The pond just got bigger for Jaret Anderson-Dolan.
The Edge School Mountaineers Midget Prep forward was one of 111 players from across Canada auditioning for space in Hockey Canada’s under-17-year-old (U17) development program. At 15 years old, he’s skated through the entry-level portal of our country’s national hockey effort.
“I’ve been in the Hockey Alberta program which leads up to this. But I’ve never worn the Maple Leaf before,” said the Calgarian who was selected 14th overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2014 Western Hockey League bantam draft. “So it’s pretty cool. It’s a dream for every kid. You grow up watching the Olympics and World Juniors and seeing all the success Hockey Canada has, you just want to be a part of it. Once you are here and you get to wear the Maple Leaf and compete for a spot, it’s an honour.”
From this week-long development camp at Calgary’s WinSport Winter Sports Institute that began July 29, three full Hockey Canada teams will be selected in time for the World U17 Hockey Challenge Oct. 30-Nov. 7 in Dawson Creek/Ft. St. John, B.C. The Canadian teams will be joined by teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
Canada’s U17 development camp was divided into six teams; Red, White, Black, Gold, Green and Blue.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward who racked up 25 goals and 31 assists in 54 games with Edge Mountaineers Midget Prep team last season, skated on a Team Gold line at an Aug. 1 camp session with Liam Stevens of Waterdown, Ont. and Greg Meireles of Ottawa.
“We’re just trying to educate these kids on how Hockey Canada works. How the process is. The Canadian way,” said Team Gold head coach Mitch Love, who coaches the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. “How do you conduct yourself off the ice? How are you with a group of kids in a short-term situation? You’re dealing with kids from Quebec, the Maritimes, Ontario and the Western League. How quickly can you bond?”
You have to stand out on the ice as well. At the Aug. 1 Team Gold U17 camp session, there were seven coaches skating on the ice with the players, two more Hockey Canada officials on the players’ bench and others monitoring from the stands.
“There’s obviously quite a bit of, I wouldn’t say pressure, but expectations on yourself that you want to do well. There’s obviously people watching. You’re competing for a spot,” Anderson-Dolan related. “But once you’re on the ice you don’t really notice at all. You get in the zone and you’re just playing hockey again. You’re going back to a kid just playing on the pond. You don’t really look up in the stands and see any people. It’s pretty easy once you’re out there.”
And that makes it easier for development coaches like Love to teach.
“He’s a very mature young man. He has a bright future ahead of him,” Love assessed. “He’s done a great job so far at this camp.”
At 15 years old, turning 16 next month, Anderson-Dolan has a lot of elite hockey ahead, including a Spokane Chiefs training camp later this month and a chance to play for one of three Team Canada squads at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in November. What would he tell younger players trying to advance?
“I’d just tell them to keep working hard. Nothing’s given in the hockey world. Everybody here has earned their chance to compete for a spot on the U17 team,” he said. “Just work hard and keep doing the same thing every day. Get better every day. You want to improve your skills and get better.”
15-year-old forward (centre) 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Trying out for Hockey Canada U17
2014-15 Edge Mountaineers Midget Prep, CSSHL
25 goals, 31 assists in 54 games
5 regular-season games, 1 playoff game with WHL Spokane Chiefs
