The South Okanagan will be well represented this year when 20 of B.C.’s top junior hockey players head to Alberta for the Western Hockey League Cup.
Penticton’s Mathis Preston and twins Liam and Markus Ruck from Osoyoos have been named to Team BC for the 2023 edition of the tournament, which will also feature U16 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Red Deer, Alta. hosts the event from Oct. 17 to 21.
It’s been an eventful year for Preston, who was selected third overall by the Spokane Chiefs at the WHL Draft in May.
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The Ruck brothers, meanwhile, also heard their names called in the first round of the draft.
The Medicine Hat Tigers selected the duo with the ninth and 21st pick, respectively.
All three forwards, 15, have played at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton since 2020.
They are among the 12 forwards and 20 total players to crack this year’s edition of Team BC.
“It was a difficult process getting the roster down to just 20 players since there is so much talent throughout B.C. and Yukon,” said Fred Zweep, Commissioner of BC Hockey’s Program of Excellence. “We are excited to see this group of players compete in Red Deer at the WHL Cup and continue their hockey development.”
Team BC will be led by head coach Jason Becker, a WHL defenceman from 1991 to 1995.
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