May 17, 1996
NR.042

CROSS-COUNTRY NATIONAL MEN'S TEAM TRY-OUTS

CALGARY - Canadian Hockey announced today that the national men's team coaching staff will take to the road once again to conduct four evaluation camps across the country with the goal of selecting players for the squad's main try-out camp this coming September.

National team coaches Tom Renney and Mike Johnston will begin their talent search in Halifax from May 20 to 23 at the New Forum Complex. The duo, which has spent more time on the road than at home in Calgary since last September, will then hold their second camp at the Ice Corral in Caledon, Ontario from May 24-27. The third camp will be at College Brebeuf in Montreal from May 28-31, and wrapping-up with the last camp at Jemini-4 Arena in Saskatoon from June 4-7.

"Our first series of evaluation camps last year were quite successful in identifying players for our national team program," said national team head coach Tom Renney, who just returned from a silver-medal performance at the 1996 World Championship in Vienna. "We signed three players directly out of our evaluation camps in 1995 (Patrick Thompson, Bryan Muir and Dale McTavish) and another five eventually made our team after the September training camp (David Matsos, Derek Cormier, Dany Bousquet, Jeff MacLeod and Rob Leask)."

Renney is expecting the same kind of success from the 1996 camps that has produced players who eventually signed National Hockey League contracts for the up-coming season.

"The national team program provides an excellent environment for players to develop as professional athletes," said national team coach Mike Johnston. "We have a schedule of over 50 domestic and international games, including such prestigious tournaments as the Deutschland Cup in Germany, the Spengler Cup in Switzerland, Russia's Izvestia Cup and Sweden's Globen Cup."

Canadian Hockey invited players through recommendations from players agents, member branches, and coaches with Canadian and American universities, the Canadian Hockey League and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

The 1996-97 National Team evaluation camps are as follows:

May 20 - 23, New Forum Complex in Halifax, Nova Scotia -
May 24 - 27, Ice Corral in Caledon, Ontario -
May 28 - 31, College Brebeuf in Montreal -
June 4 - 7, Jemini-4 Arena in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan -