Five players from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) have been selected to represent Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge which begins next week in Camrose, Alberta.
The five include Dru Mushumanski of Rossburn. Dru, who is in his first full season with the Wolverines after starting his junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Regina Pats, has five goals and 13 points in 19 games this season in Waywayseecappo.
Dru was identified as a player of interest after scoring twice in one game at the Western All-Star Showcase against Team Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) on November 5. Mushumanski has an outstanding shot and a knack for finding open ice and creating offence.
Marlen Edwards (Northern Manitoba), Jackson Kostiuk (Steinbach), Reece Gault (Steinbach), and Avery Laliberte (Niverville) were also named to the 22-man roster. Four teams will compete in the tournament, Canada West, Canada East, Sweden, and the United States.
Each team plays a three-game preliminary round over the first four days of the tournament to decide seeding for the semifinals on December 14 while the bronze and gold medal games are set for December 15.
Eric Labrosse of the Blizzard will serve as an Assistant Coach for Team West while Justin Giesbrecht of the Niverville Nighthawks will serve as the team's physiotherapist. Dru and his team play their first game on Monday against Sweden at the Encana Arena in Camrose.
