Rockets’ trio trying out for Canada
Dube, Cal Foote, Lind among 32 invited to the selection camp
Three Kelowna Rockets have been invited to next week’s selection camp with a chance to crack Canada’s world-junior team.
Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Kole Lind will be among 32 players auditioning for the national junior team, starting Tuesday in St. Catharines, Ont.
“We’re excited for all three guys. Just the honour of being invited to camp is pretty fulfilling for all three,” said Rockets President/GM Bruce Hamilton. “It’s good for us as an organization as well, although it puts us in a challenging spot losing three of our best players on arguably the toughest part of our schedule, but we go through this every year.”
Indeed, the Rockets have had 15 players represent Canada at the World Junior Championship since 1996, including two players simultaneously on two occasions — Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey in 2015, plus Jamie Benn and Tyler Myers in 2009. Never have three Kelowna players been on Team Canada in the same year.
Dube is a returnee who played a key role on last year’s team, recording three assists in seven games and bringing home a silver medal as Canada fell to the United States in a shootout in the championship game.
Dube is enjoying a stellar season with Kelowna so far, leading the team through 25 games with 36 points. His 16 goals were second most — behind over-ager Carsen Twarynski’s 19 — prior to Friday’s game.
A second-round draft pick of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, Dube is an assistant captain for the Rockets and captained Team WHL at last month’s Canada Russia Series where he led all three CHL teams in scoring with two goals and three assists for five points in two games against the Russians — tying an event record for points by a WHL player.
Foote, the Rockets’ captain and top defenceman, will make his first appearance at the selection camp. He would have been in the mix for last year’s team as well, but was ruled ineligible to play for Canada due to citizenship rules.
A first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning this June, Foote leads Kelowna defencemen in goals (six) and points (26). He entered the weekend fifth in team scoring and ninth among WHL defencemen.
Foote also played for Team WHL in the Canada Russia Series, finishing with four penalty minutes in two games.
Lind also makes his first appearance at the selection camp. He recently missed six games due to illness (mono), but prior to that Lind was nearly unstoppable and had been leading the Rockets in scoring. Despite missing that time — returning with a goal and an assist in last Saturday’s 5-2 victory over visiting Kootenay — Lind still sits second in team scoring with 32 points, including 12 goals, in 21 games played.
A second-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in this year’s NHL draft, Lind was coming off a breakout campaign that saw him lead the Rockets in scoring with 87 points, including 30 goals, last season.
Lind was also a standout in the Canada Russia Series, posting two goals and an assist in two games for Team WHL and putting himself on Hockey Canada’s radar.
Other Rockets’ alumni to suit up for Canada at the world juniors include Rob Gordon (1996), Brett McLean (1998), Chuck Kobasew (2002), Josh Gorges (2004), Shea Weber (2005), Blake Comeau (2006), Luke Schenn (2006), Brandon McMillan (2010), Tyson Barrie (2011) and Rourke Chartier (2016).
The selection camp features two games between the world-junior hopefuls and the U Sports All-Stars, who will be backstopped by former Rockets goalie Jordon Cooke. Those games are slated for Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT and Thursday at 1 p.m. PT, both in St. Catharines.
Cooke, 24, played four seasons with the Rockets and is now in his fourth year with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
Also on the U Sports roster are Jagger Dirk of Penticton, a 24-year-old defenceman for the St. Francis Xavier X-Men who played junior for the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and is the son of former NHL blueliner Robert Dirk; Cole Sanford of Coldstream, a 22-year-old forward in his second season with the U of Alberta Golden Bears after starring for the Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats; and Cain Franson of Sicamous, a 24-year-old forward for the U of Calgary Dinos, formerly of the Vancouver Giants and the younger brother of NHL defenceman Cody Franson.
Team Canada will be anchored by seven returning players — Dube, along with goaltender Carter Hart (Everett), defencemen Jake Bean (Calgary), Kale Clague (Brandon) and Dante Fabbro (Boston University) and forwards Michael McLeod (Mississauga) and Taylor Raddysh (Erie). Other notable players invited to selection camp are OHL leading scorer Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia), WHL top scorer Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current), reigning WHL player of the year Sam Steel (Regina) and Memorial Cupwinning goalie Michael DiPietro (Windsor).
On defence, Foote will be competing with Dennis Cholowski (Prince George), Mario Ferraro (U of Massachusetts), Josh Mahura (Regina), Cale Makar (U of Massachusetts), Logan Stanley (Kitchener) and Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie) for roster spots.