CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 21 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the International Para Hockey Cup, Sept. 24-30 in Ostrava, Czechia.
Three goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards, were selected by head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, Ont./York University, OUA), Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C.), senior manager of hockey operations, and Marshall Starkman (Thornhill, Ont.) , manager of hockey operations. Assistant coach Mike Foligno (Sudbury, Ont.) and goaltending coach Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, Ont.) also provided input.
“We are excited to kick off a new season at the International Para Hockey Cup with a group of 21 players that includes returnees from our Paralympic team and those who will represent Canada for the first time,” Herrington said. “This event will serve as an opportunity to measure ourselves against international competition in the first year of a new Paralympic quadrennial, and we look forward to competing against three great teams in Czechia later this month.”
The roster features nine players who won a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China (Armstrong, Crane, Dunn, Henry, Hickey, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Lavin, McGregor) and 12 who won silver at the 2021 IPC World Para Hockey Championship in Ostrava (Armstrong, Cozzolino, Crane, Dunn, Halbert, Henry, Hickey, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Lavin, McGregor, Smith).
Roster trimmed following selection camp in Calgary
Hockey Canada has also trimmed the 2022-23 season roster for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team to 24 players following a six-day selection camp.
The roster, which currently includes three goaltenders, seven defensemen and 14 forwards, will continue to participate in training camps throughout the season. Select players will be chosen to represent Canada in international competition, including the International Para Hockey Cup, the 2022 Para Hockey Cup, Nov. 27-Dec. 3 in Bridgewater, N.S., and the 2023 IPC World Para Hockey Championship.
“We are excited about the depth of talent that will continue on with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team throughout the season as we look ahead to a number of camps and major international events,” Starkman said. “We know this group combines veteran leadership and young talent, and they will continue to push each other at training camps in order to prepare for opportunities to represent Canada on the international stage.”
Canada’s National Para Hockey Team trimmed its roster from the 30 players who participated in selection camp, Sept. 3-8 at the WinSport Event Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.