Canadian men to depart for Russian Tour

June 16, 2009

Field Hockey Canada and men’s head coach Alan Brahmst officially announced today the athletes and staff who will represent Canada next week at a Four-Nation Tournament in Elektrostal, Russia.  The event will see a relatively young Canadian squad compete against the senior teams of Bangladesh, South Africa, and host Russia.

Photo: PAHF / Stephenson Westfield

Canada will be led by international veterans Rob Short of Victoria, British Columbia, and Wayne Fernandes of Mississauga, Ontario.  Short and Fernandes have a combined total of over 450 caps (international games) on their resume.

Scott Tupper of Vancouver, British Columbia has been named team captain.  He, along with Short, Fernandes, and three other players also represented Canada at last summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

“For Russia, our team is a mix of veterans and youth,” stated Brahmst.  “It represents an opportunity for the younger guys to play a more dominant role on the pitch while experiencing some mentoring from the likes of world class players such as Rob Short.”

Ten players on the team are 23 years of age or younger as the program looks to transition some of its younger talent into senior competition as part of its preparations for the 2010 World Cup and beyond.  Three of these players, including 17-year old Taylor Curran, will be making their debut at the senior international level.

“As part of our high performance strategy, we are committed to investing in our younger athletes,” continued Brahmst, a resident of Toronto.  “In Chile (at the 2009 Pan American Cup) we selected five athletes without senior international experience and four of these players are now on this team.”

Canada will also compete in two official test matches against South Africa and Russia prior to the tournament on June 22nd and 23rd respectively.  The tournament runs from June 24th to 28th.

The Canadian women’s national team is currently in Russia preparing to compete in the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Champions Challenge II tournament beginning June 21st.

Team Roster:

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