Former Okanagan Hockey Academy student athletes Emily Clark and Micah Hart are being centralized for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Clark and Hart are among 28 players that will be centralized in Calgary throughout the 2017-18 season in preparation for the Winter Games.
Hockey Canada released the roster on Thursday. All 28 players will undergo fitness testing in late May, before coming together this August in Calgary on a full-time basis throughout the 2017-18 season, leading up to the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our preparation for PyeongChang with this dedicated group of athletes,” said head coach Laura Schuler in a release on the Hockey Canada website. “It was a difficult process selecting the 28 players that will vie for a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster and we’re excited to be one step closer in that journey.”
Clark, 21, was a student at OHA from 2012-2014 before heading to the University of Wisconsin, where she just completed her third season. The Saskatoon, Sask. product has represented the Canadian National Women’s Team three times at the World Championships, collecting three silver medals.
Hart, 20, spent four seasons at OHA from 2011-2015 before enrolling at Cornell University, where she has spent the past two seasons. The Saanichton, B.C. product won a gold medal with the Canadian National Women’s U18 Team in 2014 and a silver in 2015.
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“First and foremost every team that has gone to the Olympic Games has been an outstanding team that Hockey Canada has been able to put together and I am really excited about the group of players that we have selected to move forward because I think we have a really good mix,” said Schuler. “A mix of veterans and a mix of some younger kids and I am just really excited about the journey that is ahead of us and doing what it takes to continue to grow our players, like I said individually and collectively, so we can come together as a great team.”
Also receiving an invite is Aldergrove’s Amy and Sarah Potomak, who attended the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna.
Canada’s final 23-player roster for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games is tentatively scheduled to be determined in late December. Okanagan Hockey would like to wish both Emily and Micah all the best in reaching their Olympic dreams.