Defenseman Markus Phillips has been named the captain of Team Canada‘s entry to the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, taking place in Breclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia. Antoine Crête-Belzile and Owen Tippett will serve as alternate captains at the tournament, which is taking place in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia.
It’s the second time this year that the 17-year-old, 2017-draft eligible Phillips will don the leaf for Team Canada. He also played for Team Canada at the U18 World Championship, where he contributed two assists in their seven tournament contests. Canada did not medal.
Markus Phillips (C), Crête-Belzile (A) and Tippett (A) to captain Canada at #HlinkaMemorial. https://t.co/40saVDUNzB pic.twitter.com/QTkcyGHsoy
— Team Canada Men (@HC_Men) August 8, 2016
He was an OHL rookie last year, playing for the Owen Sound Attack where he put up three goals and 12 points through 63 games. The Attack drafted him ninth overall in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection.
The 2016 Ivan Hlinka Tournament kicked off on August 8. Canada faced Slovakia and eeked by them when Maxime Contois scored his second goal of the game in overtime.
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.