Boys of Team Canada North
It has been said. It has been written. That is, hockey season never really ends. And it is true. As an example, for several players from Northern Ontario in the 2011 birth year category, they are spending mid July in Vaughan, Ontario as part of the Sports Illustrated Hockey Prospects All Star Challenge.
One of the 10 teams in the 2011 birth year division features 17 players on ‘Team Canada Red’ who are all from northern Ontario. Another 2011 birth year squad is ‘Team Canada Pink’ with eight of the 17 players on its roster from Northern Ontario.
In all, in the 2011 birth year division alone there are 10 teams, seven of which are Canadian.
As for the ‘Team Canada Red’ roster and the 17 players from the north who were handpicked by coach Scott Cooper of the Nickel City Sons, they are two goalies, six defensemen and nine forwards.
Owen Whitehead of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds and Benson Renaud of the Timmins North Stars are the goalies. Defensemen are Daniel McNally of the Jr. Greyhounds, Marc Corson of Nickel City, Cameron Swartz of Timmins, Owen McLaren of the Huntsville Otters and Ethan Gaetano and Max Larche of the Copper Cliff Redmen. Forwards are Riely Deplonty and Tyler Diluzio of the Jr. Greyhounds, Koewan Cooper, Kaleb Pitre and Cameron Roy of Nickel City, Jackson Duclos, Hayden Horbul and Bailey Scott of Timmins and Rogan Boshold of Huntsville.
As for ‘Team Canada Pink’, eight of the players are from the north with the others scattered from the other regions of Ontario.
Those from the north are defensemen Rylan Gillson and Cohen Kellar of the Jr. Greyhounds, defenseman Josh Nowe from the Kenora Thistles and forwards that include Charlie Corcoran, Hayden Doan and Ashlyn Rickard from the Jr. Greyhounds and Tyler Boivin and Connor Wainio of Nickel City.
Then there is forward Luke Sibenik from the ‘A’ level Reyco Predators of the Sault Major Hockey Association. Sibenik was invited to play for the ‘Team Canada Purple’ squad which is predominantly made up of players from Windsor, Hamilton, Brantford, Mississauga and Ottawa.
Besides the 2011 division, the massive prospects tournament includes a multitude of teams and players in the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013 classification.
