(BC Hockey League official news release)
BCHL alumnus Kent Johnson is one of 35 players named to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2022 World Junior Championship Dec. 9 to 12 in Calgary, Alta.
The former Trail Smoke Eater is in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan where he is second in scoring in all of college hockey with 23 points in 16 games.
“We are excited to unveil the 35 players who will compete for a spot on Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and continue working towards winning a gold medal on home ice,” said Alan Millar, Hockey Canada’s director of player personnel. “We know our athletes and staff are ready for a highly competitive selection camp and we look forward to assembling a group that will wear the Maple Leaf with pride and embraces the opportunity to once again compete in front of fans in Alberta.”
For the second year in a row, the tournament will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. and will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
Canada will compete in Group A alongside Austria, the Czech Republic., Finland and Germany. Their tournament opens on Boxing Day against the Czech Republic.
Last year, Canada won silver after dropping the final game to the United States.
Johnson played two seasons in the BCHL for the Trail Smoke Eaters from 2018 to 2020. In his second year in the league, he was the BCHL’s leading scorer with 101 points in 52 games and was named league MVP.
In addition to Johnson, Ryan Tverberg was also named to the selection camp roster. Tverberg played the 2020 fall season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and is currently in his second year at the University of Connecticut.