Blazers Zary and Garand invited to WJH selection camp

Connor Zary was one of the last cuts at last years selection camp.

The other Blazer going to Red Deer is goaltender Dylan Garand.

Dylan Garand has been back in Kamloops for the last couple of weeks, getting ice time at McArthur Island, preparing for the Blazers season, and now the world junior camp.

“I think just the quality of the training is better than back home, off ice and on ice. It’s just a better step for me to take in my development, being here that back home.” (in Victoria)

Garand is no stranger to Hockey Canada — he’s been on the radar for several years, playing for Canada at both the Under-17 and Under-18 levels, and now with a chance to complete the hat trick with the U-20 team.

Garand is one of five goaltenders invited to the selection camp.

“I’m confident in my abilities and what I can bring to that team.” says Garand. “I’m definitely going to work hard and give it my best to prove where I lie. (among the five goaltenders) As long as I do that and be consistent at it the chips will fall where they may and I’m confident where I’ll be at that point.”

This selection camp will be a lot different than most, which usually lasts about a week before the final selections are made for the team that will represent Canada.

With the major junior hockey seasons in the Western and Ontario Leagues delayed until January and February, this will be an extraordinarily long camp —- lasting almost a month, from November 16 to December 13.

“The way I’m kind of looking at it is it’s kind of like an in season kind of training thing.” says Garand. “Obviously the intensity and the competition is going to be a lot higher, and the levels and pace of play is going to be way higher, so it’s going to be a great thing for my development and treat it as trying to get better and using the opportunity that I have been given to be at this camp to treat it as another part in my development and having an opportunity to skate at an elite level with all of these guys, and compete against all of these top round NHL picks. I think it’s going to be great for me, and prove I have got what it takes.”

Besides the Team Canada coaches, Garand will also be showing the team that took him in round four of this months NHL draft, the New York Rangers, that he’s got what it takes.

His draft came just a few days after the Ranger bought out longtime star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

“They have a couple of two pretty young, really good goalies.” says Garand. “I think that’s kind of the direction that they’re going, and I think maybe they drafted me to be the following after that, so it is what it is, and it’s just great to be drafted by that organization.”

by Earl Seitz

Blazers Zary and Garand invited to WJH selection camp

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