Mahura invited Josh Mahura of St. Albert was among 32 players invited to Canada’s national junior team selection camp, starting Tuesday in St. Catharines, Ont. Mahura, 19, is a defenceman with the Regina Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup.
Mahura invited
Josh Mahura of St. Albert was among 32 players invited to Canada’s national junior team selection camp, starting Tuesday in St. Catharines, Ont.
Mahura, 19, is a defenceman with the Regina Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup.
The selection camp roster includes 10 defencemen, 18 forwards and four netminders, in addition to seven returnees from last year’s silver-medal team.
The four-day camp consists of exhibitions against the U SPORTS team on Wednesday and Thursday and Denmark on Friday before the final roster of 22 players is announced.
The IIHF World Junior Championship is Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Buffalo.
Mahura is plus 11 with eight goals and 24 points in 25 games as an assistant captain with the Pats (15-13-2) in the Western Hockey League.
The 2016 NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in round three, 85th overall, was acquired by the Pats from the Red Deer Rebels in a multi-player transaction Jan. 10.
The previous season, Mahura suffered a torn MCL and a partial meniscus tear in his left knee and after only two games missed the remainder of the 2015/16 regular season and the 2015 World U17 Hockey Challenge due to the injury.
The member of Canada’s summer U18 gold medal team at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup returned for the WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup hosted by the Rebels and in 21 games recorded two goals and two assists.
The former captain of the 2012/13 bantam AAA St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres played for 2013/14 Okanagan Hockey Academy midget and prep teams before breaking into the WHL with the Rebels.
In 151 WHL games, Mahura has 27 goals, 86 points and 99 penalty minutes and in the playoffs compiled 10 goals, 26 points and 24 penalty minutes in 45 games.
Sabres games
The surging St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres battle the defending Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League champions today in Fort Saskatchewan.
The Sabres and Rangers face-off at noon at JRC Arena.
In the north conference, the Sabres (12-2-4) are undefeated in eight games while going 6-0-2 as the top team in the nitro division and the Rangers (8-9-2) are third in the charger division. The western bronze medallists are also winless in three games.
The teams staged a hard-fought best-of-five series in the 2017 north final and the Rangers prevailed in the deciding game in St. Albert.
Tyson Greenway, a forward, is the lone Sabre back from the 31-1-4 AMBHL pennant winners.
Greenway leads the Sabres in goals with 14 and his 26 points is second behind Ethan Sundar’s 29.
Monday the Sabres host the Maple Leafs (3-16-1) at 6:45 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena. The team’s home record is 3-1-3.
Reid tournament
The 43-game schedule has been finalized for the John Reid Memorial Tournament, Jan.18 to 21 at Servus Credit Union Place.
The 40
th annual bantam AAA best on best features 16 teams divided into four divisions in two pools.
In the John Reid pool, the host St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres play the Rink Hockey Academy of Winnipeg, Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and St. George's Academy of Vancouver at Go Auto Arena in the Skybox Grill division.
The Alta-West Bus Charters division consists of the Calgary Bisons, Delta Wild Prep Green, Lethbridge Golden Hawks and Okanagan Hockey Academy of Penticton.
In the Jarome Iginla pool, the Burnaby Winter Club Academy, Calgary Royals, Los Angeles Jr. Kings and Yale Hockey Academy of Abbotsford form the C2 Homes division.
The Airdrie Xtreme, Northern Alberta Xtreme based at St. Francis Xavier High School, OHA Penticton and Sherwood Park Flyers are grouped in the REMAX-Brian Cyr division.
The Sabres finished the 2017 tournament at 3-2. The winner was the Toronto Marlboros and the first Ontario bantam AAA team in the tournament since 2002 defeated Yale 5-4 in a shootout. Yale was the 2016 tournament champion.
The only St. Albert team to win the tournament was the 1983 Territorial Leasing Sabres.
The tournament website is
www.johnreidmemorial.com.
Raiders Day
The first annual Raiders Day on Dec. 17 will feature four games in a row by St. Albert Raiders Hockey Club teams at Akinsdale Arena.
The first game starts at noon between the Flyers and Grande Peace Storm in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
At 2:30 p.m., the Gregg Distributors Sabres face-off against the KC Squires in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
The Battle of St. Albert at 5 p.m. features the Blues and Source for Sports Crusaders in the Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League.
The last game is 7:30 p.m. between the Tire Warehouse Raiders and Maple Leafs in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League.
Donation bins for the St. Albert Food Bank and Toys for Tots will be in the rink lobby during all four games.
The Raiders Hockey Club consists of nine male and three female teams in the bantam and midget divisions.
