Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
Regina Pats star Connor Bedard and two Saskatchewan-born defencemen will be among 22 players who are to represent Canada at the 2023 world junior hockey championship.
Seattle Thunderbirds blueliners Nolan Allan (who hails from Davidson) and Kevin Korchinski (a product of Saskatoon) joined Bedard on the roster that was announced Monday after Team Canada’s selection camp.
The tournament, which is to be held in Moncton and Halifax, begins Dec. 26.
Bedard is one of the eight players on the Canadian roster who won a gold medal at the 2022 world junior tournament in Edmonton.
The Canadians are to practise in St. Stephen, N.B., until Sunday before playing pre-tournament games against Switzerland (Dec. 19), Slovakia (Dec. 21) and Finland (Dec. 23).
Canada is to open the tournament Dec. 26 against Czechia.
Top Prospects Game
Bedard, the presumptive top choice in the 2023 NHL draft, headlines the list of 40 players invited to participate in the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
He was one of 19 WHL players invited to play in the game, which is set for Jan. 25 in Langley, B.C.
Bedard, a 17-year-old product of North Vancouver, B.C., headed to Canada’s world junior selection camp as the WHL’s leader in points (64), goals (27), assists (37) and goals per-game (0.96) in 28 games this season. He was riding a 27-game point-scoring streak when he headed east.
Four Saskatchewan-born players were invited to play in the game: Kelowna Rockets defenceman Caden Price (Saskatoon), Prince George Cougars centre Riley Heidt (Saskatoon), Red Deer Rebels centre Kalan Lind (Shaunavon) and Moose Jaw Warriors centre Brayden Yager (Saskatoon).
Warriors defenceman Jackson Unger (who hails from Calgary) and Saskatoon Blades blueliner Tanner Molendyk (a product of McBride, B.C.) also were invited.
The contest features the top 40 CHL players eligible for the 2023 NHL draft. The players were identified through a survey of the NHL’s 32 teams.
