Regina Poduct invited to Canda World Junior Selection Camp
Regina's JC Lipon, a 19-year-old Kamloops Blazers star, was invited to the Canadian junior team selection camp, Dec. 10-13 in Calgary. The 2013 world junior championship is to begin Dec. 26 in Ufa, Russia.
"Over Christmas, (watching world juniors) is what everyone does in Canada, especially in Saskatchewan," Lipon said from Kamloops. "There are those memories of (former Regina Pats star and Team Canada stalwart) Jordan Eberle and what not.
"(Getting invited) is definitely crazy and surreal, but it's just one step. I've still got to make the team to kind of make it all worthwhile, but it's definitely a great opportunity."
Lipon, who's tied for the WHL scoring lead with 55 points, is one of two Saskatchewan-born players invited to the selection camp. The other is Weyburn's Derrick Pouliot, a defenceman with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Everett Silvertips defence-man Ryan Murray, a product of White City, is unavailable due to a shoulder injury.
"There's a lot of firepower up front," Lipon noted. "A big thing for me is I've got to be defensively reliable. I'm going to focus on that a lot, but not change my game too much. I just have to play my gritty offensive game and also be really good in the defensive zone ...
"The top two lines are there, but there's a lot of other jobs that need to be taken care of. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get a job on that team."
JC played his entire minor hockey in Regina. He played in the former Sharks and Hawks zone before playing 2 seasons in Bantam Tier 1 with the Canucks. JC played 1 season with the Midget AAA Pat Canadians before moving on to the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers.
JC represented Canada at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, but that's his lone experience wearing the maple leaf. He earned the invitation to the junior team's camp thanks to his blazing start to the 2012-13 season.
