A pair of Flin Flon Bombers have earned the right to represent their country and to compete against some of the best Junior A players in the world.
On Wednesday, forward Brandon Lesko and defenceman Cory Thomas were selected to play for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge after a selection camp. They join Bombers head coach Mike Reagan, who is serving as a Canada West assistant coach for the second straight year. The hockey event takes place next week in Bonnyville, AB and includes two Canadian squads and four international teams.
“I’m looking forward to wearing my nation’s colours … not too many people get a chance to do that,” Thomas said. “You want to make the most of it.”
Last season no Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League players were chosen. This year the Flin Flon duo and Yorkton defenceman Regan Seiferling made the squad.
Reagan said having two Bombers selected is very special.
“As a coach you look at these guys like they are your own child and hope for them to be successful so to see them earn a spot on the team makes me very proud! I believe they represented the team, the league and the city of Flin Flon very well.
“It’s fantastic that these two get an amazing experience to pull on a Team Canada jersey and represent the West. Not many opportunities come along like this. It’s something that they will remember for the rest of their lives and it will open many doors for them and players on our team.”
The last Bomber to compete in the WJAC was Cole Wilson in 2008. The same year Michael Young, a Flin Flon teammate, was also chosen for Canada West but did not compete due to an injury. Canada West finished second to the United States that year.
This NHL season started with 46 World Junior A Challenge alumni on active rosters. The alums include Craig Smith of the Nashville Predators, Kyle Turris of the Ottawa Senators, and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues.
Lesko said he is looking forward to competing against top players and trying to win a gold medal.
Thomas said he is excited to play against players from other countries. As well as Canada West and Canada East, the WJAC includes team from Russia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the United States.
The Flin Flon players earned their spots on Canada West at the selection camp in Leduc earlier this week. Both Bombers scored during the camp. They were called into a room on Wednesday and received the news that they had cracked the roster.
“It was unreal,” Lesko said. “I couldn’t believe it that I had made the team. It was definitely a good feeling.”
Both Lesko and Thomas are in their 18-year-old seasons after being SJHL rookies as 17-year-olds. Before the selection camp, Reagan said both players developed a lot last season. Both are playing important roles for the Bombers this season.
At the selection camp, the 6-foot, 196-pound Lesko simplified his game, his head coach explained, and earned a roster spot.
“He skated well and finished a lot of his checks,” Reagan said of the Hafford, Sask. product. “He will need to be a depth forward that bangs bodies and forechecks hard.”
Thomas, a 6’5”, 210-
pound athlete from St. Brieux, played “unreal defensively and was real physical,” Reagan said.
“He made the team because he is a big body that defends well and will be relied upon to be a shutdown guy that kills penalties,” the Bombers bench boss said.
It was a whirlwind week for the Canada West selection camp invitees, as many jetted to Alberta right after playing for their regular teams last weekend. They then found themselves competing with the best players from the western Junior A leagues.
“There were a lot of good players out there,” Lesko said. “Everyone was really skilled. … You don’t know how you ranked against those guys.”
Last season Thomas competed in the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game in BC. It brought together the CJHL’s top 40 NHL prospects. Thomas said that game was played at a very fast pace. Having experienced that speed of the game helped him at the Canada West camp, he noted.
Now that the competition is over to make the Canada West team, Lesko said the coaching staff is emphasizing the squad must now become a family.
“We all need to become brothers when we go there.”
Canada West has won gold at the event four times, which has been running since 2006. Last year Reagan, who was the team’s eye in the sky during games, helped lead Canada West to gold with a 2-1 victory over Russia in the finals in Ontario. When asked what he was looking forward to the second time around at the WJAC, Reagan said, “I think being on the bench this year will be exciting but mostly the challenge of doing it back to back years and with a different group. No team is the same year in year out and adjustments need to be made. That’s the exciting thing about coaching. Every day and every year is a new challenge.”
Canada West is slated to play pre-tournament game against the United States today in Cold Lake, AB. At the WJAC, which runs Dec. 11-17, Canada West’s first game is against Switzerland on Sunday.
