Post by IAMCAPER on Jun 15, 2005 8:56:36 GMT -4
SYDNEY – Chad Denny received some unexpected good news Thursday afternoon.
The 18-year-old defenceman from Eskasoni is one of 44 players invited to Team Canada’s World junior summer development camp, Aug. 10-15, in Whistler, B.C.
“I was pretty shocked. I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t really expect something like this,” Denny said from Boston where he’s competing in a showcase tournament today, Saturday and Sunday.
Denny got the news from Lewiston Maineiacs coach and general manager Clement Jodoin, who, along with Craig Hartsburg of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, will serve as assistant coaches under Brent Sutter, who guided Canada to gold in North Dakota last January.
“He called me on my cellphone and told me I was selected to try out for the team and he congratulated me,” Denny said of the call he received from Jodoin.
Denny, who is 6’2” and 215 pounds, will be one of 16 defencemen at the summer camp. Luc Bourdon and Kristopher Letang, both of the Val d’Or Foreurs, Marc-Andre Gragnani of the Prince Edward Island Rocket and Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the Quebec Remparts are other defencemen from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League invited to camp.
“It’s always been a dream to play for Canada, but I have to make the team first,” said Denny. “This is just the first step.”
“I have to go there and work hard and play my game and hope it’s what they’re looking for.”
The invitation to the development camp adds to what could be a memorable summer for the Maineiacs blue-liner. He’s expected to go fairly high in the NHL draft if the NHL and NHL Players Association can agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and end the lockout. NHL Central Scouting ranked him in the second round, 36th overall, in its mid-season report.
Being invited to the summer camp is just the first step toward making the team that will represent Canada at the 2006 World junior championship in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, B.C. The player’s performance in the regular season will also determine whether or not they receive an invitation to the main camp in December.
Denny could possibly become only the second Cape Bretoner to ever play for Canada at the World junior championship. Coxheath native Paul Boutilier won a bronze and gold with Canada in 1982 and 1983.
Six other QMJHL players are invited to the summer camp. They include goaltenders Julien Ellis of the Shawinigan Cataractes and Pierre-Olivier Pelletier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and forwards Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Oceanic, Alex Bourret of the Cataractes, Frederik Cabana of the Halifax Mooseheads, and Guillaume Latendresse of the Voltigeurs.
The 18-year-old defenceman from Eskasoni is one of 44 players invited to Team Canada’s World junior summer development camp, Aug. 10-15, in Whistler, B.C.
“I was pretty shocked. I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t really expect something like this,” Denny said from Boston where he’s competing in a showcase tournament today, Saturday and Sunday.
Denny got the news from Lewiston Maineiacs coach and general manager Clement Jodoin, who, along with Craig Hartsburg of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, will serve as assistant coaches under Brent Sutter, who guided Canada to gold in North Dakota last January.
“He called me on my cellphone and told me I was selected to try out for the team and he congratulated me,” Denny said of the call he received from Jodoin.
Denny, who is 6’2” and 215 pounds, will be one of 16 defencemen at the summer camp. Luc Bourdon and Kristopher Letang, both of the Val d’Or Foreurs, Marc-Andre Gragnani of the Prince Edward Island Rocket and Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the Quebec Remparts are other defencemen from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League invited to camp.
“It’s always been a dream to play for Canada, but I have to make the team first,” said Denny. “This is just the first step.”
“I have to go there and work hard and play my game and hope it’s what they’re looking for.”
The invitation to the development camp adds to what could be a memorable summer for the Maineiacs blue-liner. He’s expected to go fairly high in the NHL draft if the NHL and NHL Players Association can agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and end the lockout. NHL Central Scouting ranked him in the second round, 36th overall, in its mid-season report.
Being invited to the summer camp is just the first step toward making the team that will represent Canada at the 2006 World junior championship in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, B.C. The player’s performance in the regular season will also determine whether or not they receive an invitation to the main camp in December.
Denny could possibly become only the second Cape Bretoner to ever play for Canada at the World junior championship. Coxheath native Paul Boutilier won a bronze and gold with Canada in 1982 and 1983.
Six other QMJHL players are invited to the summer camp. They include goaltenders Julien Ellis of the Shawinigan Cataractes and Pierre-Olivier Pelletier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and forwards Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Oceanic, Alex Bourret of the Cataractes, Frederik Cabana of the Halifax Mooseheads, and Guillaume Latendresse of the Voltigeurs.