CALGARY, Alta. – Team Canada East has selected its final roster ahead of the 2019 World Junior A Challenge, and 22 players are set to wear the Maple Leaf in Dawson Creek, B.C., Dec. 7-15.
The players were selected from the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s five eastern leagues – the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL).
The roster was selected by Team Canada East staff, led by head coach Martin Dagenais (Embrun, Ont./Ottawa, CCHL) and director of operations Mark Grady (Orleans, Ont.).
“There are bound to be difficult decisions any time you have the opportunity to select players from five Junior A leagues, but we know our staff and 22 players are excited for the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Junior A Challenge,” said Grady. “We believe we have assembled a strong team that will prove to be competitive at the tournament, and we look forward to competing for a gold medal in Dawson Creek.”
One player (Ryland Mosley) will return to the Team Canada East line-up after participating in the 2018 World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta.
Team Canada East will kick off the tournament against Russia on Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. MT when the World Junior A Challenge heads to Dawson Creek for the first time. A variety of ticket packages, including two- and four-game packages, are available for purchase starting as low as $40 plus fees at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets or at the Tiger Box Office Plus at the Encana Events Centre.
Of the 13 gold medal games at the World Junior A Challenge, 10 have featured at least one Canadian team. Team Canada East will look to earn its first gold medal, having won silver five times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016) and bronze once (2008).
For more information on the 2019 World Junior A Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook or Twitter.