Roobroeck, Czata, Gravelle selected to U-17 squad
The Niagara IceDogs will be well represented at the upcoming 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge set to take place Nov. 2-11 in Charlottetown and Summerside, PEI.
Forwards Ryan Roobroeck and Ethan Czata have been selected as well as Niagara goaltending prospect Isaac Gravelle, who is having a standout rookie season with the Port Colborne Sailors of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Roobroeck, a 16-year-old London native, has two goals and two assists in nine games for the IceDogs this season after being chosen second overall in the 2023 Ontario Hockey League draft.
Czata, a 16-year-old native of Brampton, has a pair of assists in eight games. The centre was selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2023 OHL draft.
Gravelle, who hails from Fenwick, was the first Niagara player chosen in the draft when the Oshawa Generals selected him in the second round (27th) overall. The 16-year-old backstop has a 3.31 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in six games with the Sailors.
“It’s exciting. It will be fun,” Gravelle said.
The players chosen to represent their country were selected by Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB), U17 head scout, and Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake/Erie Otters), U17 lead with the Program of Excellence management group, with assistance from regional scouts Rob Simpson (Ontario/London Knights), Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Darren Sutherland (Atlantic) and Darrell Woodley (Ontario/OHL Central Scouting).
“This summer we took the first step in introducing 66 young athletes to our Program of Excellence, which included preparations for short-term international competition,” said Benoit Roy, senior manager of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. “We are grateful for the commitment and input from our support staff to ensure our teams are ready for competition starting Nov. 2. We couldn’t be more excited for the 44 players we have selected to represent Canada at this prestigious tournament and believe they will give us the best chance to compete for a gold medal.”
The Canadian squads are in action on opening day, Nov. 2. Canada White hosts Czechia at Credit Union Place in Summerside at 12 p.m. AT, followed by Canada Red facing Finland at 7 p.m. AT at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown. Red and White will meet in the lone all-Canadian matchup in the preliminary round on Nov. 3 in Summerside.
The following are the 17 OHL players selected:
Team Canada Red
Goaltenders
Isaac Gravelle (Oshawa Generals/Port Colborne, GOJHL)
Defencemen
Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm)
Forwards
Ryan Brown (Sarnia Sting)
Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds)
Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs)
Luca Romano (Kitchener Rangers)
Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs)
Team Canada White
Goaltenders
Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga Steelheads)
Defencemen
Carson Cameron (Peterborough Petes)
Cameron Reid (Kitchener Rangers)
Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters)
Rylan Singh (Guelph Storm)
Forwards
Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs)
Owen Griffin (Oshawa Generals)
Tyler Hopkins (Kingston Frontenacs)
Jack Nesbitt (Windsor Spitfires)
Wesley Royston (Erie Otters)
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 5,400 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
