CALGARY – Hockey Canada announced on Tuesday the 57 players who have been invited to the National Women’s Under-19 Program evaluation camp, July 22-29 at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary.

The players were selected by Hockey Canada to be part of the Under-19 program based on evaluations done by Wally Kozak, head scout for the National Women’s Program, along with his regional scouts during the 2006-07 season. These evaluations included performances with their respective club teams, along with the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, YT.

Thirty-four of the players selected to attend the camp are eligible to represent Canada at the inaugural IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship, to be held in Canada in January 2008. Hockey Canada will use this camp to help select 22 players who will make up the National Women’s Under-18 Team for an exhibition series vs. the USA’s National Women’s Under-18 Team in Ottawa, ON from August 23-26.

The remaining 23 players (1989 birthdays) will be evaluated and considered for a spot on the National Women’s Under-22 Team, which will travel to Lake Placid, NY for a three-game exhibition series vs. the USA’s National Women’s Under-22 Team from August 23-26.

Fifty-six of the players invited to camp represented their province at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in March, including 13 members of the gold medal-winning Team Ontario.

“This is an exciting place to be – starting our National Women’s Under 18 Program and preparing to participate in the inaugural IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship,” says Julie Healy, director of female hockey for Hockey Canada. “What a tremendous opportunity this is for the athletes and staff. The opportunity this presents to continue to grow the female game in every part Canada is invaluable.”

National Women’s Under-19 Program Evaluation Camp – Breakdown by Branch

BC Hockey – 7 (Pattenden, Cruickshank, Fratkin, Kromm, Gallo, Lok, McDonald)

Hockey Alberta – 5 (Maschmeyer, Ramsay, Schols, Watt, Colborne)

Saskatchewan Hockey Association – 5 (Herman, Ptolemy, Gillanders, Rossler, Wiebe)

Hockey Manitoba – 8 (Brian, Hewett, Morrison, Wauer, Bram, Frykas, Karpenko, Miles)

Ontario Women’s Hockey Association – 11 (Plenderleith, Watchorn, Bendus, Deluce, Jenner, Johnston, McIntosh, Prevost, Spooner, Wakefield, White)

Hockey Quebec – 10 (Garcia, Blain, Rougeau, Suc, Baribeau-Rondeau, Bélanger-Cournoyer, Dumais, Emond, Oles, Poulin)

Hockey Nova Scotia – 3 (Haverstock, Brophy, Wong)

Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador – 2 (Davis, Wakeham)

Hockey New Brunswick – 3 (Murphy, Doucet, Roy)

Hockey PEI – 1 (O’Donnell)

Hockey North – 2 (Daigneault, Rivest)

For more information on Hockey Canada and the National Women’s Program, go to www.hockeycanada.ca.