Duncan’s Matt Ellison is getting a serious look as Hockey Canada prepares for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Ellison, currently skating with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontintenal Hockey League, was one of 26 players named to represent Canada at the Karjala Cup tournament in Finland and Switzerland, running Nov. 8-12.
The tournament will help Hockey Canada evaluate players for the men’s team at the 2018 Olympics — the first games since 1994 that won’t feature NHL players. The Karjala Cup follows the Sochi Hockey Open and Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov, which took place in Russia in August, as major parts of the selection process.
“We are bringing together a group of players who are on our radar for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games as part of our ongoing evaluation process, with the goal of fielding the best possible team next February,” Team Canada general manager Sean Burke related in a Hockey Canada press release. “These 26 players are part of the larger group that is still under consideration for the Olympic team; 10 of these players were not with us in August in Russia, while others who remain under consideration won’t join us next month due either to their being unavailable, or because we feel we already have a good sense of where they could fit with our team.
“As a management group and coaching staff, our priority is putting the best possible team together, and we will continue to evaluate every Canadian player that’s eligible to represent their country at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games to ensure we give ourselves the best possible chance for success in Korea.”
Ellison’s previous experience with Team Canada has been successful, including a gold medal at the 2015 Spengler Cup and a silver at the 2016 Deutschland Cup.
“Obviously, it means a lot to be able to represent Canada,” Ellison said regarding his latest opportunity. “Anytime you get to play for your country and wear the maple leaf is a great pleasure. It’s going to be an amazing week and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Ellison, who played for the junior A Cowichan Valley Capitals from 1999 to 2002, will be joined at the Karjala Cup by another former Cap, defenceman Geoff Kinrade, who skated with the team from 2003 to 2005. Kinrade, who plays in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star in Beijing, also played for Canada at the Sochi Hockey Open in August. Ellison and Kinrade were teammates with Team Canada at the 2016 Deutschland Cup.
Canada’s Karjala Cup team will be coached by former Vancouver Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins. Other notable names on the roster include former Canucks Mason Raymond, Derek Roy and Andrew Ebbett.
Ellison, who will be inducted into the North Cowichan/Duncan Sports Wall of Fame on Nov. 18, has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 28 games with Magnitogorsk so far this season.
“Our season so far has been up and down,” he said in late October. “It’s been a bit of a struggle lately but we have had a few practice days here to work on something and it should be good for us. We’ve got three games left before the break and we are really looking for three solid outings and wins before the break to get a good feeling back and get on a roll in the right direction.”