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Surrey’s Rasmussen invited to Hockey Canada junior showcase in Kamloops

Eight-day summer tourney a preview of World Juniors in Vancouver/Victoria this winter
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South Surrey’s Michael Rasmussen in action with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. (file photo: whl.ca)

South Surrey teen Michael Rasmussen is among 40 players invited to Hockey Canada’s summer showcase event in Kamloops.

The Sport Chek World Junior Showcase tournament, to run from July 28 to Aug. 4, will serve as a springboard for those hoping to be on Team Canada during the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships in Vancouver and Victoria this winter.

Rasmussen is among 24 Canadian forwards invited to the eight-day Kamloops tourney, which will involve teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S.

Eleven games will be played at Sandman Centre. Canada will dress two squads for games against a split Team USA on July 31, before combining again as Team Canada to play Finland on Aug. 2, Sweden on Aug. 3, and close the mini-tournament against the United States on Aug. 4.

Hockey Canada announced its development camp roster on Wednesday morning (July 4).

Rasmussen recently played a huge role in Tri-City Americans’ playoff run in the WHL. For his efforts in early April, the six-foot-six centre was named the league’s On the Run Player of the Week.

The Semiamoo Minor Hockey alum was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, ninth overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

• RELATED STORY: ‘Dream come true’ for NHL draft pick Michael Rasmussen.

Other Team Canada invitees announced Wednesday include Vancouver Canucks draft picks Michael DiPietro (goaltender) and Jett Woo (defence). Notables from the recent NHL Entry Draft include defencemen Noah Dobson and Evan Bouchard.

Of the four goaltenders, 12 defencemen and 24 forwards on the summer roster, three players — forwards Maxime Comtois, Alex Formenton and Robert Thomas — won gold with Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo last January.

“The Sport Chek World Junior Showcase gives us an excellent opportunity to begin the evaluation process and for the staff to familiarize themselves with the players before the new season kicks off,” stated Brad McEwen, head scout for Hockey Canada.

“We also get to see the players in competition against the teams who will be returning to Vancouver and Victoria this December. It’s a unique opportunity, and we’re looking forward to making the most of it as we kick off our journey to the 2019 World Juniors later this month.”

For games in Kamloops, ticket packages that include all Showcase games are available online at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets and at the Sandman Centre box office starting at $99 plus fees.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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