Fourth place finish at Pan Ams vaults Team Canada into World Cup Berth
After placing fourth at the 2021 Junior Pan American Championship, Team Canada has earned a place in the Junior World Cup, taking place in Bhubaneswar, November 24-December 5.
The FIH officially announced its 16-team lineup for the Men’s Junior World Cup this week. Canada joins Pan American rivals Argentina, Chile and USA in the draw. Europe has the most representation with their top five junior teams — Belgium, England, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
Canada and USA were officially invited to the 2021 Junior World Cup following last week’s announcement by Hockey Australia and Hockey New Zealand.
Due to the initial COVID-19 postponement, the age restrictions for the Junior Pan American games shifted to reflect originally eligible athletes. But for the Junior World Cup, only athletes born in 2000 or later are eligible to compete. This means, there will inevitably be some roster change-over in the coming months as the team prepares for the world cup. This is an exciting prospect for those athletes within our nextgen pathway and provides a welcome headache for the coaching staff. Head Coach Indy Sehmbi and Assistant Geoff Matthews will train and evaluate the athletes in the environment this month and release a roster closer to the event. Stay tuned for roster and schedule announcement.
Team Canada finished fourth at JPAC 2021, earning a bid for the Junior World Cup in November. Photos/PAHF
Prior to JPAC, Sehmbi spoke about the depth of the group and the strength of the year-over-year development in the NextGen system.
“We have a very deep squad and a lot of parity throughout our lineup of identified athletes. It’s a coach’s dream to have such a strong group of athletes,” he said. “It’s a luxury for us to have such a diverse and deep athlete group. This is more than just one selection camp, it’s a culmination of several years of prep.”
Third team representation
Canadian umpires Tyler Klenk and Joane Wudrich were on the pitch last month for the Junior Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Klenk, a five-year veteran of the international game is now looking forward to the Junior World Cup, and Wudrich is awaiting her badge-evaluation from her performance at the JPAC.
Field Hockey Canada’s current stable of international officials includes seven umpires, two umpire managers and five technical officials. Klenk will be traveling to the Junior World Cup in India, representing Canada on the umpires & officials team. Congratulations, Tyler, on the appointment.
