Daley enjoys donning Maple Leaf
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/11/2016 (3397 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Caiden Daley isn’t taking his first experience playing international hockey for granted.
The 16-year-old Brandon Wheat Kings forward participated in the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, playing with the best players in his age group from around the world.
While Daley’s Team Canada Red went 2-3-0 and finished out of the medals, he was enthralled by the opportunity.
“It was unbelievable,” Daley said. “It was the first time putting on the Canadian crest. It just felt unbelievable, even in practice. The experience was great. Playing at the international level, I was learning new things, learning new systems, how to play and playing against players from all around the world at my age who are elite. It was a pretty good experience for me and I had a lot of fun.”
He was able to share the experience with his former midget teammate Riley Stotts, who now plays for the Swift Current Broncos, although unfortunately for both, Daley inadvertently stepped on Stotts’ bare foot with his skate as they were removing their gear.
Stotts had surgery on a deep laceration and is out for four to six weeks.
On the ice, Daley was held without a point in five games, but he learned an important lesson.
“There isn’t a lot of room for error playing against the European teams and the United States,” Daley said. “You have to bring everything you’ve got every day and play at 110 per cent every chance you get.”
While the tournament cost him the Alberta road trip and a weekend home stand with Brandon — seven games in total — Daley did have a chance to play against guys his own age again. Still, he never forgot about his Wheat King teammates.
“It felt like I had a little bit more room and a little bit more time to make plays and make stuff happen,” Daley said of playing against other 16-year-olds. “But I’m happy to be back with the guys. I missed them a lot. We had a good weekend and hopefully we can keep rolling next weekend.”
Daley has an assist in 14 games with the Wheat Kings this season.
» pbergson@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @PerryBergson