Two Bantam AA players from the West Island have been invited to participate in a mentorship program hosted by the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
The two West Island Royals teammates, defenceman Michael Campoli and forward Hunter Moreau, will join 40 other bantam-level players selected from across the country to participate in the third-annual Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp hosted by the NHLPA and run by 21-year NHL veteran and Stanley Cup champion Gary Roberts.
Campoli and Moreau, both 15, who have actually been teammates since atom, said they felt privileged when they found out last week they were invited to the camp.
Campoli, who was captain of the Royals and the Lac St-Louis regional squad that won bronze at the Quebec Games this past season, said it’s amazing that he and his longtime teammate are two of only five Quebec players invited to this year’s camp.
“It’s very exciting to know you’re one of the top 42 (bantam players) in Canada,” he said. “It’s really cool we are doing this together. We’ve been on the same team since atom, since we were really young,” Campoli said of himself and Moreau.
Campoli mentioned that their hockey development the past two seasons has been spurred on by Royals head coach Kirk Mullen. “He built up our confidence and gave us leadership roles,” he added.
Moreau, a Grade 9 student enrolled in the sport études program at John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, said the camp will be a great experience and will provide them with good exposure for their hockey development, whether that leads to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League or to a scholarship at an American university.
“This is an incredible thing, to know you are one of the best (bantam players) in Canada after putting in so many hours of hard work,” he said. “It’s basically a dream come true and I just hope that so many doors might open for me for what I can accomplish in hockey. It puts us on the map big time.
“It took me by surprise,” Moreau said of the camp invite. “Four or five years ago, I never thought I’d be in this position and now I’ll take this opportunity with a lot of humbleness, and hope for the best and hope for things to come my way later on.”
The two camp invitees won’t be eligible for the QMJHL draft until 2014. Heading into next season, they hope to crack the Midget AAA Lac St-Louis Lions.
“This camp gives us exposure and it gets your name out there,” Campoli said, adding he has pondered whether he should eventually take the American university route or the QMJHL.
Players attending the five-day mentorship camp will be guided through steps to support budding hockey careers — from appropriate nutrition and fitness to on-ice training and mental skills. The invitation-only camp runs Aug. 6-10 and concludes with an inter-squad exhibition game to be broadcast that same day by TSN.
Previous bantam players invited to the camp include Connor McDavid, who was the first overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League last year, and Nicolas Roy, the top-ranked player heading into Saturday’s QMJHL 2013 draft.
For more information on the camp, check www.allcanadians.com.