“The discussions will allow participants to grow as high-performance athletes and leverage the strengths and experiences of the leadership of the Program of Excellence.”
Two of the battalion’s well-known stars attended a recent U20 Hockey Canada Summer Gathering.
Dom DiVincentiis and Ty Nelson were among the hopefuls looking to secure a place on Team Canada’s World Junior Team, which will be traveling to the event in Gothenburg, Sweden over the Christmas break. DiVincentiis was signed by the Winnipeg Jets in July after being selected in the 7th round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, while Nelson was picked up by the Seattle Kraken in the third round and signed to the newest NHL franchise in May 2023.
45 in total under 20 players from across Canada were selected to participate. Players were involved in virtual meetings that covered a variety of topics, including Program of Excellence training, sports safety presentations, near-term preparation for international competitions, and meetings with the Hockey Canada management group.
“The discussions will allow attendees to continue to develop as high-level athletes and to leverage the strengths and experiences of the leadership of the Program of Excellence,” the Hockey Canada press release said.
Players will continue to be evaluated at the start of the 2023–24 season before Canada’s rosters are named for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The last North Bay Battalion star to play for Team Canada and win gold was Nick Paul in 2015.
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