Goaltender Riley Mercer of Bay Roberts is the only player from this province among the 113 invited to Hockey Canada’s national under-17 development camp this summer.
The virtual camp, set for July 19-25, will be used to select three teams that will represent Canada at the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Oct. 31-Nov. 7 in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I.
Mercer, one of 12 goalies invited, was drafted into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League earlier this month, selected in the second round, 31st overall, by the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He was the top pick from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mercer was 10-5-2 with a 2.33 goals against average and .930 save percentage for the Tri-Pen Osprey in the Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget Hockey League this past season.
Mercer isn’t the only Newfoundlander at the camp. One of the teams playing in the U17 Challenge will have Mount Pearl’s Brad Yetman as an assistant coach.
Yetman is entering his second season as an assistant with the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies after two seasons (2017-19) as head coach of the East Coast Blizzard of the provincial major midget circuit.
He returns to the under-17 program after serving as a guest coach at U17 camp in 2019. As a player, he represented Team Atlantic at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Travis Crickard of St. John’s is part of the management staff of Canada’s U17 program. Crickard is a program specialist, national teams, with Hockey Canada.
