Hockey Canada's U-18 national team summer camp is underway with roster sports for a series against USA on the line this month, and the chance to represent Canada at the 2025 U-18 World Championships serving as the final goal.
Canada's U-18 camp features six goaltenders, 14 defenders and 26 forwards. The group, according to veteran Stryker Zablocki is highly skilled.
"There's so much talent out here," said Zablocki. "Every player is amazing...it's going to be really close to see who's going to end up making the team. Everyone is so prepared, it's just going to be the little details that set players apart."
Zablocki is a Northeastern commit who scored seven points in six games for Canada last year as a rookie in the program. She'll make the move this season from the Regina Rebels, who she's led to the Esso Cup two straight seasons, where she was named MVP this year, to Bishop Kearney in New York State, one of the top programs for producing elite NCAA talent on the planet. She's joined at the camp by several returning stars from Canada's 2023 bronze medal team including Chloe Primerano, Sara Manness, Marilou Grenier, and Maxine Cimoroni.
"Everyone's so talented and working so hard," said Chloe Primerano, last year's U-18 World Championships leading scorer, Best Defender, and MVP . "It's an awesome group. It's definitely tough out there."
Primerano is set to join the University of Minnesota a year earlier than other players her age this season.
The camp features a number of younger players with 17, 2008 born players. Many of the returning 2007 born players also participated in this camp last summer, some narrowly missing roster spots when Canada named their roster.
While players like Zablocki, Primerano, and Sara Manness are now the veterans at camp, they know there's still work to do in making the roster among so many talented players.
"Every time I come here, it's a big jump from the hockey we play in the winter," said Manness, who scored 100 points in 39 games last season with the Burlington Barracudas. "It's always a high paced game, everybody's good and everybody wants to make the team more than anything. It's always a lot of fun getting out there with the best in Canada."
"I think it does get a little bit easier being the older age group, but there's definitely some really great young players who want to make this team just as much as everybody else."
The two teams of prospects have already played a pair of games at the camp with Canada Red beating Canada White in both games, 4-2 and 5-1. Primerano has two goals and an assist for Canada Red.
From the camp, a select team will be chosen to face Team USA in a three game series this month. Canada won bronze last season at the U-18 World Championships after entering the tournament as heavy favorites.
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