This weekend the Canadian Men’s Junior National Team is off to Santiago, Chile for two-weeks of competition against Chile and Argentina.
“The tour to Chile will be a great opportunity to test ourselves in the international arena in 2012 and we are all looking forward to the competition,” says Men’s Junior Head Coach Mathias Ahrens. “The squad has been in a heavy training phase and we have been making significant progress since returning from our pre-Christmas camp in San Diego. In Chile we will be looking to assess our standards under the rigorous pressure of International competition.”
There will be two distinct phases of the Chile Tour. During the first week, the Junior Men will continue focusing on training and the team will be looking to make significant steps forward, particularly in the some technical areas. The second week will present the challenge of playing in a three-nation tournament against Chile and Argentina (the 2005 Junior World Cup Champions).
“This will enable us to gage where we are and what needs to be done in the coming months leading up to the Pan American Junior Championships in September and qualifications for the 2013 Junior World Cup,” says Ahrens. “Qualifying for 2013 is our main goal this year.”
“This is a very important time in the development of our Men’s Junior National Program as they prepare for the Junior World Cup Qualifier,” says Alan Brahmst, Director of National Teams and High Performance. “Mathias will be able to shape our system of play, set some very important standards for the team and evaluate player performance throughout the tour.”
Taylor Curran of North Vancouver is among the 20 athletes that will represent Canada in Chile.
“I’m definitely looking forward to this tour” says Curran. “It will be a great chance to see how we measure up against international teams, especially against Argentina – the reigning champions. We’ll see if we are close to where we need to be – or if we have a lot of work to do before the Junior World Cup Qualifier.”
After a grueling, but effective training camp, Curran says the team is looking good. Since Head Coach Ahrens arrived in Vancouver last month, many of the guys have “stepped it up.”
“Mathias brings tons of experience and expertise to the table,” says Curran. “What he has to say is definitely worth listening to. He also brings a lot of enthusiasm, which is important as we gear up to compete on the international stage.”
Click here to visit the 2012 Chile Tour competition page. The first match is against Chile on March 13 at 8:30pm.