By Chad Klassen

World Junior Summer Showcase bringing best prospects from around the world

Jul 27, 2018 | 4:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — Players start arriving in Kamloops on Saturday, beginning with the Americans, before the puck drops for real on Monday at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

The Canadian players to make up two teams come in on Sunday, as does the teams from Finland and Sweden, the runner-ups to Canada in last year’s world junior gold medal game. It’s the first step in picking the teams that will compete in the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championship in Vancouver and Victoria this Christmas.

On Friday, the finishing touches were being put on the boards around the Sandman Centre, host to the Summer Showcase all next week. 

“What you’re going to see is some of the best junior hockey in the world,” said event co-chair Norm Daley. “We’ve got four of the top countries in that regard. You have [American] Jack Hughes coming in and he’s the consensus No. 1 pick overall next year. His brother Quinn is with the Canucks, a draft pick this year in the first round. It really is some amazing talent.”

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The Hughes brothers headline the talent coming to Kamloops with the two U.S. teams arriving on Saturday and the Canadian players here on Sunday. 
Canucks fans will be watching Quinn Hughes closely after he was taken seventh overall by Vancouver in last month’s draft. 

There are 15 first-round picks on Team Canada and 14 taken in the second round, including Canucks defensive prospect Jett Woo who was Vancouver’s second pick after Hughes at the draft in Dallas. Canadian goaltender Michael DiPietro, taken in the third round by Vancouver in 2017, is projected as the No. 1 guy for the world junior tournament. The Americans, meantime, have seven first-rounders, including Hughes.

For all the players, though, regardless of where they were drafted, this tournament is a chance to impress upwards of 300 scouts who will watching, as well as national management as they try to narrow down who they see as a fit on their national junior team. 

“It’s going to be very competitive. I was at this event in 2015 and the teams, they want to win and they want to compete,” said Daley. “They want to make sure they are representing their country later on this year, so it is going to be very competitive.”

Off the ice, the organizing committee says everything is pretty well in place for the event, including the 100 volunteers they needed. As far as ticket sales, interest is starting to pick up, especially for the Team Canada games. 

“We’re anticipating really good crowds for the five Canada games, and so excited about that coming up. Canada’s not coming until Sunday, so they’re not playing until Tuesday. But that’s great, get the fans out to see Team Canada.”

All the games will be played at the Sandman Centre with all the Canada games also being broadcast on TSN. 

SUMMER SHOWCASE SCHEDULE

Monday, July 30
USA Blue vs. Sweden – 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA White – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, July 31
Sweden vs. Finland – 1 p.m. 
Canada White vs. USA Blue – 4 p.m.
USA White vs. Canada Red – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 2
USA vs. Sweden – 1 p.m.
Canada vs. Finland – 6 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 3
USA vs. Finland – 1 p.m.
Canada vs. Sweden – 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4
Canada vs. USA – 2 p.m.
Finland vs. Sweden – 5 p.m.