McDonald invited to Hockey Canada Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp

Mason McDonald

 Charlottetown Islanders goalie Mason McDonald was invited to the ninth annual Hockey Canada Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp on Monday.

McDonald is among six goaltenders invited to the camp from the QMJHL. In total, 34 goaltenders were invited from across the CHL.

The camp takes place at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alta. from June 11-14.

Ten goaltenders in the under-20 age category (candidates for Canada’s National Junior Team), eight in the under-18 category (candidates for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team) and 16 under-17 goaltenders (candidates for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge) will get the opportunity to work with a number of instructors during the four-day camp. 

McDonald, 18, was a key acquisition by the Islanders during the Christmas trade period last season. The Halifax, N.S. native was acquired from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and posted a 5-10 record in 16 games with the Islanders with a 3.35 goals against average and a 0.907 save percentage. He is the No. 2 ranked North American goaltender for the upcoming 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia, Penn.

Joining McDonald from the QMJHL are Philippe Desrosier (Rimouski Oceanic), Zachary Fucale (Halifax Mooseheads),  Julio Billia (Chicoutimi Sagueneens) and Olivier Tremblay (Rimouski Oceanic).

“There is tremendous goaltending talent in Canada, and we’re excited to bring Canada’s best young netminders to Calgary to work with some of the top instructors in the game,” said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s senior director of hockey operations/national teams. “This camp is a fantastic opportunity for these goaltenders to prepare for international competition.”

The camp will include both on-ice and off-ice sessions for all three groups. The U18 and U20 netminders will be led by Fred Brathwaite (Hockey Canada) and Sean Burke (Hockey Canada), along with instructors Lyle Mast (Tri-City, WHL), Eric Raymond (Halifax, QMJHL), Michael Rioux (Rimouski, QMJHL), Dustin Schwartz (Edmonton, WHL) and Jimmy Waite (Chicoutimi, QMJHL).

Five members of the Hockey Canada goaltending advisory board will also work with the U18 and U20 groups: Corey Hirsch (Hockey Canada), Bill Ranford (Los Angeles, NHL), Brady Robinson (Victoria, WHL), Dwayne Roloson (Anaheim, NHL) and Rick Wamsley (Ottawa, NHL).

David Marcoux (Hockey Canada) will lead the U17 program on the ice, with assistance from coaches Ian Gordon (Seattle, WHL), and Andrew Verner (Peterborough, OHL).

Hockey Canada will also host 11 goaltending coaches nominated by their respective branches to take part in the on-ice and off-ice programming with the U17 goaltenders. In addition to the U17 camp activities, the 11 instructors will also be participating in a seminar aimed at providing them with the resources to deliver similar Program of Excellence goaltending camps at the branch level.

The camp will be open to the public, free of charge.