April 18, as well as a quarter-final on Tuesday, April 20, a semifinal on Wednesday, April 21 and the gold medal game on Friday, April 23. The bronze medal game on April 23 will also be broadcast if Canada plays for bronze. Check your local listings for game times in your area.

For more information on Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team and the 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, visit www.hockeycanada.ca.

Cranbrook, BC – The Kootenay ICE Hockey Club announced today that Forward Kevin King has been named the Domino’s Pizza Top Playoff Performer for the 2010 WHL Playoffs.

Despite the series loss to Medicine Hat Kevin’s play throughout the six games was consistent.  He was a physical force at both ends of the ice and was strong offensively by scoring four goals and three assists.

The ICE would like to thank Domino’s Pizza for their sponsorship of the Top Playoff Performer Award.

ICE CHIPS:  The KOOTENAY ICE finished the EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINAL presented by KAL TIRE and HUSKY / MOHAWK , against the MEDICINE HAT TIGERS with a 2-4-0 record (2-1-0 at home, 0-3-0 on the road and 0-0 in overtime)…KOOTENAY finished the 2009-2010 regular season with a 43-24-3-2 record (21-12-2-1 at home, 22-12-1-1 on the road, 4-3 in overtime, 5-2 in shootouts) and in fourth place in the EASTERN CONFERENCE and tied for eighth place overall in the WHL…It is the seventh time in franchise history and fifth in the last six years that the ICE have recorded at least 40 wins in a season…KOOTENAY finished the 2009-2010 regular season with an above .500 record for the 11^th consecutive season, which is the longest active streak in the WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE…The ICE clinched a playoff spot for the 12^th consecutive year.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE:  The ICE have a career playoff record of 69-56 (38-24 at home, 31-32 on the road, 18-10 in overtime)…KOOTENAY has 264 games of playoff experience which is the ninth most of the teams who qualified for the post season…RYAN MOLLE (31), DUSTIN SYLVESTER (29), KEVIN KING (27) and BRAYDEN MCNABB (20) lead the ICE in games played in the playoffs…HAYDEN RINTOUL recorded his first career WHL playoff goal on March 19^th against MEDICINE HAT…BROCK MONTGOMERY recorded his first goal in WHL playoffs against the TIGERS in Game One…JOEY LEACH recorded his first career WHL playoff goal on March 19^th against MEDICINE HAT…DREW CZERWONKA, who recorded his first WHL playoff point with an assist against the TIGERS in Game One, recorded his first playoff goal March 28^th against MEDICINE HAT…ELGIN PEARCE, who recorded his first career WHL playoff point with an assist on March 19^th against MEDICINE HAT, recorded his first goal in WHL playoffs against the TIGERS in Game Two…JESSE ISMOND recorded his first career WHL playoff point with an assist against MEDICINE HAT on March 20^th…TODD MATHEWS recorded his first career WHL playoff shutout in Game Two against the TIGERS (20 saves)…JAMES MARTIN recorded his first career WHL playoff point with a goal against MEDICINE HAT on March 23^rd.

DID YOU KNOW:  KOOTENAY was 3-3-0-0 against MEDICINE HAT in the regular season…DUSTIN SYLVESTER (4-5-9), MATT FRASER (3-4-7) and BRAYDEN MCNABB (1-6-7) led the ICE in scoring against MEDICINE HAT in the season series while TRISTAN KING (3-6-9), LINDEN VEY (3-4-7) and MARK ISHERWOOD (1-5-6) led the TIGERS…The ICE played in their 1000^th regular season game on February 23 against RED DEER…KOOTENAY  finished the regular season with a .500 or better road record for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons…DUSTIN SYLVESTER finished the regular season eighth in League scoring (35-58-93)…SYLVESTER scored his franchise record 15^th career shorthanded goal on March 3 in EDMONTON (previous record was 11 held by DUNCAN MILROY)…BRAYDEN MCNABB finished the regular season sixth in the WHL for points by a defenseman (17-40-57)…MATT FRASER, who recorded his 50^th career WHL goal on March 3 against the OIL KINGS, recorded his 100^th WHL career point on March 12^th against RED DEER…KEVIN KING recorded his 150^th WHL career point on March 13^th against EDMONTON.

ONE YEAR AGO:  After Game Three of the 2008-2009 Eastern Conference Quarter Final vs the BRANDON WHEAT KINGS the ICE were 0-3 and after Game Four were 0-4.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Tuesday, March 23 – Kootenay 1 @ Medicine Hat 4 – Record 2-1 – Attendance: 3,816

Goal:

1 – Martin (1) from King and McNabb

Goalie:  Todd Mathews (23 Saves, 4 GA)

Wednesday, March 24 – Kootenay 1 @ Medicine Hat 5 – Record 2-2 – Attendance: 3,966

Goal:

1 – Pacovsky (1) from Magnus

Goalies:  Todd Mathews (20 Saves, 5 GA), Nathan Lieuwen (6 Saves, 0 GA)

Friday, March 26 – Kootenay 2 vs Medicine Hat 5 – Record 2-3 – Attendance: 2,598

Goals:

1 – King (4) from Boomer and Martin

2 – Pacovsky (2) from Boomer and King

Goalies:  Todd Mathews (11 Saves, 3 GA), Nathan Lieuwen (7 Saves, 2 GA)

Sunday, March 28 – Kootenay 1 @ Medicine Hat 4 – Record 2-4 – Attendance: 4,006

Goal:

1 – Czerwonka (1) from Rintoul and Molle

Goalie:  Nathan Lieuwen (20 Saves, 4 GA)