Team Atlantic Named for Under-17 Challenge
Nathan MacKinnon will be big a big part of a Christmas time tournament.
In the shadow of the World Juniors sits the World Under-17 Challenge. This year’s tournament kicks off December 29th (3 days after World Juniors) and finshes with the gold medal game on January 4th (day before World Juniors gold). Five regional teams from Canada compete against five international entries: Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russian and the United States.
The Canadian teams are largely comprised of Major Junior rookies, top AAA Midget players, and a sprinkling of Junior A and Prep school talent.
Our neck of the wood is represented by Team Atlantic, with players from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Topping the list of for the Team Atlantic roster will be Halifax Moosehead Nathan MacKinnon, who had eight points in five games last year as underager. There is a slim chance that MacKinnon could be invited to play for Canada at the World Juniors, but recent comments from Kevin Prendergast indicate “it’s going to be tough” for MacKinnon to make the team this year.
Yarmouth Set to Host World Junior A Challenge in 2012
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia has been officially awarded the 2012 World Junior A Challenge by Hockey Canada. The event will take place November 5-11, 2012 at the Mariners Centre. The Yarmouth Jr. A Mariners Hockey Club will work with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, Maritime Hockey League, Town of Yarmouth, Municipality of Yarmouth, Municipality of Argyle, Yarmouth Minor Hockey Association, Hockey Nova Scotia and Events Nova Scotia to host the international event.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of our team and our community and I want to thank everyone who has helped us in this effort,” said Mitch Bonnar, president of the Yarmouth Jr. A Mariners. “But, this is only the beginning. We look forward to putting our best foot forward and to hosting a World Junior A Challenge the way only this community can.”
“Our community is not only proud to be hosting this prestigious event, but we are also looking forward to sharing our culture and our way of life with all the participants and visitors to our region,” said Phil Mooney, mayor of the Town of Yarmouth.
“Canada’s Junior A leagues continue to develop world-class players, and the 2012 World Junior A Challenge will be a terrific showcase for that talent,” said Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada. “We are excited to work with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, Yarmouth Jr A Mariners Hockey Club and numerous local groups on another World Junior A Challenge and continue the growth of the event.”
The selection was made during Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting last week in Calgary. Langley, BC is set to host the 2011 tournament.
The 2012 World Junior A Challenge will follow the same format as other years – two Canadian entries, Canada East and Canada West, will be joined by teams from the United States and Europe. The United States team won the 2010 edition of the Challenge held in Penticton, BC, defeating Canada East 6-4 in the finals. Nova Scotia’s own Troy Ryan, recently hired to coach the St. Thomas University Tommies, was general manager of the Canada east team.
Over 800 players, coaches, Hockey Canada staff, media, scouts, Canadian Junior Hockey League officials, friends and family are expected to descend upon the region during the event.
Ducharme Named MooseHEAD Coach
Dominique Ducharme will find himself behind the bench of the Halifax Mosseheads for the 2011/12 season as Head Coach
Bobby Smith has found his new bench boss in the form of the well-respected assistant coach from the Montreal Juniors. Ducharme spent three years with the Juniors.
Previousl to his time in Montreal, Ducharme led l’Action de Joliette (now le Traffic, Joliette) to two Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League Championships, an Eastern Canadian Championship, and an appearance at the 2006 Royal Bank Cup. He was also named QJAAAHL Coach of the Year in 2008 prior to making the jump to the QMJHL.
Ducharme also has some noteworthy history in his playing career. He is tied for ninth on the University of Vermont’s All-Time Scorers list. He tallied 149 points in his 130 games played from 1991-1995, just 118 points off former teammate Martin St. Louis’s school record.
Ducharme is known for his keen understanding of the technical aspects of the game, and his ability to communicate well with his players.
Ducharme beat out other top canadidates Darren Rumble and Brad Lauer for the Moose top job.
The Moosehead will hold a press conference Friday, May 6th to introduce their new coach.
More Work Ahead
With the head coaching position filled, the Herd’s next big task will be preparing for the upcoming QMJHL draft in Victoriaville, QC. The team holds a number of picks in the early rounds, including the fourth overall pick. GM Cam Russell has made no secret that he will explore the option of trying to acquire the first overall pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in order to draft local phenom Nathan MacKinnon.
Russell will do his best to use some the young talent and the aforementioned draft picks to jump into that spot, but has made it clear he won’t mortgage the teams future for one player.
Highly Touted 