Kelowna Rockets Nolan Foote makes 1st Junior hockey cut

Photo: Marissa Baecker/ Kelowna Rockets

Kelowna Rockets captain Nolan Foote has made it past the first round of cuts for Canada's National Junior Team.

Foote is one of 24 players who remain with the team on the road to the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic.

The roster – which includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 14 forwards – was chosen following the four-day Sport Chek Selection Camp in Oakville, Ont., that included a pair of exhibition games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars.

Foote only played in the first game for Team Canada, collecting a goal and scoring again in a practice shootout.

Among the athletes travelling with the team are five returnees from the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. (Hayton, Lafrenière, McIsaac, Smith, Veleno) and two players who won a silver medal with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Byfield, Drysdale).

“As with every year, there are difficult decisions to trim down our roster, but ultimately we believe this group will give us our best shot at a gold medal,” said Shawn Bullock, director of men’s national teams with Hockey Canada. “We will continue the process of building our team, and we look forward to an exciting World Juniors.”

The puck will officially drop on Boxing Day when Canada takes on the United States at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, followed by games against Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic to round out preliminary action.