Team Sask. loads up on Blazers for Canada Games

With simply over two months to go earlier than the Canada Winter Video games, Staff Saskatchewan has named its males’s hockey crew, which incorporates various gamers from the Saskatoon Blazers.

Seven gamers from the U18 AAA hockey membership will put on the inexperienced and yellow in Prince Edward Island throughout the video games, which run from Feb. 18 to Mar. 5.

The Blazers gamers representing Saskatchewan are defencemen Emerson Clark, Reese Hamilton and Brayden Smith, and forwards Corban Almen, Kash Andresen, Cole Reschny and Lee Shurgot.

The robust illustration from the Saskatoon crew might not come as a shock to the hockey neighborhood, because the Blazers are sitting on the high of the league standings with a 22-2-0-2 document.

Staff Saskatchewan head coach Ryan McDonald, who additionally serves as assistant coach to the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, mentioned it helps that the crew has constructed its chemistry up to now this season.

“Familiarity is all the time necessary,” McDonald mentioned. “I feel we seemed for expert gamers, but additionally now we have loads of depth on this crew.”

The gamers agreed, saying they know that they gained’t need to undergo main changes whereas adapting to a wholly new roster.

“Clearly it helps enjoying collectively this entire 12 months after which going to play with Staff Saskatchewan,” mentioned Reese Hamilton. “I’m a defenceman, so I’ve a few different D-partners which can be going to be going with me, and if I occur to be paired up with them I feel it’s going to be nice.”

“It’s going to assist so much,” added ahead Emerson Clark. “That may undoubtedly give us a deeper crew.”

Whereas they’ll have the consolation of acquainted faces, they may also be enjoying in a brand new rink all the best way on the East Coast.

“I feel that’s a very distinctive expertise in itself, going all the best way to PEI to play some hockey and attending to play in opposition to different groups from throughout Canada is fairly cool,” ahead Lee Shurgot mentioned.

Whereas the match is pulling them away from their membership crew for 2 weeks, it does give the gamers the prospect to showcase their expertise on an enormous stage.

“Simply use this as a stepping stone and making an attempt to assist (myself) get to the following stage,” mentioned ahead Cole Reschny.

The gamers could have loads of help from mates, households and coaches as they head out east.

“My brother Reid, he performs for the Medication Hat Tigers within the WHL,” ahead Kash Andresen mentioned. “He reveals me so much. He teaches me all through my entire profession, and I type of simply attempt to observe after him and try to observe his footsteps.

“When he watches my video games and I watch his video games, we simply give somewhat little bit of suggestions to one another.”

Having seven gamers from the identical crew is kind of the accomplishment for any provincial crew, however Blazers head coach Scott Scissons mentioned it might’ve been extra. Even nonetheless, he mentioned he’s happy to see so lots of his gamers on the roster.

“They’ve completed their work they usually should be going, so I’m happy with them,” Scissons mentioned, including that he’s had a lot of help from the remainder of the Blazers’ teaching employees.

Whereas it’s an honour simply to make the crew, the gamers have been already wanting to get on the market and produce again a gold medal.

“There’s no different motive why we go there,” Reese Hamilton mentioned. “I’m excited to go there, and hopefully we get a win out of it.”

The Blazers weren’t the one gamers hailing from a Saskatoon crew; Logan Edmonstone from the Saskatoon Contacts was additionally named to Staff Saskatchewan.