Logan Nijhoff of Comox is one of 20 players selected to play for Team BC at the 2016 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup against Team Alberta, Team Saskatchewan and Team Manitoba.
The tourney takes place Oct. 18-23 at WinSport in Calgary, Alta.
Nijhoff, a 5’11”, 165-pound forward, is playing hockey at the Okanagan Hockey Academy (CSSHL) in Penticton this season. He was drafted by the Regina Pats in the eighth round (165th overall) of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft on May 5.
Team BC kicks off the Challenge Cup on Oct. 19 against Team Manitoba. The team plays Team Alberta on Oct. 20 and Team Alberta on Oct. 21. The tournament wraps up Oct. 23 with the bronze and gold medal games.
The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup features the highest rated players in the U16 age category representing the four western provinces of Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The round robin format event is the first step in the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence and assists the four western provincial hockey branches in evaluating the top prospects in this age group for future high performance programs.
The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is made possible through financial support provided by the Western Hockey League (WHL). The majority of players participating in the event were selected in the WHL Bantam Draft in May 2016 and many of these top prospects will play major roles with WHL clubs in the seasons ahead.
Some notable players that have participated as part of Team BC include Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators), Morgan Reilly (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Sam Reinhart (Buffalo Sabres).
The U16 Program is the second stage in the BC Hockey High Performance Program, which exposes players, coaches and officials to short-term competition.
The U16 Program also acts as a precursor to the Hockey Canada High Performance U17 Program, which is used to identify and train players and team personnel for provincial, regional and national teams.