Ten-year-old Nash Brand from Westlock has been selected by Team Brick Alberta to compete in the upcoming Brick Invitational youth hockey tournament in Edmonton from June 30 to July 6.
The Brick Invitational is hosted each year with 14 teams from across North America at West Edmonton Mall, and features some of the top hockey talent for 9- and 10-year-olds throughout the continent.
“It feels good and (my teammates) appreciate that I made it,” says Nash. “I’m excited but a little nervous.”
Nash has been playing hockey since he was three years old and is a proven goal scorer.
One of Nash’s favourite memories of the game is a tournament he played last year in Las Vegas, where his team won gold and he scored the winner in overtime. Four of Nash’s teammates from the team that played in Vegas were also selected to compete in the Brick Invitational.
Connor McDavid is Nash’s favourite player because of his playmaking skills.
Several National Hockey League players have participated in the Brick Hockey program, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Steven Stamkos, Morgan Reilly, Brent Seabrook and PK Subban.
“Out of the Brick roster sheet, (Nash) is the only one that’s really from our area,” says Chris Brand, Nash’s dad. “The only other kid that’s made the Brick Team from the Westlock area I know of is Jaden Senkoe and that was quite a few years ago.”
Senkoe, born in Westlock in 2001, currently plays in France with third division team Villard-de-Lans, having also played for the Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and Mount Royal University in Calgary.
Several hockey players from Westlock have played in the NHL, including Kyle Chipchura, Brent Regner, Greg Polis and Rollie Boutin as well as Cade McNally who currently plays professionally for the Tulsa Oilers in the East Coast Hockey League.
Team Brick Alberta will play several games at the tournament against teams from Manitoba, Chicago, Toronto, Pennsylvania, Montreal and Connecticut. The tournament is structured in a round-robin format with the top teams advancing to a playoff system with three rounds eventually leading to the final.
Nash was selected from a pool of 120 of the best young players in Alberta competing for 17 spots, making his achievement all the more impressive.
“Nash Brand was superb at the tryout,” said Team Brick general manager Jason Ncholetts in a press release following Nash’s selection. “He not only showed he has the skill to be a top hockey prospect but also demonstrated great leadership and passion on and off the ice.”
