Corbeil's Ben Gaudreau and Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen will be trading in their OHL club team colors for the maple leaf this summer.
The two will be participating in Team Canada's National Junior Team summer camp set to take place this July in Calgary.
Ben Gaudreau, who won gold with Team Canada's Under-18 team in 2021, is hoping to be the first North Bay area player to make Team Canada's World Junior squad since Dallas Stars prospect Colton Point did so back in 2016 in Buffalo where Canada won gold.
Gaudreau is one of four goaltenders invited to the Team Canada World Junior summer camp.
"I am definitely trying to push for that team, it is exciting," said Gaudreau about the opportunity earlier this spring.
"Again it is one of those moments you really have to work hard for and I have to keep up my development over the summer, spring and fall. You can't have a slow start to the season, you have to start off hot so it is something I am looking forward to and it's something I can't wait to see if I can make," added Gaudreau who was recently named Sarnia Sting's 2021-22 MVP.
See related: Gaudreau's amazing year
Ryan Oulahen who has had numerous experiences with Team Canada, is one of six experienced CHL coaches as part of the summer camp staff.
Oulahen just completed his second full season as head coach of the North Bay Battalion after being named interim head coach during the 2019-20 campaign. He spent just over two seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Flint Firebirds (2017-18) following six seasons as an assistant coach with Battalion. Oulahen won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, was head coach of Team Canada White at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and twice served as an assistant, with Team Canada Red in 2014 and Team Canada Black in 2015.
Also joining Oulahen behind the bench is former North Bay Centennials assistant coach Jim Hulton, who led his Charlottetown Islanders to the QMJHL finals this season before falling to Shawinigan.
Of note, this July camp is in preparation for the World Junior event during the Christmas holidays and is not connected to the re-scheduled World Junior event taking place this August in Calgary. The 2022 event was pushed to the late summer after COVID-19 cases at the tournament forced organizers to postpone the annual holiday tournament.
