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Team Yukon held tryouts for the male and female hockey teams July 29-31 at the Canada Games Centre (CGC) in Whitehorse.

Hockey Yukon President Krista Strand said there were two scouts evaluating the hopefuls for the two Canada Games teams. One was Greg Hermiston, a Hockey Canada regional scout.

鈥淭he other one we brought up was Kyle Allen and he鈥檚 a B.C. Hockey scout,鈥� said Strand. 鈥淪o we have those two scouts 鈥� or evaluators 鈥� who have come to help us with the process. With the evaluation piece, they鈥檙e using a Hockey Canada ranking system to allow the kids to all be ranked throughout the four ice times that they have and then we鈥檒l have four to five evaluators providing that information, so then we can have that data and look at the players to help determine the best team for Yukon.鈥�

Strand said the tryout camp was the first in a series of camps for the Canada Games and Arctic Winter Games.

鈥淭his is the first weekend for Canada Winter Games evaluations, because we have both Canada Winter Games and Arctic Winter Games in the same year this year, there is a little bit of overlap happening. So Sept. 2-4 is going to be an Arctic Winter Games evaluation. From this evaluation and the September evaluation, the top 25 players will be determined and will be invited to come back to the final evaluation in October, where they will go through three games and from there the five teams, two Canada Winter Games teams and three Arctic Winter Games teams will be identified at that point.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a busy year.鈥�

鈥淔or girls we currently have 19 here today and I think boys we鈥檙e at 28,鈥� Strand added.

鈥淐anada Winter games is typically a U16 age group. So 2007鈥檚 is the primary age but because we are a small jurisdiction, we are allowed three overage players, so we鈥檙e allowed to bring three 2006 players to Canada Games ... we have opened up the trials to include 2008 and 2009鈥檚 as well for the males.

鈥淔or the females, it鈥檚 2004 to 2010 and we鈥檙e allowed our three over-agers, which is actually our three 2004 kids.鈥�

Boys team coach Derek Klassen said the first day of tryouts was good.

鈥淕ood tempo. It was good to see a lot of the kids. Obviously, a lot of us have been around them for years and years, so it鈥檚 always fun to get out there as they get older and I thought it was pretty good.鈥�

14-year old phenom Gavin McKenna, the first Yukoner chosen first overall in the Western Hockey League draft, was quite noticeable because of his skating skills and wicked shot. Klassen was asked whether McKenna was a lock for the team.

鈥淚 would say so, yeah. Pretty special player, for sure, so pretty cool that he鈥檚 playing for Team Yukon and gets to represent the Yukon so well. Obviously nice to have a kid like that on your team.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 even look like a 14-year-old out there. It鈥檚 pretty awesome.鈥�

鈥淚 thought everybody looked good, considering it鈥檚 July. It was fun,鈥� Klassen added.

Strand said that there is a spot open for McKenna.

鈥淲e do have the ability to go with the policy that we can assign players and I think anybody in Yukon would be crazy to not think that Gavin is going to be part of the Canada Games team but I think it shows a lot of class on his part to still be here and participating in the process with all the other players.鈥�

McKenna himself thought it was a good experience.

鈥淚t was obviously really fun for me, getting to play with some different guys, having played with the same guys all year, so yeah, it was fun.鈥�

McKenna said the talent level was 鈥渜uite a bit better than I expected. I鈥檝e played with most of these kids growing up and coming back and seeing how much all of them have improved 鈥� it鈥檚 pretty good.鈥�

As for his chances of making the team, 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e pretty good,鈥� he chuckled.

Next up for McKenna is more travel.

鈥淚 think after this I鈥檓 gonna head down to Michigan for a couple weeks to train up there and then come back home for a week or so and then head down to Medicine Hat for the year.鈥�

McKenna鈥檚 mother Krystal was also at the rink.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun. It鈥檚 nice to be back at the rink and see some familiar faces. It鈥檚 nice to see the girls on the ice and the boys and everyone having a good time. It鈥檚 great.鈥�

Needless to say, she thinks that Gavin has a pretty good chance of making the team.

鈥淲ell, I hope so,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 excited and looking forward to seeing what the team brings.鈥�

Kasey McKenna, Gavin鈥檚 younger sister, attended the girls鈥� tryouts.

鈥淪he鈥檚 not quite sure how she鈥檚 gonna make out there ... she wants to do the games and feels like she鈥檒l do better out there,鈥� said her mother. 鈥淪he can show her skills 鈥� the hard work and all that stuff out there.鈥�

She added 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting. It鈥檒l be nice to see what these teams 鈥� what happens with them and how they do.鈥�

The girls followed the boys onto the ice. Alix Walchuk (aka 鈥淭he Wall鈥�) was one of the netminders.

鈥淚 think it went pretty well. I鈥檓 a little rusty ... I haven鈥檛 been here in a while, so it鈥檚 good to play with my buddies again.鈥�

As for her chances of making the team, 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e pretty good, said Walchuk. 鈥淚鈥檝e played out(side) for a while, so I think they鈥檙e decent but I don鈥檛 want to say anything, cause cuts haven鈥檛 been made and the team hasn鈥檛 been confirmed.鈥�

Len Walchuk was there to watch his daughter play.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great. I haven鈥檛 had a chance to watch her very much this year at all.鈥�

Walchuk said Alix had a 鈥済reat season. It was in Kelowna with the Rink Academy and she was in the development part of the program and played some good games and played with the U18 girls but also filled in for U17 boys and U16 boys, so she had a lot of activity and a lot of goalie training, so she had a very good year that way.鈥�

Walchuk said a change of address is in store for his puck-stopping daughter.

鈥淪he was planning on staying in Rink, but the oldest goalie didn鈥檛 time out 鈥� she was a Swiss national goalie ... she鈥檚 decided to stay another year, so Alix is moving over to Delta (Wild Hockey Academy) and she鈥檚 gonna get a starting position over there,鈥� related the elder Walchuk.

鈥淪he鈥檚 really excited about that,鈥� added her father.