Royals pair selected for U-17 camp
Player development sessions will be held online this year
It will only be a virtual Maple Leaf this summer, but still real enough for the 113 hockey players invited to the Canadian Under-17 online camp from July 19 to 25.
The list of invitees includes 35 players from the Western Hockey League, including defencemen Jason Spizawka and Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals.
“I am quite surprised by this honour, but very excited,” said Spizawka, a hometown product out of the Racquet Club.
“It’s cool because I even know some of the Ontario and Quebec guys because of spring [rep] tournaments.”
Three Canadian teams — Canada Red, Canada Black and Canada White — will represent if the 2020 U-17 World Hockey Challenge goes ahead Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I.
“The national under-17 development camp is the first stage in introducing these athletes and is a great opportunity for them to develop as players and learn what it takes to wear the Maple Leaf,” said Scott Salmond, senior vicepresident of national teams for Hockey Canada.
The Canadian U-17 camp — as with the earlier announced U-20 camp for the 2021 world junior championship that includes goaltender Dylan Garand of Langford — is being conducted online due to the pandemic.
Spizawka and Parker represent the long-term future of the Royals’ blueline. Wherever their careers take them, they are unlikely to forget this pandemic summer.
“I started by being safe within a small circle and exercising at home,” said Spizawka.
“Now I’m slowly expanding the circle.” B.C.’s return-to-play guidelines currently allow for informal training in small groups.
That includes Spizawka’s first ice time in months scheduled for next week, likely at Westhills Arena.
With the WHL’s announced 2020-21 season start date of Oct. 2 considered optimistic by many, Spizawka and Parker’s expected rookie seasons with the Royals remain unclear, as do the chances of the U-17 World Challenge taking place as scheduled in Prince Edward Island.
“You just have to focus on yourself and do your best to be prepared for when the time comes to play,” Spizawka said.
The players will be separated into six groups for online Zoom sessions stressing development during the U-17 national camp.
It’s not optimal — nothing replaces actual training in sports and real classroom time in education — but Spizawka said he and his age group have become used to the virtual world over the past three months. He has just completed his Spectrum school year online.
“We’ve had a lot of time to adjust to it,” he said.
“I am looking forward during the online camp to hearing and learning from people who have a lot of experience in hockey.”
Spizawka was the the Royals’ first-round pick and Parker, from Clavet, Sask., the club’s secondround selection in the 2019 WHL bantam draft.
Royals head coach and general manager Dan Price described them as “both hardworking and talented,” and as having “made strides in their game this past year” and being deserving of their national notice.
The three Canadian team rosters for the U-17 World Challenge will be announced at a later date following the online camp.