For a select handful of Penguins prospects, last week's development camp was only the start of their summer hockey season.
On Wednesday, Hockey Canada extended invitations to 40 players to represent their home and native land at the World Junior Showcase, including Calen Addison, Justin Almeida and Jordy Bellerive.
The four-nation tournament -- which includes Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland -- will be held July 28-Aug. 4 in Kamloops, B.C. From those 40 campers, Hockey Canada will begin the evaluation process for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship to be held at the end of December in Vancouver. Canada and the U.S. will ice two teams in the tournament.
Addison, a defenseman for Lethbridge of the WHL, was the Penguins' second-round pick (53rd overall) in the June 22-23 draft in Dallas.
Almeida, a center with Moose Jaw in the WHL, was Pittsburgh's fifth-round pick (129th overall).
They will be joined by Bellerive, a forward for Lethbridge, who was signed last summer as an undrafted free agent after turning heads at last year's development camp. The World Junior Showcase will mark Bellerive's return to the ice after suffering serious burns in a fire-pit explosion on June 15.
During last week's camp at the Lemieux Sports Complex, Penguins Director of Player Development Scott Young reiterated that the organization expected Bellerive to make a full recovery.
Bellerive is not only Addison's teammate, but he's also Almeida's friend, both having grown up in British Columbia.
Those three prospects will be joined in Kamloops by Filip Hallander, the Penguins' other second round pick (58th overall) in this year's draft. Hallander will represent his native Sweden.
Canada won last year's IIHF World Junior Championship by beating Sweden 3-1 in the gold medal game in Buffalo. On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced that Tim Hunter, Almeida's coach at Moose Jaw, will serve as head coach in Vancouver. One of his assistants will be Brent Kisio, who coaches Addison and Bellerive, in Lethbridge.
