Devon Fordyce will soon become the latest Cochrane-born player to suit up for Team Canada.
The 16-year-old goaltender, and former Airdrie Xtreme Bantam AAA player, was recently named to Hockey Canada’s Team Pacific for the upcoming 2011 U-17 Hockey Challenge. It will take place in Portage la Prairie, Man. from Dec. 29 to Jan. 4.
Canada’s five regional teams, Pacific (Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Yukon), West (Manitoba, Nunavut and Saskatchewan), Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) will take on teams from the United States, Germany, Finland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“I was definitely very excited to be named to that team,” said Fordyce, who will be joined by former Xtreme teammate Mike Winther of Trochu. “It is a great honour and it’s nice to finally figure out what you’ve been working for.”
The U-17 tournament is considered a showcase for Hockey Canada scouts. Fordyce, currently playing for the Prince George Cougars, said he is eager for the opportunity.
“My strengths would probably be being very vocal and moving the puck, which may set me apart from some of the other goaltenders,” Fordyce said.
“It’s a good thing to get me in there and being able to wear the maple leaf will be nice. This is the first chance for us, this age group, to play for Team Canada, and not many people get that opportunity, so it’s going to be an experience you’ll have to look at for your whole life. It’s going to be great to play with elite guys, to represent Canada and to get looked at by some NHL scouts.”
Fordyce will be flying out Dec. 26 and will meet the rest of teammates for the first time. Players have already conducted several team-building exercises over the phone and the Internet – something Fordyce said is essential in a short tournament.
“We’ve been doing some connection stuff through Facebook and we’ve had several conference calls,” Fordyce said. “The team has to bond a lot quicker since it’s a short-term competition and usually how it works is the team who bonds the quickest wins.”
