Brett Connolly is back in the mix to make Team Canada's under-20 team for the 2012 IIHF world junior hockey championship.
The 19-year-old Prince George Cougars forward has been invited to Hockey Canada's Sport Chek summer development camp in Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Aug. 3-7.
The camp is the first step in identifying players for Canada's national team for the world junior tournament, to be held Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 5, 2012, in Calgary and Edmonton.
The performance of the players in the camp and in the first three months of the 2011-12 season will be monitored by Kevin Prendergast, Hockey Canada's head scout for the men's program of excellence, and that will determine who will make the list for the final team selection camp in December. From that group, 22 players will be selected.
Connolly was a first-round choice of the Tampa Bay Lightning (sixth overall) in the 2010 NHL entry draft. As an 18-year-old, Connolly played in the 2011 WJHC in Buffalo and helped Canada win the silver medal, collecting three assists in seven games.
He rebounded from a hip injury in 2009-10 and led the Cougars in scoring last season, finishing with 46 goals and 27 assists for 73 points in 59 games. The six-foot-two, 190-pound Prince George minor hockey product tied for third for most goals scored in the WHL last season. His .780 goals-per-game average ranked highest in the WHL. In 144 regular season games for the Cats over three seasons he's collected 86 goals and 66 assists for 152 points.
The world junior camp roster includes four goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 26 forwards. There were 13 WHL players among the 46 named to the selection camp.
The other WHL players invited, including age as of Dec. 31, 2011, hometowns, WHL teams they play for, and NHL teams that drafted them (if applicable) are:
Goalie: Tyler Bunz, 19, St. Albert, Alta., Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Edmonton Oilers, 2010, fifth round, 121st overall).
Defencemen: Joe Morrow, 19, Sherwood Park, Alta., Portland Winter Hawks (WHL); Ryan Murray, 18, White City, Sask., Everett Silvertips; Mark Pysyk, 19, Sherwood Park, Alta., Edmonton Oil Kings, Buffalo Sabres, 2010, first round, 23rd overall; Duncan Siemens, 18, Sherwood Park, Alta., Saskatoon Blades (WHL).
Forwards
Brendan Gallagher, 19, Tsawwassen, Vancouver Giants (WHL), Montreal Canadiens, 2010, fifth round, 147th overall; Patrick Holland, 19, Lethbridge, Alta., Tri-City Americans (WHL), Calgary Flames, 2010, seventh round, 193rd overall; *Quinton Howden, 19,Oak Bank, Man., Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), Florida Panthers, 2010, first round, 25th overall; *Ryan Johansen, 19, Port Moody, Portland Winter Hawks (WHL), Columbus Blue Jackets, 2010, first round, fourth overall; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 18, Burnaby, Red Deer Rebels (WHL); Ty Rattie, 18, Airdrie, Alta., Portland Winter Hawks (WHL); Mark Stone, 19, Winnipeg, Brandon What Kings (WHL), Ottawa Senators, 2010, sixth round, 178th overall.
* Indicates returning player.
