Cougars prospects invited to national camp

A trio of Prince George Cougars prospects will get a chance to audition for the national under-17 team.

Keaton Dowhaniuk, Koehn Ziemmer and Kyren Gronick, are among 113 players invited to a “virtual” development camp set for July 19-25.

A traditional on-ice camp in one location will not be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hockey Canada says the camp will include a variety of sessions with a focus on player development through online education.

Three Canadian teams (Black, Red, White) will compete at the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, set for Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I., in early November.

Dowhaniuk was drafted in the first round, third overall, in the 2019 Western Hockey League bantam draft.

Last season, the 6’0”, 155-pound defenceman from Sherwood Park, Alta. played for OHA Edmonton at the midget prep level in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League.

He compiled 22 points (5g-17a) in 25 games to go along with 62 penalty minutes for that team and had one assist in eight games with the Cougars last season.

Ziemmer was drafted in the first round, fourth overall and played for the St. Albert Raiders AAA in the Alberta Midget Hockey League last season.

The product of Mayerthorpe, Alta. averaged a point pergame and was fourth in team scoring after he accumulated 26 points (15g-11a) in 26 games.

The 6’0”, 175-pound winger led his team in playoff scoring with 11 points (5g-6a) in six games.

Gronick, a 5’11”, 175-pound centre from Regina, was drafted in the second round, 26th overall.

Last season, he played for the Regina Pats Canadians in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League and was fourth in team scoring and his team’s top rookie scorer after he compiled 35 points (8g-27a) in 25 games. He was second on his team in playoff scoring after he amassed 13 points (5g-8a) in six games.

In addition, Cougars’ equipment manager Ramandeep “Chico” Dhanjal has been named an equipment manager for Team Canada Red.

This is the second consecutive year Dhanjal will take part in the event.