Luke Woodworth (right) playing at the 2021 Hockey Canada Summer Showcase in Calgary, AB. Photo: Summitted Photo
Bridgewater native Luke Woodworth recently attended the Hockey Canada U18 Summer Showcase in Calgary. The event serves as an opportunity for some of the top young talent to work with the nation’s best coaches. It also allows Team Canada staff a chance to scout prospects for future national team rosters.
Woodworth was one of only two Nova Scotians invited to the event with the other being defencemen Jake Furlong of Upper Tantallon.
Woodworth reflected on his performance in Calgary with a positive outlook, “It took me a few days to get fully geared up but during the last couple days I think I was able to show the coaches what I have to offer,” Woodworth said.
The event incorporates some drills and skill development exercises along with competitive games that let coaches see what the players have to offer.
Woodworth played one game with Team Robitaille and registered two assists in a 7-2 win.
“The camp wrapped up last week and now we expect to hear some sort of update from the staff over the next few weeks,”.
Typically the Summer Showcase is used to select a team for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup but Team Canada are not participating this year due to COVID-19 concerns and instead, the next tournament players will be looking to get called up for is the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.
So while Woodworth and other players wait to hear back from Team Canada most will be gearing up to return to action with their Junior teams.
Woodworth is coming off a successful debut season in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in which he racked up four goals and sixteen assists in 34 games.
He’s now gearing up to return to the team later this summer and he’s particularly excited about some of this year’s road trips, “We weren’t able to come to the Maritimes last year because of the pandemic but this year we have two maritime trips planned so I’m really looking forward to playing back home again and getting some of my friends and family out to watch,” he said.
Drummondville will be playing two games in Nova Scotia as part of the QMJHL regular season with the first coming on December 9 against the Halifax Mooseheads they then head to Cape Breton to play the Screaming Eagles on December 11.
