Chilliwack Chief Ethan Bowen is one of 111 skaters who’ve been invited to Hockey Canada’s National U-17 Development Camp.
The camp runs July 21-27 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
Bowen is one of 63 forwards receiving invites. The forwards, 36 defencemen and 12 goaltenders will be split into six teams for training, fitness testing, practices, intrasquad games and classroom sessions.
“The camp provides a unique opportunity for players to learn about what it takes to be part of Team Canada alongside the best young talent in the country,” said Shawn Bullock, Hockey Canada’s senior manager of hockey operations and men’s national teams. “The players are here with the ultimate goal of wearing the Team Canada jersey in international competition, and we are supporting them in that goal by providing the on and off-ice experiences they need to develop and grow as high-performance athletes.”
Bowen and the other players will be tracked through early next season as Hockey Canada pares the roster down to 66. Successful players will be assigned to three teams — Canada Black, Canada Red and Canada White — which will compete at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 3-10 in Saint John and Quispamsis, N.B.
The tournament will include teams from Russia, the United States, Finland, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
Bowen was part of the gold medal winning Male U-16 Team BC at the 2017 WHL Cup in Calgary and nine of his teammates from that squad are joining him at the Canada camp.
Bowen, a Chilliwack native, is expected to join his hometown Chiefs this fall for his first full season in the BCHL. The 2002-born forward saw action in three regular season games in 2017-18, plus one playoff game versus Prince George.
He collected his first ever junior A goal in the RBC Cup tournament, collecting two points in two games as the Chiefs won a national championship.
Get more information on Bowen’s Canada camp online at hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/world-u17/2018