Three Islanders prospects invited to Team Canader Under-17 World Hockey Challenge development camp

Three Charlottetown Islanders prospects have been invited to Team Canada's development camp for the upcoming 2014 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.

The development camp runs from July 20 to Aug. 4 at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alta.

All three players selected from the Islanders, were chosen in the recent 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Mitchell Balmas, Samuel Guilbault and Ryan Brushett  are among the 96 total skaters invited.

The roster includes 36 defencemen and 60 forwards.

The players invited to camp were selected by Ryan Jankowski, Hockey Canada's head scout of men's national teams, together with regional scouts Donald Audette (Quebec), Brad McEwen (West), Kevin Mitchell (Atlantic) and Darryl Woodley (Ontario) with input from Hockey Canada regional branch representatives. Players were evaluated throughout the season with their club teams, and at three regional under-16 events: the Western Canada U16 Challenge, OHL Gold Cup and QMJHL Excellence Challenge.

Balmas, 16, was selected seventh overall by the Islanders in the 2014 Draft just a week ago. The Sydney, N.S. native spent last season with the Cape Breton Tradesmen (5-26-0-3) of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League, scoring 19 goals and 47 points in 29 games.

Guilbault, 16, was Charlottetown's second round, 24th overall selection. He last played with College Antoine-Girouard Gaulois of the QMAAA. In 42 games, the Varennes, Que. native scored 14 goals for 35 points.

Brushett, 15, was selected in the sixth round, 97th overall by the Islanders. The Verdun, Que. native played for the Lac St-Louis Lions of the QMAAA scoring 14 goals and 29 points in 42 games.

The development camp will serve as part of Canada’s new under-17 structure, focusing on player development. Scouts will continue to watch these players, along with other 1998-born players across the country, and 66 will be selected to represent Canada at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 in a yet-to-be-determined location. The tournament will be the first to feature three Canadian national teams (Black, Red and White). From 1986 to 2014, Canada was represented by five regional teams: Atlantic, Ontario, Pacific, Quebec and West.

“At Hockey Canada, we are very excited about the possibilities that lie ahead within our national teams with the changes we have instituted at the under-17 level,” said Scott Salmond, senior director, hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “It is our intention to identify potential national team players at an earlier age and have them play together more often.”

Canada’s national under-17 development camp roster, by branch:
B.C. Hockey – 8
Hockey Alberta – 13
Saskatchewan Hockey Association – 2
Hockey Manitoba – 5
Ontario Hockey Federation – 32
Hockey Eastern Ontario – 4
Hockey Quebec – 24
Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador – 2
Hockey Nova Scotia – 6

The 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will bring together the top players in the world born in 1998 or later. The under-17 program is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. Many players who compete at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge go on to represent Canada with the National Men’s Under-18 Team, National Junior Team and National Men’s Team.

Since the first under-17 tournament (then known as the Quebec Esso Cup) in 1986, more than 1,300 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 10 of the last 13 first-overall selections (Ilya Kovalchuk, 2001; Rick Nash, 2002; Marc-André Fleury, 2003; Alexander Ovechkin, 2004; Erik Johnson, 2006; Patrick Kane, 2007; John Tavares, 2009; Taylor Hall, 2010; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; Nathan MacKinnon, 2013).