Joseph going to camp
Dobson also competing for spot on the Canadian world junior squad
Charlottetown Islanders captain Pierre-Olivier Joseph is off to Victoria, B.C., after being named to Team Canada’s world junior hockey team selection camp on Monday. The camp runs Dec. 1014.
The 19-year-old defenceman is in his second year as Islanders captain and after a slow start since returning from Arizona Coyotes camp, the first-round pick in 2017 has seven goals, 20 points and a plus-six plus-minus ratio in 24 games.
Joseph, a Chambly, Que., native, played in the world junior showcase with teammate Matthew Welsh earlier this year in Kamloops, B.C.
Also invited is Summerside native Noah Dobson, 18, a defenceman with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Welsh wasn’t invited to the selection camp.
Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton is an assistant coach with Team Canada’s world junior squad.
Canada will have just two players returning to defend its gold medal from the 2018 world junior hockey championship.
Forwards Alex Formenton and Maxime Comtois, both 19, are among the 34 players chosen by head coach Tim Hunter and Hockey Canda that will attend selection camp ahead of the 2019 world junior championship that begins on Boxing Day.
The majority of Hockey Canada’s selections come from the Canadian Hockey League, with 29 of the 34 named to camp currently playing in either the OHL, QMJHL or Western Hockey League.
Defencemen Ian Mitchell (Denver), Jacob Bernard-Docker (North Dakota) and Cameron Crotty (Boston University) and forward Shane Bowers (Boston University) are the lone Canadians playing outside the CHL to make the cut.
The Canadian squad will also have forward Gabe Vilardi joining them at camp. His status was unknown after starting the year on the injured list with the L.A. Kings, but he has recovered and is currently on a conditioning assignment in the American Hockey League.
The battle in net will be between Michael DiPietro, Ian Scott and Matthew Villalta.
Forward Alexis Lafreniere is the youngest player invited at only 17. He isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2020.
Forwards Robert Thomas and Michael Rasmussen were hopefuls for the squad but haven’t been released by their NHL clubs. They still could, though it appears highly unlikely.
The camp, which was announced in Calgary, will be followed by three exhibition games against a group of U Sports all-stars. Hunter is expected to trim the final roster to 23 players.
The Canadian team hits the ice on Dec. 26 for its world junior opener against Denmark in a Group A matchup at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. All Group B games will take place at Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.