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Ottawa Citizen

The kids are alright: NL Regiment rookies shine at Team Canada camp

Article content While he wasn't able to pry himself away from training camp preparations to be able to catch the action in person, Newfoundland Regiment head coach Gordie Dwyer couldn't help but smirk every time his phone lit up over the last few days with messages from folks who were impressed with the performances from the trio of Regiment rookies trying to make a name for themselves at Hockey Canada's U17 selection camp this past week. Article content Article content Newfoundland natives Ben Veitch and Quinn Norman joined their new teammate and fellow 2025 QMJHL first-rounder Phenwick Maclean in Oakville, Ontario and made the most of their opportunity to strut their stuff in front of Hockey Canada brass just weeks ahead of the Regiment's inaugural training camp. Article content Article content Article content Upwards of 80 of the country's top U17 players were split into four teams and competed in a series of exhibition games as Hockey Canada officials deliberated which players would represent the country at the 2025 U17 World Hockey Challenge coming up in October in Truro, N.S. Article content Article content All three Regiment players made strong cases for themselves, as each of them found the back of the net during the three-game mini-tournament. Article content Article content St. John's native Veitch arguably turned the most heads, thanks in large part to his hulking size and strength on the puck and a tidy four-point game to start his tournament, including two goals and two assists. Article content 'Look at Ben Veitch on his first day,' Dwyer said, his tone almost like a proud father. 'He had a great day on the score sheet.' Article content As the lone defender to represent the Regiment, Dwyer was quite impressed with the two-way play of the smooth-skating Quinn Norman, who finished camp with a goal and an assist. Article content 'For a lot of these guys, that's the first time playing amongst the elite level players in the country, and the first opportunity for all of them to be able to size each other up. Not only did our players perform well, not only did Hockey Canada take notice, but I'm sure that the rest of the players took notice of those guys as well.'