Natives goaltender Verhelst named to Team West

Details

Published on Friday, November 15, 2013

myWestman.ca

Neepawa Natives rookie netminder Tyson Verhelst was named to the Team West roster that will compete at the upcoming World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. 

Verhelst, 16, from Brandon, has played in eight games thus far for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League club, going 3-4 with a 3.87 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. 

Verhelst, a third round draft pick of the WHL's Spokane Chiefs in 2012, is a former member of the Southwest Cougars midget AAA program.

Wyatt Kalynuk, a 16-year-old blueliner who plays for his hometown Virden Oil Capitals was also named to the roster. 

Two other players of note who made the club are forwards Meyer Nell of Boissevain and Jesse Gabrielle of Brandon. Both players are plying their trades in the Western Hockey League.

Nell currently plays for the Red Deer Rebels, while Gabrielle currently is a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings. 

Team West is comprised of nine Manitoban players and 11 Saskatchewan players born in 1997.  Out of the Manitoban contingent, seven players were named to the U-16 Team Manitoba team last season and eight players are Manitoba Midget Hockey League alumni.  

Team West will be lead behind the bench by Dan Lambert, who is currently an assistant coach of the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. Brent Zelenewich, who works with the Wheat Kings, will be a part of Lambert's staff and will act as the club's goaltender coach. 

The event will feature some of the world’s top 1997-born players from Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Sweden, and United States. In June, there were 77 World under-17 alumni who were selected in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The World U-17 Hockey Challenge takes place Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, 2014 in Cape Breton, NS.

In photo: Tyson Verhelst

Google images

With files from Hockey Manitoba release