Three Surrey-area hockey players will represent B.C. at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in February.
B.C.’s 20-player U16 roster, announced Dec. 5, includes Jack O’Brien, a defenseman, along with fellow Delta Hockey Academy player Carson Latimer, a forward, and Caedan Bankier, a forward with Burnaby Winter Club Academy.
They’re set to play for Team B.C. in Red Deer, Alberta, from Feb. 15 to March 3.
“This is an exciting time for a special group of players,” said Barry Petrachenko, CEO of BC Hockey. “The opportunity to represent their province in a multi-sport event will be great experience and stands as a tremendous accomplishment for the players, and we want to thank the coaches and staff for all their efforts in bringing our team together and supporting them throughout this journey as members of Team B.C.”
A “Meet Team B.C.” video is posted to the organization’s Youtube channel.
CLICK HERE to see the complete roster of players.
Team B.C. kicks off the 2019 Canada Winter Games on Feb. 16 against Manitoba.
At the Games, British Columbia has won the gold medal in men’s hockey in 1979 (in McCreary, Manitoba) and also 2011 (Halifax, Nova Scotia).
Notable Team B.C. alumni include Dan Hamhuis, Martin Jones, Paul Kariya and Shea Theodore.
“The U16 Program is the second stage in the BC Hockey Program of Excellence (POE), which exposes players, coaches and officials to short term competition,” according to a BC Hockey release. “The U16 Program also acts as a precursor to the Hockey Canada U17 POE, which is used to identify and train players and team personnel for provincial, regional and national teams.”
• RELATED STORIES:
B.C. female hockey players shortlisted for Canada Winter Games team