A few younger Vancouver Giants players are travelling the continent this month, being given the opportunity to try out at the Hockey Canada nation U-17 and U-18 camps.

G-Men forward Cameron Schmidt is one of 41 players invited to Hockey Canada鈥檚 national men鈥檚 summer under-18 team selection camp, which will run Saturday to Tuesday, July 27 to 30, at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, Alta.

Following this camp, 24 players will be selected to compete for Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which runs Aug. 5 to10 in Edmonton, Alta., and Schmidt is hoping to be among the shortlist again.

This annual summer U18 tournament is the first opportunity for scouts to see NHL draft-eligible prospects in their draft year, 10 months ahead of the draft, explained Giants general manager Barclay Parneta.

"The Vancouver Giants organization is proud to see Cameron earn this opportunity with Hockey Canada,鈥� said Parneta, who last week was also announced as the director of operations for one of the two Canada U17 teams, a role he also held in 2023.

Among the 41 young hockey players invited (13 of which currently play for the Western Hockey League) are 31 skaters and two goaltenders that suited up for Team Canada Red or Team Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, including Schmidt, who scored the golden goal for Canada White last November, potting the overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over the United States. It was Canada's first gold medal at the tournament since 2015.

Schmidt and 16-year-old Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers) 鈥� the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft 鈥� are the only two players invited to selection camp that scored 30 or more goals in their 16-year-old rookie seasons in the CHL.

Schmidt scored 31 goals in 59 games, while McKenna scored 34 times in 61 games.

Canada will open the preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. It will also take on Slovakia and Sweden on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7, respectively, before the tournament concludes with the medal games on Aug. 10.

Playing in Ontario camp this week

In the meantime, Giants 16-year-old skaters Ryan Lin and Brett Olson are two of 80 players invited to Hockey Canada's national under-17 development camp, which is running this week in Oakville, Ont.

Players will continue to be evaluated through the beginning of the 2024-25 season in preparation for the 2024 U17 World Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 1 to 9 in Sarnia, Ont.

"The Vancouver Giants would like to congratulate both Ryan and Brett on earning an invitation to Hockey Canada's U17 development camp,鈥� Parneta said. 鈥淭hey are both excellent young players and we are excited to see them make the most of this opportunity."

Seventeen of the 80 players represented Canada at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, including Lin, 16, who was the Giants first pick in the 2023 Western Hockey League's (WHL) prospects draft, sixth overall.

The right-shot defender made a seamless transition from U15 to U18 prep this past season for Delta Hockey Academy, scoring 10 goals and 32 points in 28 games. He was named a first-team all-star in the CSSHL U18 prep BC/US division, after leading all Delta skaters in scoring, despite being a defenceman.

Lin also played in one regular season and three playoff games for the Giants, where he didn't look out of place at all despite being just 15 years old at the time, Parneta said.

Meanwhile, Olson, also 16, was the Giants eighth overall selection in the 2023 WHL prospects draft and was also a first-team all-star this past season for the St. Albert Raiders in the AEHL.

The right-shot centre registered 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points in 35 games, good for second in league scoring.

Olson was named the top forward in the AEHL, much in part thanks to an impressive 23-game point streak from Nov. 18, 2023 to Feb.17, 2024 鈥� during which he produced 47 points (20G-27A), including three hat-tricks.

Pre-season starts for the 91原创-based on Sept. 7 and 8, in back-to-back games against Victoria. Those games are being hosted in Port Coquitlam, followed by a game Saturday, Sept 14 in Kelowna against the Rockets then a rematch Sept. 15 in Ladner.

Regular season play kicks off on home ice at the 91原创 Events Centre on Friday, Sept. 20, against Seattle.