Hockey Canada has released it’s summer selection roster for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, and a Kootenay Ice player and Cranbrook product have been invited.
Ice forward Collin Shirley got the nod, while Cranbrook stopper Payton Lee, who plays for the Vancouver Giants, will join four other goaltenders to vie for the starting job.
“These players are the cream of the crop of under-18 talent in Canada, and it’s going to be exciting to see them battle for 22 roster spots,” said Jankowski, the newly named head scout for Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. “As it is every year, there were some tough decisions to get down to 42, and they will be even tougher decisions to finalize the roster.”
Shirley is coming off his first season in the WHL that saw him put up nine goals and 23 points and was second to Luke Philp in rookie scoring.
He managed to establish himself as a top-six forward and found himself regularly playing with Sam Reinhart and Jaedon Descheneau on the front line.
Payton Lee is billed as the future for the Vancouver Giants, working his way into starting duties as a 16-year-old after getting released at the beginning of the season.
Lee appeared in 36 games and posted a 3.51 goals against average and a save percentage of 0.879.
Both Shirley and Lee have some international experience under their belts, as they competed in the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Ontario over the Christmas break.
The camp includes 42 players, with 15 from the WHL, 15 from the OHL and 9 from the QMJHL, while a few others don’t play in the CHL.
The final roster will be made up of 22 players.