Riley Heidt’s trajectory as a national hockey team player continues to skyrocket.
The 17-year-old Prince George Cougars centre has cracked the 23-player roster to play later this week in the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Red Deer, Alta.
In his first full season in the WHL last season, the Saskatoon native led the Cougars in scoring with 21 goals 37 assists and 58 points in 65 games – two points shy of the club record for points by a rookie, set by Brett Connolly in 2009.
Drafted second overall by the Cats in 2020, Heidt continued to produce points in the playoff series against Portland, collecting a goal and two assists in three games.
The Hlikna Gretzky Cup tournament starts Sunday and runs through the following Saturday (Aug. 6). Canada will be on the ice Friday in a pre-tournament game against Finland. Heidt and the Canadians begin the tournament on Sunday at 6 p.m. (PT).
The team also includes defenceman Tanner Molendyk of McBride, 17, who plays for the Saskatoon Blades.
Canada is scheduled to face Slovakia on Tuesday, Aug. 2 (6 p.m. PT) and Sweden on Wednesday, Aug. 3 (6 p.m. PT). Semifinals are set for Friday, Aug. 5 at 4 and 7:30 p.m. PT, with the medal games on Saturday, Aug. 6 – bronze at 11 a.m. PT and gold at 3 p.m. PT.
The games will be televised live on TSN.
Brinson traded to Winnipeg
In other Cougars news, the team on Tuesday announced defenceman Jaren Brinson has been traded to the Winnipeg ICE for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 WHL prospects draft.
Brinson, native of Airdrie, Alta., who turned 18 in May, played 52 games for the Cats in 2021-22 and had two goals, five assists and 23 penalty minutes in his second WHL season.
He was selected by the Cougars in the second round, 36th overall, in the 2019 draft.
