A local hockey player has taken his first step towards what could one day be a spot on Canada's national hockey team.
Konrad Sander, a left winger for the Squamish Bantam Rep Eagles, was one of 20 players selected to play on the BC Amateur Hockey Association's Best Ever 2005 Male Under 16 Cup team as part of the Greater Vancouver squad.
"He's recognized as one of the top 16-year-olds for this zone," said Gunnar Henrikson, the head coach for the team. "I would say for Konrad, this is a great stepping stone."
He was selected from around 60 players who tried out for the team. Other Bantam Rep Eagles who tried out for the team are goalie Brett Miller, centre Hunter Nelson, defenceman Dylan Ackerman, and right-winger Kyle Marquette.
Henrikson said Sander was selected for the team for his size, being aggressive in the corners, having responsible ice positioning and finishing his checks.
"He stood out because he was doing that," Henrikson said. "He stood out physically. He basically showed skill. In the end he was one of the boys selected."
The selection process took three days, which were filled with drill evaluations. On the last day, players were put into a game situation and further evaluated. The U16 program is the precursor for the BC Best Ever Under-17 program, which in turn identifies and trains players for provincial, regional and national teams.
"This is basically the first step of the national program," Henrikson said. "For a boy from Squamish it's awesome that he made the team."
"It was really tough," said Sander about the tryout process. "There was lots of skating and drills.
He commended his fellow Rep Eagles who tried out for the team, including Miller, the goalie. "He's a pretty good goalie. He has kept us in a lot of games this year," Sander said.
"The rest of them are really good players. They can all put the puck in the net."
Sander has longer-term hockey goals as well. He would like to maybe play major junior at some point. He has played spring hockey with Hollyburn in West Vancouver for the last four years, and attended hockey schools including Edge of Excellence, Okanagan Hockey School and Squamish Hockey School.
But in the meantime, he has to prepare for the upcoming BC Cup April 14 to 17 in Salmon Arm. With the Greater Vancouver team, he will face the rest of the 160 top hockey players in the province.
Scouts from the Western Hockey League and the BC Hockey League are going to be there, Henrikson said.
"The whole tournament is very competitive."
