This summer stage of the process is strangely vague for Joe Hicketts of the Victoria Royals, even after winning gold with sa国际传媒 at the 2015 world junior hockey championship.
Hicketts was named to the 40-player summer camp 鈥� three goalies, 13 blue-liners, 24 forwards 鈥� announced Tuesday by Hockey sa国际传媒 for the 2016 world junior championship to take place over Christmas and the New Year in Helsinki, Finland. The camp will include two games against Russia on Aug. 3 and 5 and two against the Czech Republic on Aug. 4 and 6.
Hicketts wasn鈥檛 on last summer鈥檚 list of invitees. Everybody knows how that eventually turned out 鈥� with a gold medal around the mobile Royal defenceman鈥檚 neck on a January night in Toronto.
鈥淭his is a new part for me this year,鈥� said Hicketts, with a wry chuckle.
Yet, there he will be at sa国际传媒 Olympic Park in Calgary from Aug. 1-6 as a bit of a luminary as a returnee from the defending gold-medallist Canadian squad.
鈥淚 have the potential for more of a leadership role,鈥� said Hicketts, by phone from his hometown Kamloops.
The 2016 Canadian junior team will be coached by Dave Lowry of the Royals, assistant national team coach at the 2015 world juniors.
As a veteran, despite missing this portion of the parade last year, Hicketts knows a thing or two about the international game. He was asked what he would tell the national-camp first-timers.
鈥淭hey need to know it鈥檚 a fast pace that is going to take them out of their comfort zone,鈥� said Hicketts.
鈥淭he sooner you acclimatize yourself to that, the better.鈥�
The payoff can be worth it. That was attested by the throng that came out to see Hicketts鈥� and Lowry鈥檚 2015 gold medals upon their return to Victoria.
鈥淚t was the kind of support I will never forget,鈥� said Hicketts, who was undrafted, but subsequently signed by the Detroit Red Wings.
鈥淭he lineup stretched all the way from the lobby [of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre] back to the team store. We thought, 鈥楤oy it鈥檚 going to be a long night, and that鈥檚 great.鈥� 鈥�
Meanwhile, incoming rookie Royals blue-liner Scott Walford is one of 36 defencemen invited to the Canadian selection camp July 29 to Aug. 4 in Calgary for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge to take place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7.
Josh Anderson from Duncan, a six-foot-three blue-liner for the Prince George Cougars, is among 43 invitees 鈥� 15 of them defencemen 鈥� to the Canadian U-18 camp July 31-Aug. 4 in Calgary. A roster of 22 will be selected for the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup from Aug. 10-15 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
鈥� The Royals, meanwhile, announced their seven-game WHL pre-season schedule. The lone home date is a matinee against the Vancouver Giants on Sept. 13. The exhibition campaign begins with a tournament in Everett from Sept. 4-6 in which Victoria will play the Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans. The other pre-season dates are Sept. 12 in Ladner against the Giants, Sept. 18 in Seattle and Sept. 19 in Everett.
鈥淲e have a condensed amount of time to make a lot of evaluations,鈥� noted Royals GM Cam Hope.
It was previously announced Victoria opens the regular-season at home Sept. 25 against the Portland Winterhawks. The rest of the 2015-16 WHL regular-season will be unveiled today.
