It has been almost 10 years since a North Bay Battalion player put on the maple leaf for the World Junior Hockey Championships which take place annually during the Christmas break.
Battalion goaltender Dom DiVincentiis and defenceman Ty Nelson are two players that are on the radar for Team Canada's World Junior team for the event that starts on Boxing Day in Sweden this holiday season.
Hockey Canada released its training camp roster in early December last year.
Ryan Oulahen, the Battalion head coach, believes the possibility has not created a distraction as the announcement approaches.
"I think the guys are extremely focused in here, I don't worry too much about that. It really is the next game, the next weekend and taking things day by day," said Oulahen during Wednesday's media conference.
"You don't want to forecast and get too far ahead of yourself but in saying that I certainly hope that when I turn on the TV on Boxing Day we have got a couple of Battalion players involved in that, and that would be unbelievable and an amazing accomplishment."
DiVincentiis, the reigning OHL Goalie of the Year and Jets prospect along with Kraken prospect Ty Nelson were among 45 under-20 players from across Canada were selected to take part in the Under-20 Hockey Canada summer meeting in August.
The players were involved in virtual meetings that covered a variety of topics, including education on the Program of Excellence, sport safety presentations, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with the Hockey Canada management group.
See related: Battalion stars attend Hockey Canada World Junior summer meeting
See related: Nick Paul scores as Team Canada wins World Junior Gold
The last Battalion player to compete for Team Canada at the World Juniors was Nick Paul, as he captured gold with a stacked Team Canada roster in 2015, which included current NHL stars Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Josh Morrissey and Bo Horvat.
A pair of North Bay area goaltenders have captured gold with Team Canada's World Junior team including Corbeil's Ben Gaudreau last year and Colton Point in 2018.
