What promises to be an exciting next few months will start in Switzerland for Richmond’s Glenn Gawdin.
The former Seafair Minor Hockey standout was named to Team Canada for the upcoming 2015 IIHF U18 World Hockey Championships — April 16-26 in Zug and Lucerne.
Gawdin recently concluded his second season in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos — posting 54 points in 72 games, including 15 goals. The 15 point improvement from his rookie season helped the 6-foot-1 centre to finish 59th in the Central Scouting Bureau’s final rankings of North American Skaters for the 2015 NHL Draft. This year’s proceedings will take place in Florida June 26-27.
Gawdin also has his Grade 12 graduation to look forward to.
He is among six B.C. players named to the Team Canada roster, joining Coquitlam’s Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds), North Vancouver’s Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars), Summerland’s Deven Sideroff (Kamloops Blazers) and Surrey’s Parker Wotherspoon (Tri-City Americans).
Hockey Canada has invited select under-age players that will travel to Switzerland and play in pre-tournament games to get added experience playing international competition before returning to Canada prior to the start of the world championship.
Players that have been eliminated from the Canadian Hockey League playoffs will be added to complete the roster for the tournament.
Team Canada will play a pair of exhibition games before the championships — taking on Slovakia April 13 and Germany April 14. Canada will face Latvia, Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland in preliminary round play.
Canada finished third a year ago and have won the championships three times — 2013, 2008 and 2003.
Gawdin was a high-scoring forward growing up through Seafair Minor Hockey’s rep program, playing his final year of Bantam under longtime coaches Russ and Ryan Weber. He was selected fifth overall by the Broncos in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
Gawdin then spent the 2012-13 season in the B.C.Major Midget Hockey League with the Greater Vancouver Canadians where he led the team in scoring with 46 points in 37 games.
Following a similar path to him is former Canadians teammate Adam Musil. He was selected sixth overall in the Bantam Draft by the Calgary Hitmen and is ranked just behind Gawdin in the Central Skating Bureau draft rankings at 61.
Icing…
A pair of one-time Richmond Minor Bantam A1 teammates are helping their team progress in the WHL playoffs.
The Everett Silvertips are battling the Portland Winterhawks in the second round and Brayden Low is a big reason why they still playing hockey.
The 20-year-old former Richmond Sockeye scored the game winning in triple overtime as Everett got past the Spokane Chiefs. It was the Silvertips’ first playoff series win in eight seasons.
Meanwhile, former Vancouver Giant Anthony Ast has helped the Medince Hat Tigers reach their second round where they are up against Alberta rival Calgary Hitmen.
Ast and Low were part of a powerhouse Bantam A1 Blues team that also included current Giant Carter Popoff and was coached by his father Ron Popoff. The team reached the Bantam A1 provincial final in 2009, falling to Langley.
