Solway Sharks Juniors are once again making their presence felt on the international stage, with players selected for both the men and women U16 Great Britain teams.
Both Gregor Mills and Dumfries player Kyle Carruth are currently in Riga, Latvia with the GB U16 mens team, where they will face teams from across Europe in the international Riga Hockey Cup from 22nd to 24th April. After a long selection process where they competed against the best players in the UK and impressed the coaches with their skills and hard work the boys were delighted to make the 22-player team.
Head Coach, Jamie Elson, said: “It is exciting to work with the group that will represent the under-16s in Riga. The process of selecting the team started last June in Sheffield and in that time there have been some very tough decisions for us as a coaching team, which is a great place to be. We like the make-up of this group. The Riga tournament is an extremely high standard and we are looking forward to the challenge as a group.”
Meanwhile, Cassie McGregor has been named as part of the team that will represent Great Britain Under-16s Women for the rest of the season, one of only two Scottish-based players to make the team. The roster was selected following a very competitive camp in Ice Sheffield last month.
Head Coach Nicci Wardell said: “Our selection process started last summer and from day one, we could see the depth throughout the group has improved post-covid, which was very pleasing to see. Competition for places has been extremely tight this year and the younger players really have stepped up to the plate this year and given us some very tough decisions to make. We’ve previously said that this group have gelled so well on and off the ice and we really can’t wait to see them compete together going forward.”
Junior Sharks Chair Leanne Thomson commented, “Being invited to represent Great Britain on the international stage is a huge honour, and an opportunity for these players to showcase their talents. They have worked hard to ensure they are as prepared as they can be, and they all deserve to be very proud of themselves. To have players involved at GB level from a relatively small club shows the elite level that players in the local junior club can reach, courtesy of the player progression pathway. These players have all progressed through our successful junior program and their call-ups for GB shows the opportunities available to our young, committed players. Everyone at the club is very proud of them and their achievement, and we wish them luck.”
Club Head Coach Martin Grubb added, “Representing your country is a huge honour and one that these players fully deserve. All three are not only quality players but they are also hardworking, dedicated athletes with a great support behind them from their families and everyone at the club. This is the first step into the GB program and they will now know the demands of that program, but I know they will embrace the challenge and will do really well. It is credit to the players themselves and also to the coaches and club that we are able to continually produce GB level players and provide these opportunities for the players to learn, grow and succeed within our club structure and we wish them the best of luck with their respective national teams. We are proud of them and will be watching with interest as they start their GB journeys.”
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