IceDogs sophomore selected to try out for Canada
Philip Tomasino competing for spot on world under-18 roster
Philip Tomasino is getting a head start to his second season in the Ontario Hockey League.
By the time Niagara IceDogs gets underway the 16-year-old forward from Mississauga will have already scrimmaged with and against some of the best players in his age group.
Depending on how Tomasino fares at tryouts for the Canadian national men’s summer under-18 team, he might also have played for his country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
He was among 44 players invited to compete for roster spots in advance of an international competition is taking place this August in Edmonton and Red Deer.
That he was one of only 14 players selected from OHL teams definitely is a feather in the sophomore’s cap.
“You have to be good enough to be invited there,” Tomasino said. “Lucky enough, I’m in that group.
“I’m definitely looking forward to, I know a lot of my buddies are going there as well.”
Niagara’s first-round selection in the 2017 OHL Draft, with the fifth pick overall, summed up his first season with the IceDogs as “unreal.”
“From the staff to the players, my billets and everyone, they all did just a great job in helping me to become a better player and person in the OHL,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to my second year.”
The 5-foot-11, 167-pound, righthand shot had five goals and 19 assists in 61 games during the regular season. He saw action in all of the team’s 10 playoff games.
This is Tomasino’s second chance to suit up for Canada in as less than a year. Last fall he played for Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Invitations to the under-18 tryouts in Calgary were extended to were extended to 26 forwards, 14 defencemen and four goaltenders from Canadian Hockey League and Canadian Junior Hockey League teams.
“Unlike our other summer camps, these players are part of a selection process from the moment they arrive, and the opportunity is to represent Canada on the world’s stage,” said Scott Salmond, vice-president of hockey operations and national teams for Hockey Canada. “We have a very talented group of players coming to Calgary in late July, and we will no doubt have some very difficult decisions to make when it’s time to select this year’s Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team.
“The players are excited to arrive and get started, and they are all coming in with the goal of making our decision a difficult one.”
The annual tournament, recently rebranded as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, is one of the beston-best competitions for the age group.
“There’s nothing like competing on home ice, and this will be a very special event for our team — staff and players,” said Salmond. “The work begins in Calgary at selection camp, and we’re looking forward to heading up the QEII and competing in front of Canadian fans this summer.
“This is always a true demonstration of best-on-best hockey, and the fans in Edmonton and Red Deer will not be disappointed.”
IceDogs centre and secondround Los Angeles Kings draft pick Akil Thomas played for Canada at the world under-18 championships in Breclav, Czech Republic.
Canada has captured 21 gold medals in 27 years of summer under-18 competitions.