Hockey Canada has officially announced the rosters for Team Canada East and West ahead of the upcoming World Junior A Challenge. From Dec. 10-17, the top 44 junior A players in Canada will play for their country on home soil in Truro, Nova Scotia.
Among local talent on Team Canada West includes Blackfalds Bulldogs forwards Layne Loomer and Alex Dimitriadis. Loomer is 16th in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with 33 points in 25 games and Dimitriadis is close behind with 27 points.
Team Canada West selected players from the CJHL’s four western teams including SJHL, MJHL, AJHL, and the SIJHL. They’ll be led by head coach Scott Barney, who is with the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL, followed by assistant coaches Alex Mandolidis and Kelvin Cech as well as video coach Bryan Arneson and director of operations Nigel Dube.
“Our staff has done a great job of identifying the top players in Western Canada,” said Canada West head coach Scott Barney in a media release. “We are excited to get to Nova Scotia and compete against the world. This is an amazing opportunity for these young men and something we as a staff want to reiterate every day. It is not every day you get to wear the maple leaf so take advantage of it, enjoy it, and play the game that got you here.”