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Hockey development camp open to the public

Stars of the future will be at Meadow Park for five-day camp

Expect a visit from the cream of Canadian junior hockey crop next week. Team Canada’s National Development camp is hitting the ice at Meadow Park Sports Centre in preparation for the World Junior Championships in December.

The camp, running from August 10-14, will include numerous practice sessions and intrasquad games, all of which are open to the public and free of charge.

Forty-four players will be in attendance, competing for one of the 22 final roster spots. The camp should be highly competitive judging by the kind of talent that will be present. As an example of how deep the talent pool runs, eleven of this year’s thirty first-round picks are attending the camp and another seven players are first rounders from the 2004 entry draft.

There are only two players returning from last year’s gold medal winning team, Cam Barker and Sidney Crosby. Barker played for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL last season and is Chicago Blackhawks property, having been drafted in the 2004 entry draft third overall. The talented defenseman played only a few games in Team Canada jersey last year after coming down with Mononucleosis. However, this year should provide him with the opportunity to lead what will be a young defensive corps, into the charge.

Crosby was recently drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins among the fanfare that heralded the end to the NHL lockout. The Penguins won the right to draft Crosby in a weighted lottery that saw all 30 teams with the opportunity to draft the player considered the best junior prospect since Eric Lindros. The five-foot-ten 190 pound centrewill certainly take a crack at the Penguins roster in the fall, so it remains to be seen if he will be present to represent Canada in Vancouver.

Vancouver Canucks first round pick, Luc Bourdon, will also be in attendance. Bourdon, a Shippagan, New Brunswick native, impressed the Canucks with his physical play, smooth skating, and ability to put the puck in the net. At six-foot-two and 200 pounds, he should have a good chance at landing a final roster spot, but will face a strong defensive field including notables such as Michael Funk, Marc Staal, Ryan Parent, Brendan Mikkelson and Mark Fistric.

Fistric and Gilbert Brule will be representing the Vancouver Giants at the camp this year. Fistric spent most of last season off the ice with two broken jaws. However, the big six-foot-three, 225 pound defenseman, who was drafted in the first round by the Dallas Stars in the 2004 entry draft, should also have a shot at the final roster for his physical play.

Brule, the WHL and CHL scholastic player of the year award recipient, was recently drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The hometown Vancouver boy has the folks in Ohio excited with his gritty, intense game and goal scoring ability. The feisty centre may be considered on the smallish side at five-foot-ten, but he hits like a much bigger player. If Columbus doesn’t put him on the ice in the fall, he should also be a good bet for the final roster in December.

Beniot Pouliot was among four or five players that were in a tight race to go second overall in the draft behind Crosby. Pouliot was drafted fourth overall by the Minnesota Wild. This six-foot-three forward was almost off the scouting radar until a breakout season with the Sudbury Wolves won him the CHL Rookie of the Year Award and shot him to the top of the list of draftable prospects. Pouliot is a strong skater, tough to knock of the puck and he’s an excellent passer, Pouliot is also a good bet for a final roster spot, but his availability will depend on what the Wild intend to do with him. Pouliot said about the camp on NHL.com; "I've never had the chance to represent my country so I'll be sure to do my best at the camp. That would be another great honor."

Carey Price of the Tri-City Americans is one of four goaltenders at the camp. Considered by some to be a surprise pick by Montreal at fifth overall, he could be the front runner to backstop this Canadian team. At six-foot-three and 220 pounds Price blocks a lot net, but it is his athletic ability and quick reflexes that made him the highest picked goaltender in this year’s draft. The William’s Lake native said in an interview on the Western Hockey League’s website, WHL.ca, "I’ve been looking forward to (the camp) all summer, ever since I got the call." Asked about the possibility of building another gold medal-winning team Price said: "I think we’ll have a lot of power up front. I think we have a lot of skill and finesse in our offense, especially with the group of ’87-born players. Besides, it’s Team Canada, and we’re always in the hunt and expectations are always high, every year."

There will certainly be pressure on this young team from fans eager to see a gold medal repeat. Competition will be tight at the development camp and with a limited amount of time to impress coaching staff, so it is well worth the time to go and see a few practices.

Other players you may want to keep your eyes open for if you stop by the rink:

Ryan Parent is a smooth skating defenseman who was taken by Nashville in the first round. He has captained Team Canada’s Under-18 team twice and has won a gold and silver medal with those teams.

Kenndal McArdle, a Burnaby native who was picked by the Florida Panthers 20 overall in this year’s draft. A gritty, hardworking player and captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors, McArdle has got lots of heart to go with his talent.

Marc Staal was drafted by the New York Rangers, has excellent puck control and is a smart player. He logged a lot of minutes with his Sudbury Wolves team last season and is strong on the rush and rough on the boards. Also worth a look are Wolski Wojtek, Ryan O’Marra, Brendan Mikkelson, Guillaume Latendresse, Kris Chucko, Alex Bourret, Dan Bertram, Dustin Kohn, Devin Dubnyk, and Kyle Chipchura,.

The development camp players will also be attending Team Canada Day at GM Place in Vancouver Aug. 15. The event also features the men’s Olympic team development camp participants, which includes NHL stars such as Ed Jovanovski, Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla, Martin Brodeur, and Mario Lemieux. Players from the two camps will play in separate games, giving Vancouver fans a chance to see both the present and future of Canadian hockey in one place.

Tickets to the Vancouver event are $20 for lower bowl seating and $15 for upper bowl seating, with the net proceeds of ticket sales going to the Canucks for Kids Fund in support of Canuck Place and the Hockey Canada Foundation.

Schedule for Whistler Development Camp

Wednesday, Aug. 10

18:00-19:00 Team Red Practice

19:15-20:15 Team White Practice

Thursday, Aug. 11

9:00-10:30 Team White Practice

10:45-12:15 Team Red Practice

14:15-15:30 Team White Practice

15:45-17:00 Team Red Practice

Friday, Aug. 12

9:00-10:30 Team Red Practice

10:45-12:15 Team White Practice

17:20 Warm Up

18:00-20:30 Intrasquad Game #1

Saturday, Aug. 13

9:00-10:30 Team White Practice

10:45-12:15 Team Red Practice

17:20 Warm Up

18:00-20:30 Intrasquad Game #2

Sunday, Aug. 14

9:30-11:00 Team Red Practice

11:45-13:15 Team White Practice