BC Hockey announced changes to the Male U16 Team BC Roster for the 2015 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup. Riley Krane (Dawson Creek, BC) is unable to participate due to injury and will be replaced by Liam Ryan (New Westminster, BC). The 2015 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will take place in Calgary, Alberta from October 28 – November 1, 2015.
Ryan, a forward, currently plays for the Vancouver North East Chiefs of the BC Major Midget League and was selected by the Prince George Cougars in the seventh round of the 2015 Western Hockey League (WHL) Draft. Through 11 games this season, Ryan has scored four (4) goals and added seven (7) assists.
Team BC heads into their fifth appearance at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, seeking their second gold medal win after previously claiming a gold medal in 2012. BC has come away with a medal in every edition of the U16 Challenge Cup, claiming silver in 2013 to go along with bronze medal wins in 2011 and in 2009.
The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will feature the highest-rated players in the U16 age category from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The tournament will be a four (4) team round robin format and is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for players. Additionally, the event assists the four (4) provincial hockey associations in evaluating top prospects for future high performance programs.
Many National Hockey League (NHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL) players have played at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup including: Griffin Reinhart (West Vancouver, Edmonton Oilers), Morgan Reilly (West Vancouver, Toronto Maple Leafs), Jake Virtanen (Abbotsford, Vancouver Canucks), Mathew Barzal (Coquitlam, Seattle Thunderbirds) and Jansen Harkins (North Vancouver, Prince George Cougars).