If everything goes according to plan, Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Caelan Fitzpatrick will soon receive his first taste of international hockey.
Fitzpatrick was among 63 players from across the Canadian Junior Hockey League to receive an invite for the World Junior A Challenge selection camps beginning Dec. 5 in Cornwall, Ont.
The 19-year-old forward will join 31 players from the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) in attempting to represent Team Canada West in the five-team tournament beginning Dec. 11.
Fitzpatrick was traded to the two-time defending Centennial Cup champion Brooks Bandits of the AJHL this past August and has put together a solid start to the 2021-22 campaign with 11 goals and 27 points in 29 games.
He suited up for the SJHL champion Estevan Bruins last season and scored 28 goals and 48 points in 57 games before adding another four goals and eight points in 15 playoff contests.
Prior to cracking the junior hockey ranks, Fitzpatrick played two seasons with Prairie Hockey Academy, putting up 18 goals and 37 points with the U16 Prep Cougars in 2018-19. He followed that campaign with an impressive season with the Moose Jaw AAA Warriors, finishing third in team scoring with 16 goals and 45 points in 44 games before leading the team with a goal and 10 points in their run to the league final.
The World Junior A Challenge features Hockey Canada teams from West and East taking on teams from Sweden, the United States and Latvia. The crew from Latvia is using the event as a tune-up for the World Junior Hockey Championship beginning Boxing Day in Halifax.
Team Canada will play two intrasquad games between West and East before the rosters are named on Dec. 7.
Canada West opens their event on Sunday, Dec. 11 against the United States before taking on Canada East on Monday, Dec. 12, Latvia on Wednesday, Dec. 14 and Sweden on Thursday, Dec. 15.
The playoff round begins Saturday, Dec. 17 followed by the medal games on Sunday, Dec. 18.
The WJAC hasn’t been held since 2019, with the tournaments in 2021 and 2020 cancelled due to the pandemic. Canada West has won the second-most medals in tournament history with five gold, three silver and two bronze since the event’s inception in 2006.
