Local players make Canada Winter Games hockey roster

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This article was published 04/12/2022 (1132 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Area hockey players will be heading to P.E.I. in February to represent the province.

Defenseman Reece Gault and forward Owen Martin, both of Oakbank, were named to the Canada Winter Games roster. The roster features the best U16 players in Manitoba.

St. Adolphe’s Avery Pickering will also be making the trip. The age-group for women at the Canada Winter Games is U18.

Taras McEwan, an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Winnipeg Ice, will be leading the U16 group as head coach.

“We really like the speed and skill we have in our line-up and our goaltending is very strong so we’re really excited about this group heading into the Canada Games,” McEwan said in a Hockey Manitoba news release.

“It’s an honour to represent your province and this will truly be a unique experience for our players and staff so we can’t wait to get there and compete for a gold medal.”

Martin and Gault were both selected in the 2022 WHL draft. Martin was taken in the second round by the Spokane Chiefs, and Gault was taken in the fifth round by the Red Deer Rebels.

Both currently play at the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg.

The U16 team will play a pair of exhibition games against their Saskatchewan counterparts Dec. 20-22.
For the U18 team, Pickering will be coached by Winnipeg Avros U18 AAA head coach Ashley van Aggelen, who will be behind the bench at the Canada Winter games for the fourth time.

“We have a great group with a number of returning players, a mobile defence group and some elite offensive talent,” she said.

“Most importantly, it is a great group of kids that have been a pleasure to coach. Our coaching staff are excited to see what this group can do at the national level and look forward to heading to P.E.I. in February.”

Pickering currently plays for the Balmoral Hall Blazers, which play in the Junior Women’s Hockey League, facing off against top competition from Canada and the United States.

Selections for both teams were made through Hockey Manitoba’s program of excellence, and included tryouts beginning in early April of 2022.