Game On Magazine - April 2017 Game on Preview Edition | Page 18

Coach Brad Purdie helps
another up-and-coming
Team Manitoba player
THE ROAD TO RED
DEER GOES THROUGH
THOMPSON
The male hockey
competition for the Manitoba
Games will take place March
4-7, 2018, in Thompson,
where Team Manitoba
staff will evaluate players
to continue with the U-16
Program of Excellence process.
The Manitoba version of the
‘Games provides athletes with
an unprecedented opportunity
to prepare and compete within
a multi-sport environment
simulating the unique
experiences they will face at
the Canada Games.
Two major factors that
athletes learn to navigate at
the Games is how to manage
their rest and nutrition while
staying in an Athletes Village.
Hockey players also learn how
to prepare and perform under
different pressures or barriers
not found in any major hockey
tournaments.
Following the Manitoba
Games players will be invited
to take part in various camps
within the U-16 Program
of Excellence that gradually
whittle down in numbers as
each phase progresses. Similar
to the Manitoba Games
process, but with significantly
fewer players on the watch list,
Hockey Manitoba will evaluate
the early portion of the
2018-19 Midget AAA season
to invite players for a final
evaluation camp or exhibition
tournament.
During the last Canada
Games process, Hockey
Manitoba travelled with
29 players remaining on
the watch list to play in the
Shattuck-St.Mary’s Showcase
held in mid-December
with the final roster named
the following week. Upon
acceptance to the 2018 event,
the intent would be for
Hockey Manitoba to travel
back to the Shattuck-St.
Mary’s Showcase as the final
evaluation for Team Manitoba.
At the 2015 Canada Games
in Prince George, Team
Manitoba featured recent
NHL Draft picks such as Cody
Glass (Las Vegas, 6th overall),
Josh Brook (Montreal, 56th
overall), Brett Davis (Dallas,
163rd overall) and 2018
prospect Jett Woo.
1 8 | G AM E O N | S E P T EM BER 2 0 1 7
Despite injuries preventing
Stelio Mattheos and Wyatt
Bear to participate at the
‘Games, Team Manitoba had a
strong showing throughout the
tournament earning a Bronze
medal over Team Quebec in
their final game. In forming
the eventual 2019 roster,
Hockey Manitoba will look
for much of the same from its
players as the 2015 program.
Many of the same, if not
enhanced, strategies will be in
for a comprehensive process of
development. However it will
be up to the players to decide
whether or not they will truly
buy into the program, as was
the case with the success of
the 2015 roster. Players that
are highly skilled and talented,
but understand the value of
commitment, relentlessness
and selflessness will see their
name continually advance
within our program and will
have the best opportunity to
wear the M in Red Deer.
All will likely say that they
are going to “buy in,” but it is
actions that will tell the tale
throughout this journey over
the next 18 months. ❍
“

Hockey
Manitoba
and Hockey
Canada place
an extremely
high value
on player
character
and personal
traits when
identifying
players for
provincial
and national
teams.
”