Veleno named to Team Canada again

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Joe Veleno has been named to Canada's roster for the annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup tournament.

It's the second straight year Veleno has been named to the under-18 squad. Last year, the 17-year-old recorded four assists in four games.

The 22 players who will represent Canada from Aug. 7-12 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia were announced on Tuesday.

Veleno was one of eight QMJHL players named to the team, a promising number for a league that could use a strong 2018 NHL Draft. Joining the Sea Dogs forward are Gabriel Fortier (Baie-Comeau), Benoit-Olivier Groulx (Halifax), Anderson MacDonald (Sherbrooke), Noah Dobson (Bathurst), Jared McIsaac (Halifax), Alexis Gravel (Halifax) and Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville).

Of note, all three Maritime provinces are represented on this year's team: McIsaac (Truro, NS), Dobson (Summerside, PEI) and MacDonald (Quispamsis, NB).

Team Canada, who has been holding a selection camp in Calgary over the past few days, will open the tournament next Monday against Russia.

The summer tournament will be held in Edmonton next year.