U18 National Team Departs for California Training Tour

Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the extended U18 boys roster that will travel to Moorpark, California this week for a training tour. The team, currently made up of 22 players, consists of athletes that are aiming to be selected for the Canadian roster that will attend the 2018 U18 Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico in March. If the team successfully qualifies, these athletes will then be in line to represent the Red and White at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games roster next fall.

Planned Schedule of Test Matches – Opponent: USA Juniors
Sunday November 19th: 3PM
Monday November 20th: Noon
Wednesday November 22nd: noon
Thursday November 23rd: 10am

According to Head Coach, Geoff Matthews, the upcoming U.S. tour is a great opportunity to provide valuable international experience to the young athletes in preparation for the 2018 U18 Pan American Championships.

“For a lot of the kids, this will be their first international competition experience,” Matthews said. “It’s just a first step in what could be many promising careers.”

With that in mind, Matthews said his role as a coach is only partially tasked with creating a good team for these tournaments. He is also focused on the players’ futures.

“Largely, it’s about personal growth for these athletes. These tours give them a taste of international experience,” he said. “We’re giving them the tools and opportunities to learn and grow to excel at the senior international level. Not to mention, it opens a lot of doors and allows them to travel and see the world.”

The U18 boys team is traditionally filled up by solely BC and Ontario players. Matthews said he is really proud to see other provinces represented on this year’s iteration.

“We have four provinces represented. It’s great to see the growth in Quebec and Alberta. Boys numbers have been steadily growing across the country and this is a trend we would like to maintain,” he said.

U18 players, Joshua Kuempel and Adam Kapasi both represented Canada recently at the 2017 Men’s Indoor Pan American Cup earning a bronze medal and Rowan Childs was a member of the U21 MNT that participated in the FIH Junior World Cup in India last year. Matthews said that this experience is invaluable and he is hoping those three athletes can share that experience and help be leaders on the team.

Stay updated by keeping tabs on Field Hockey Canada’s social media channels and check back next week for a brief recap of the U18 team’s USA tour.

Canadian U18 Tour Roster (November, 2017)