Otters rookies Matthew Schaefer and Wes Royston to compete in U-17 Worlds next month
The Erie Otters will be minus their top two rookies early next month.
They can take heart the absences of Matthew Schaefer and Wes Royston are for a great reason.
Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s Ontario Hockey League draft, and Royston, whom Erie took in the second round, will skate for Team Canada’s White team in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The Nov. 2-11 tournament are scheduled for rinks in Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
There’s also a Team Canada Red that will participate in the 12-team event. Otters general manager Dave Brown was among those who selected the players for that country’s two tournament entrants.
Brown worked with Benoit Roy, Hockey Canada’s senior manager of operations.
“We couldn’t be more excited for the 44 players we selected to represent Canada at this prestigious tournament,” Roy said in a news release. “They’ll give us the best chance to compete for a gold medal.”
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John Dean will coach Team Canada White. Schaefer and Royston are two of eight current OHL players listed on its roster.
Schaefer is a defenseman for the Otters. He scored his first OHL goal during Erie’s Oct. 12 game at Niagara.
Royston, a right winger, awaits his first point after the team’s 3-6-1-0 start.
Team Canada White and Red are listed in a pool with the United States, Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden. Their games will be held at Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown and Credit Union Place in Summerside.
Schaefer and Royston are expected to be with the Otters for this week’s games at Barrie and Kitchener. They’ll depart for the Hockey Challenge after Saturday’s 7 p.m. game against Peterborough at Erie Insurance Arena.
The Otters have five games scheduled over the same span as that tournament.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Otters duo chosen to compete in World Under-17 Hockey Challenge
