By WAYNE SHIELS
Waldheim’s Jaxon Herchak of the Kindersley Klippers has been named to the final roster of the 2024 Team Canada West playing in the upcoming 2024 Junior A World Challenge in Camrose Alberta from December 9-15.
Other SJHL players selected were Connor Miller (Lipton, SK.) of the Humboldt Broncos, Luke Lepper (Brandon MB.) and Koen Senft (Regina) of the Flin Flon Bombers.
Hockey Canada had 60 players from the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) attend Canada East and Canada West selection camp in advance of the 2024 Junior A World Challenge. Invitees gathered in Calgary to participate in practices and played a pair of intrasquad games as part of the final evaluation process.
The Canada East roster was selected from the CJHL’s five eastern leagues: the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and Maritime Hockey League (MHL).
Canada West will include players from the four western leagues: the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
Of the 16 gold medal games at the Junior A World Challenge, 13 have featured at least one Canadian team. Canada East will look to earn its first gold medal, having won silver eight times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023) and bronze once (2008), while Canada West has won gold six times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2023), silver three times (2008, 2009, 2012) and bronze twice (2013, 2018).