We want to ensure that involvement with Junior Team Canada creates a life experience so these young athletes can assist in furthering the development of the game within their home centers. We also want to have these athletes to have the opportunity to continue to compete and represent Canada for years to come. It provides a solid bridge between the Junior program and the Senior program to compete at the World Ball Hockey Federation (WBHF) Championships.
The World Junior Ball Hockey Championships for the U16, U18 & U20 are held every two years (even years) in various regions. The events are hosted in the month of June and for 2014 all three divisions will be hosted in Budapest, Hungary.
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) has recently named, Mr. Andrew Shaw as the Global Ambassador for the Junior Team Canada program. Our ambassador has experienced the power of sport, and its ability to build essential life skills such as self-esteem, discipline, fair play, respect and teamwork. The Ambassador continues to participate in our great game at the local level of competition.
A little about our Ambassador:
Andrew is a native of Belleville Ontario and has participated in Ball Hockey since he was four years old. His first appearance in the Provincials was on the Belleville Tyke Team. He has participated on some team every year since then. Andrew has received numerous awards from every level of Ball Hockey. At the provincial level he has won the Male Minor Athlete of the Year, at the National level he has won top scorer, tournament MVP, and “All Star” honours. At the world level he has been awarded numerous awards from Top Scorer, Top forward, Tournament MVP and has been named to the All Star Team and named International Ball Hockey Player of the Year 2010.
JTC High Performance Director, Steve Dockerty commented, ‘this is a wonderful announcement for our program, Andrew has participated in our sport from a very young age and through the JTC teams and was stellar on and off the floor.’
Andrew is also an accomplished Ice Hockey Player. Coming from Quinte, a small “AAA” centre Andrew was drafted in the late rounds not expecting to see play in the OHL, but determination saw Andrew make the Niagara Ice Dogs as a seventeen year old where he made an immediate impact. In September 2010 he was traded to the Owen Sound Attack where he became an integral part of the OHL Champions. He was awarded the OHL (Dickies) Hardest Working Player of the Year. He took that effort into the Memorial Cup where he was the top scorer of the Tournament and was all so named to the All Star Team. With his accomplishments in the 2010/11 year he was drafted to the Chicago Blackhawks in his third year of eligibility in the 5th round 139th overall. In August he so impressed the Hawks organization he signed an AHL contract for the 2011/12 season. Andrew’s hard work in the AHL gained him an entry level contract with the Blackhawks in 2011 where he was called up to play in the NHL. In 2012-13 NHL season , his boyhood dream of winning the cup came through and was an integral part of the Chicago Black Hawks Stanley Cup Championship. Andrew is still playing with the Hawks and has 19 goals and 36 points in 72 games as his team prepares to defend the Stanley Cup.
For players interested in the JTC Program, players are encouraged to qualify for their provincial team(s) competing at the Nationals, because a player's ability is more effectively measured against the best competition available.
If you would like a chance to play for Team Canada, you must:
- play in a NBHAC member league
- be selected to compete at your provincial championships or national qualifying tournament
- attend a highschool tournament or sanctioned ball/dek hockey tournament
- ideally, be selected to compete for your province at the National Championships
For more information on the JTC program, please send an email to Steve Rumsey, President at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to Steve Dockerty, JTC High Performance Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ball Hockey…..IT IS OUR GAME!!!!