Four Bonnyville Pontiacs selected to Junior Club World Cup tournament squad in Russia

Marc Benoit scores in a regular season game last season. Benoit along with Daine Dubois, Jeremy Gervais, and Josh Kroon are current Bonnyville Pontiacs picked to play for the AJHL team at the Junior Club World Cup in August. Image provided by Game Ready Photography.

The AJHL all-star team heading to Sochi, Russia to play in the Junior Club World Cup in August will feature four Bonnyville Pontiacs.

Marc Benoit, Daine Dubois, Jeremy Gervais, and newcomer Josh Kroon were picked by Pontiacs head coach and general manager Rick Swan and Camrose Kodiaks coach Boris Rybalka for the tournament.

“We obviously have very good players in Bonnyville. To have Daine Dubois, Marc Benoit, and Jeremy Gervais they are some of the top players in the league that we think can benefit the team AJHL with Hockey Canada,” said coach Rick Swan.

“We picked up newcomer Josh Kroon with the Calgary Mustangs as they abolish their team this year, their players were available to different teams and we were lucky to get Josh in there and he was already in those conversations with the Calgary Mustangs.”

The CJHL chose the AJHL to represent the league for this season, but it will likely rotate each year, making this opportunity a rare one for the players and coaching staff.

Teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Switzerland and the United States will compete for the title. The only Canadian team to win the tournament is the Sudbury Wolves in 2013.

“Really, it’s the equivalent of the best club teams in eight different countries in the world to come to Russia, sponsored by the KHL, and an opportunity for those guys to see the best European talent as well as the North American contingent with us and the United States,” said Swan.

Among the four Pontiacs, four Sherwood Park Crusaders and three Spruce Grove Saints were selected.

The defending national champions Brooks Bandits have no representation on the team because of other commitments, said Swan.

“Number one, we better have ability with our players, but we better have the best character kids. That sort of molded our focus in terms of what we wanted to accomplish. We want to play fast. We want players with a high IQ and the intangible of playing the AJHL way and the Canadian way.

“And making sure their character was beyond reproach for those 15 days in Russia, which is going to be unique for everybody to do,” said Swan.

The AJHL team will first travel to Moscow for a mini-camp and exhibition game, before heading to Sochi for tournament play August 23-31.

“We think we have a chance to go there and not only participate in the tournament, but show the pride that we have to represent the AJHL and be competitive against the best teams in the world.”