PHOTO COURTESY OF HOCKEY CANADA TWITTER
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Cayden Lindstrom stands between two Team Canada Red players in front of the net during Team Canada White's 4-3 overtime loss against Red on Nov. 6 at the U17 Hockey Challenge in Langley.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
For athletes, getting the chance to represent their country is one of the biggest honours. Medicine Hat Tigers forwards Cayden Lindstrom and Tomas Mrsic return from playing for Canada at the U17 Hockey Challenge in Langley, B.C. full of appreciation.
“It feels great, even just to put on a jersey for the first time, your dream comes true,” Lindstrom said. “Wearing the Maple Leaf means a lot to me and I’ve always wanted to do it since I was a little kid.”
“It meant so much when I saw the No. 23, Mrsic, I was like, wow, that’s a dream come true,” Mrsic said. “Just watching the World Juniors and hopefully I can get there one day.”
Lindstrom played for Canada White who lost out in the round robin, while Mrsic played in the finals for Canada Red, coming home with silver after losing to the United States on Saturday.
Both players were able to get on the scoreboard, with Lindstrom scoring two goals and two assists in six games, and Mrsic adding a goal and an assist in seven games.
The tournament, which also had teams from the U.S., Sweden, Finland and Czechia, was a return to home for Mrsic, who hails from Langley. He says his family and friends made their presence known during his games.
“There was actually a bunch of family, I think like 20 or 30 people and they were all up in a box and I heard them. Then when I scored they were pretty loud,” Mrsic said.
After initially being unselected for the tournament, Lindstrom was named as an injury replacement and surprised Mrsic with the news while on the same flight. Lindstrom says he learned a lot from playing against the talented competition.
“The games were all high paced, lots of skill, obviously there’s all the top (2006-born players) there,” Lindstrom said. “You can just see what we need to do better, what you can to improve against all of the top players there.”
Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer says it was a positive to see both players find success at the tournament and have a chance to represent Canada.
“It was awesome for Mrsic with the silver medal, it’s a big accomplishment and a really cool experience for them,” Frazer said. “To watch Lindy be a late call the day before, he started on the fourth line worked his way up to the first line and first power play. It says a lot about who both those guys are as people and as players.”
Frazer, who is from Brainerd, Minn., says he joked with Mrsic that the U.S. is a tough team to beat.
Both Lindstrom and Mrsic said they learned something from the tournament and are already looking forward to their next opportunity to don the red and white.
“I’m really looking for that (to play for Canada) and I’m going to work to get to the camps there and keep striving for that,” Lindstrom said.
“I gained a lot of confidence there playing against guys my age and just being more comfortable there,” Mrsic said. “When I come back here I’ll be much better.”
Both players will be in the lineup for the Tigers tonight when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings. Medicine Hat will be without defenceman Bogdans Hodass who left after his first shift in the Tigers 5-1 win Saturday in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. Frazer said they’re hopeful he’ll be available for their weekend road trip through Saskatchewan.
The Tigers beat Brandon 5-1 on Oct. 22 when the Wheat Kings were coming off a two-week road trip. Frazer says the Wheat Kings were fast then and will be faster tonight, so the Tigers will need to start on time.
“It’s going to come down to who’s tracking the best, who’s getting above the puck early out of the O-zone. If we can create those turnovers in the neutral zone, both teams want to transition quick, that’s going to be a huge part of which team has success.”
