Forward Ollie Josephson of Victoria was first selected to step into a sa国际传媒 jersey at the U-17 level but injuries prevented that. The Islander will get to make up for the lost time in sa国际传媒 colours at the 2023 U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup from July 31 to Aug. 5 in Trencin, Slovakia and Breclav, Czechia.
sa国际传媒 will be looking to defend its title from the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a team that included former Victoria Grizzlies forward Matthew Wood from Nanaimo, who was selected 15th overall by the Nashville Predators in this month’s NHL draft.
“I’m very excited and it’s cool to get recognized. It’s a huge honour to get to wear the Canadian jersey, especially after being hurt for my first chance in U-17, and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Josephson.
“I’m not concerned about my role. The main goal is to win gold,” added the graduate of the Spectrum Secondary hockey academy, South Island Royals and the Langford-based Pacific Coast Hockey Academy Sea Devils program.
Josephson, who was also a standout in lacrosse with the Juan de Fuca Whalers, has had representative experience at the provincial level with the gold-medallist Team sa国际传媒 at the U-16 WHL Cup in 2021.
“Some of those sa国际传媒 teammates have also been named to the Canadian U-18 team for the Hlinka Gretzky, so it’s like coming full circle,” said Josephson.
Josephson was the fifth overall selection in the first round of the 2021 Western Hockey League prospects draft and completed his rookie season with the Red Deer Rebels with five goals and 19 points in 63 regular-season games and two goals in 12 playoff games.
“I loved my first year in Red Deer and learned a lot,” said Josephson, who will play the Victoria Royals on Nov. 7 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The main thing learned is how much more there is to learn. Often, it isn’t about shots and passes: “The mental aspect and not getting down on myself has been important.”
There is always another shift quickly awaiting in hockey.
Dad Mike Josephson, an Oak Bay firefighter, played as a 15-year-old in the BCHL with the Merritt Centennials before five WHL seasons with the Kamloops Blazers and Lethbridge Hurricanes, winning the league championship with the ’Canes in 1996-97 and going to the Memorial Cup championship game. He is well remembered by local fans as a quicksilver pro forward with the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL.
“My dad told me to work as hard as I can and to make the most of my junior days, and not take them for granted, because they go by so fast,” said the younger Josephson.
Josephson is among eight WHL players named to the Canadian U-18 team. It isn’t lost on any of them that former players who have gone through the U-18 Canadian team in the tournament include the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Mathew Barzal, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Jonathan Huberdeau and Darnell Nurse.
Josephson isn’t too concerned at the moment about the pressure of heading into his draft season: “This year’s NHL draft just ended. Next year’s is a long way away yet. I’m not even looking at that right now. I just concentrate on going day-to-day.”
The Canadian team will practice at the Ice Palace in Budapest from July 23-27 and will play Hungary’s U-20 team on July 27. The other pre-Cup game will be against Czechia on July 29 in Breclav. sa国际传媒 will open the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on July 31 at 6:30 a.m. PT. Other group games will be against Slovakia and Switzerland. TSN and RDS will broadcast the sa国际传媒 games and select elimination and medal games.
sa国际传媒 has won 23 gold medals, three silvers and one bronze in the 31 years of summer U-18 international hockey.
