Alex Graham, Jack Hopkins, and Liam Steele have been included in Great Britain’s roster for the 2023 IIHF Under 20s World Championship.
Team GB will face Lithuania, Croatia, Romania, Spain, and the Netherlands in the six-team Division II, Group A competition, held in Kaunas.
Martin Grubb’s side will open their round robin campaign versus Lithuania on Sunday 11 December, before finishing the tournament the following Saturday [17 December] against Spain.
“We have a very good group of players who all give us different options. We feel we have good skating ability, skill and speed, along with a good mix of youth and experience,” head coach Grubb explained.
“The process to select the team has been thorough and the staff have watched games and video footage, as well as speaking to coaches throughout the leagues. When you go to these tournaments you need to make sure you have a group that can play different roles and cope with the demands of tournament hockey. We are happy with the balance within our group and their suitability to play in different situations.”
Team GB’s squad features prospects who have previously represented the national team, including Archie Hazeldine of the Nottingham Panthers and Carter Hamill of the Leeds Knights.
Many of Team Great Britain’s U20 players previously featured for the U18s (Image: Catherine Kortsmik)
Also of note: Grubb’s roster includes 15 players based in the UK, three in the United States, three in Canada, and one in Finland.
He added: “As with every team we pick, there are some very good players who have been unlucky to miss out, but that just shows the depth we have. Our long list is strong should we need to call anyone into this team and I think we have also planned for the future with the names on the full squad.
“Thank you to all the players for their efforts and commitment to the programme and we are excited to get going with this team in Lithuania.”
Team Great Britain, U20 Roster:
Netmidners: Daniel Crowe (Nashville Spartans), Ben Norton (Columbia Infantry)
Defencemen: Kell Beattie (Solway Sharks/Belfast Giants), Aren Francis (New Hampshire Avalanche), Archie Hazeldine (Nottingham Panthers/Leeds Knights), Callum McGill (Elliot Lake Red Wings), Rhodes Mitchell-King (Coventry Blaze/Telford Tigers), Liam Steele (Chilliwack Chiefs), Jacob White-Sey (Bristol Pitbulls/Slough Jets)
Forwards: Oliver Endicott (IPK U20), Alex Graham (Sheffield Steelers/Sheffield Steeldogs), Carter Hamill (Leeds Knights), Bayley Harewood (Cardiff Devils/Telford Tigers), Jack Hopkins (Nottingham Panthers), Jonathan McBean (Dundee Stars/Solway Sharks), Zaine McKenzie (Milton Keynes Lightning), Christian Mohr (Bristol Pitbulls/Slough Jets), Sean Morris (Bristol Pitbulls), Logan Neilson (Olds Grizzlys), Tate Shudra (Leeds Knights), Mack Stewart (Belfast Giants/Milton Keynes Lightning), Sam Watkins (Telford Tigers)
Team Great Britain, U20 Fixtures:
Sunday 11 December .vs. Lithuania (14:00)
Tuesday 13 December .vs. Croatia (14:00)
Wednesday 14 December .vs. Romania (10:30)
Friday 16 December .vs. Netherlands (14:00)
Saturday 17 December .vs. Spain (10:30)
All fixtures are to be played at Kaunas Ice Palace, Lithuania.
