70 WHL Players Get Call For International Duty

Created: Dec 10, 2008

Calgary, AB – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce that 70 WHL players will have the opportunity to represent their respective countries in international competition in December and January.

A total of 42 WHL players have already been named to national teams destined for international competition at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship or for the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

In addition, 28 WHL players have been invited to national team selection camps for World Junior Championship play.

31 WHL players will take part in the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Vancouver Island, B.C., from December 29, 2008 to January 4, 2009. Team West, consisting of players from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, will be represented by 10 WHL players. Team Pacific, which includes Alberta and B.C.-born players, features a whopping 21 WHL players.

Five WHL players have been selected to Team USA for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa, ON, from December 26, 2008 to January 5, 2009.

A total of 18 WHL players will attend the selection camp for Canada’s World Junior entry. Hockey Canada’s National Junior team selection camp begins on Thursday in Ottawa, ON, and runs through December 15th.

Six other WHL players have also been named to their respective national team rosters for competition at the Under-20 level, while 10 others have been chosen to attend selection camps for their respective nations’ World Junior entry.

Here are all the WHL players, by team, who have been already named to or are trying out for national teams (* Indicates Selection Camp):

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS
-Keith Aulie, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Matt Calvert, LW (Canada, WJC)*
-Brayden Schenn, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Mark Stone, D (Team Pacific, U-17)

CALGARY HITMEN
-Austin Madaisky, D (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Bostjan Golicic, LW (Slovenia, WJC Div. 1)
-Brett Sonne, C (Canada, WJC)*

CHILLIWACK BRUINS
-Carter Berg, D (Team Western, U-17)
-Kevin Sundher, C (Team Pacific, U-17)

EDMONTON OIL KINGS
-Mark Pysyk, D (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Tomas Vincour, RW (Czech Republic, WJC)*

EVERETT SILVERTIPS
-Kent Simpson, G (Team Pacific, U-17)

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
-Michal Siska, D (Slovakia, WJC)*
-Brendan Ranford, LW (Team Pacific, U-17)

KELOWNA ROCKETS
-Jamie Benn, LW (Canada, WJC)*
-Tyler Myers, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Stepan Novotny, RW (Czech Republic, WJC)*

KOOTENAY ICE
-Drew Czerwonka, LW (Team Western, U-17)
-Max Reinhart, C (Team Pacific, U-17)

LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES
-Zach Boychuk, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Juha Metsola, G (Finland, WJC)
-Alex Theriau, D (Team Pacific, U-17)

MEDICINE HAT TIGERS
-Tyler Ennis, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Tomas Kundratek, D (Czech Republic, WJC)*
-Zdenek Okal, LW (Czech Republic, WJC)*

MOOSE JAW WARRIORS
-Connor Cox, D (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Travis Hamonic, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Quinton Howden, LW (Team Western, U-17)
-Tomas Karpov, C (Czech Republic, WJC)*
-Nathan MacMaster, LW (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Dylan McIlrath, D (Team Western, U-17)

PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS
-Keith Hamilton, G (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Brad Ross, LW (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Troy Rutkowski, D (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Radim Valchar, LW (Czech Republic, WJC)*

PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS
-Ryan Harrison, C (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Igor Revenko, RW (Belarus, WJC Div. 1)

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS
-Brett Connolly, LW (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Dana Tyrell, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Marek Viedensky, C (Slovakia, WJC)*

RED DEER REBELS
-Tommi Kivisto, D (Finland, WJC)
-Alex Petrovic, D (Team Pacific, U-17)

REGINA PATS
-Rudolph Cerveny, LW (Czech Republic, WJC)*
-Jordan Eberle, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Dominick Favreau, RW (Team Western, U-17)
-Colten Teubert, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Jordan Weal, C (Team Pacific, U-17)

SASKATOON BLADES
-Charles Inglis, C (Team Western, U-17)
-Milan Kytnar, C (Slovakia, WJC)*
-Josh Nicholls, C (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Jyri Niemi, D (Finland, WJC)

SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS
-Thomas Hickey, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Chance Lund, LW (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Jim O’Brien, C (United States, WJC)
-Calvin Pickard, G (Team Western, U-17)

SPOKANE CHIEFS
-Drayson Bowman, LW (United States, WJC)
-Blake Gal, C (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Tyler Johnson, C (United States, WJC)
-Jared Spurgeon, D (Canada, WJC)*
-Dustin Tokarski, G (Canada, WJC)*
-Stefan Ulmer, D (Austria, WJC Div. 1)
-Mitch Wahl, C (United States, WJC)

SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS
-Christian Magnus, RW (Team Western, U-17)

TRI-CITY AMERICANS
-Justin Feser, LW (Team Western, U-17)
-Brooks Macek, C (Team Western, U-17)
-Chet Pickard, G (Canada, WJC)*

VANCOUVER GIANTS
-Jonathon Blum, D (United States, WJC)
-Brendan Gallagher, RW (Team Pacific, U-17)
-Evander Kane, C (Canada, WJC)*
-Tyson Sexsmith, G (Canada, WJC)*

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