Young field hockey athletes from across Ontario descended on Ottawa earlier this week to participate in an under 16 national identification camp. The camp was facilitated by the Men’s Junior National Team Head Coach, Mathias Ahrens. He was in town to identify young men that could potentially compete for Team Canada in the future.
“It was very good to see so many young, up and coming players,” says Mathias. “Ontario has many committed and talented players. There are already some athletes that definitely have potential to take the step up to the national level.”
The Men’s Junior National Team intends to scout athletes from across Canada to build an under 17 squad in the near future. Prior to his trip to Ontario, Ahrens held a similar camp in British Columbia. He has plans to visit regions from coast to coast in the coming months. Longer-term, the national program will continue developing a strong connection with provincial programs by making bi-annual visits to every region in Canada.
The Head Coach is now back in Vancouver, preparing the Men’s Junior U21 National Team for their upcoming 3 Nations Tournament. Chile, Canada and the USA will compete in a series of nine matches from July 15th – July 23rd at Eric Hamber Field in Vancouver, BC. The first match on July 15th will take place at Tamanawis Park in Surrey, BC. Visit www.fieldhockey.ca/3NATIONS for details.
