Lipon makes Team Canada

Regina product JC Lipon, of the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, was one of 23 players selected to the Canadian world junior team on Thursday. The selection means Lipon will be spending Christmas in Ufa, Russia, as a member of Canada's team at the 2013 IIHF world junior hockey championship.

"It should be pretty crazy, but my parents (Jason and Shelley) are coming to Russia and that should make it pretty special,'' the 19-year-old Lipon said Thursday from Calgary, site of the Canadian junior team selection camp.

A total of 36 players arrived in Calgary on Monday for the selection camp. The prospects had one practice, one intrasquad game and two exhibition games to prove themselves, if they weren't among the five players cut on Wednesday. The compressed schedule meant Lipon had to be prepared for an extended period on the road if he was named to the world junior team. Lipon and the Canadian team are to leave Saturday for a training camp in Finland that includes two pre-tournament games in Helsinki.

Lipon is one of five representatives from the WHL, including Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Morgan Rielly, who have been named to the national team. The other WHL players are defence-man Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Tyler Wotherspoon (Portland) and forward Ty Rattie (Portland). The OHL led the way with 11 players on the world junior team

Regina has been well represented on the World Junior scene since the inception of Team Canada in 1982.

Regina¦s representatives on Team Canada:
2013  JC Lipon
2010  Jordan Eberle
2009  Jordan Eberle
2008  Riley Holzapfel, Curtis Hunt (Assistant Coach)
2007  Curtis Hunt (Assistant Coach)
2005  Ryan Getzlaf
2004  Ryan Getzlaf, Josh Harding
2003  Boyd Gordon
2002  Garth Murray
1991  Mike Sillinger
1985  John Miner
1982  Garth Butcher