Rosters and Staff Named for 2015 WHL U.S. Combine Camp
April 7, 2015 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
Calgary, AB - The WHL announced today the rosters and staff for the 2015 WHL U.S. Combine Camp which will be held at the Anaheim Ice Facility in Anaheim, CA from April 17-19, 2015.
Powered by Under Armour, the combine marks the 10th consecutive year the WHL has hosted a camp focusing on U.S.-born prospects. The WHL U.S. Combine Camp in Anaheim will provide a unique opportunity for U.S.-born hockey players to participate with other top-ranked 2000-born players in the only evaluation camp conducted by the WHL in the U.S. this season.
Four teams of U.S.-born WHL prospects will participate in a WHL Combine and team practice on Day 1 followed by a total of three games split between Days 2 and 3. All players will also have the opportunity to participate in a WHL information session.
Steve Hamilton (Head Coach, Edmonton Oil Kings), Don Hay (Head Coach, Kamloops Blazers), Mike Williamson (Head Coach, Tri-City Americans) and Bob Woods (Head Coach/General Manager, Saskatoon Blades) will run the benches for the Combine Camp's four teams.
Hamilton recently completed his first season as head coach of the Oil Kings after he won the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup as an assistant coach with the Club last year. Hay is second in WHL history with 637 career wins, a two-time WHL Coach of the Year and a four-time MasterCard Memorial Cup Champion. Williamson recently completed his first season as head coach of the Americans, but has been a head or assistant coach in the WHL for each of the past 19 years and has earned both a MasterCard Memorial Cup and WHL Championship along the way. Woods capped off his first season at the helm of the Blades this year after he spent the previous five years as an assistant coach with the NHL's Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks.
Duane Barley (Prince Albert Raiders) and Graham Watt (Saskatoon Blades) will attend the camp to provide equipment and athletic therapy services throughout while WHL Officials Reid Anderson and Bryce Sebastian will also officiate the event to WHL standards.
The WHL represents the highest level of amateur hockey for junior-aged players in Canada and is a leading supplier of player talent to the National Hockey League and Canadian university hockey. Virtually all of the WHL's 22 Member Clubs will be in attendance to evaluate players' ability to play at the WHL level. The WHL U.S. Combine Camp also features an information session where players and their families will learn about the benefits of playing in the WHL and details on the WHL Scholarship program.
The WHL U.S. Combine Camp is open only to U.S. residents born in 2000, who live in the Western United States (all U.S. States west of the Mississippi River and Alaska). Of the over 40 U.S.-born players currently on WHL rosters, the majority attended a WHL U.S. Prospects Camp in previous years.
Players in attendance at the Camp will also be able to access results from the combine portion of the event through a database and compare their results with players in their age group as well as those currently playing at the WHL level. The testing will be conducted by Toronto-based Sport Testing Inc., a world leader in athlete testing systems.
Western Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2015
- Rosters and Staff Named for 2015 WHL U.S. Combine Camp - WHL
- Hitmen's Adam Tambellini Named CHL Player of the Week - WHL
- Tickets for Game 1 and 4 in Medicine Hat Available to Ticket Holders - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Sarthou Named to Team USA for IIHF U-18 Tournament - Tri-City Americans
- Hitmen Advance to Round 2 After 6-2 Game 7 Victory - Calgary Hitmen
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