World Juniors Preview: Canada vs. Austria

In the summer time of 2013, Caedan Bankier and Logan Stankoven have been two
10-year-olds competing for a spot on the Brick Invitational. After beginning
out in several tryout teams, they each made the crew and shortly discovered
themselves flying to Edmonton and Los Angeles to symbolize their province.

“I performed in opposition to him heaps rising up in spring hockey, we have been like six,
seven, eight, however I by no means bought to know [Bankier],” Stankoven says. “We had
crew practices collectively and that’s once I first actually bought to know Banks
fairly nicely.”

“It was just an instant connection,” Bankier provides. “We spent a whole lot of time
collectively and simply had related pursuits.”

After the event, they stored in contact, reuniting in different spring
tournaments and with Team B.C. on the 2019 Canada Winter Games. They have been
each chosen by the Kamloops Blazers within the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft;
Stankoven was chosen fifth total by his hometown crew and Bankier, a
Surrey, B.C., product, went forty ninth total.

“I was super excited,” Bankier says of being drafted with Stankoven. “[It]
made the entire course of an entire lot simpler for me getting into with someone you
know… [it] makes the expertise all that extra satisfying too.”

Bankier and Stankoven have been two of three 16-year-olds that have been included on
the Blazers’ roster for the 2018-19 season. From there, the forwards labored
their approach as much as turning into the crew’s main scorers, with Stankoven
recording 17 objectives and 44 factors and Bankier notching 20 objectives and 33
factors thus far this season.

GOING FOR GOLD ????????

Congrats to @LoganStankoven & @Caedan_Bankier on being named to Canada’a Final World Junior Roster! Go make #blazernation proud ???? pic.twitter.com/u9I0sCNiV9

— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) December 12, 2022

Not solely has their scoring made an impression on the Blazers, so has their
management. Stankoven was named an alternate captain with Kamloops for the
2020-21 season, grew to become a co-captain in 2021-22 and wears the ‘C’ this 12 months.
Bankier is energetic within the Blazers’ management group as nicely, serving as an
alternate captain for the previous two seasons.

“We need it to be an satisfying and superior expertise to play in Kamloops
and we simply try to make it really feel like that wherever we go,” Bankier says.

The friendship continued to develop off the ice too—from enjoying video video games
(the NHL collection and Fortnite are video games of alternative) to Bankier transferring into
Stankoven’s household residence for a month in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The phrase was early January, possibly [they’d] begin again up the season once more,
so Banks wished to return to Kamloops and practice with a couple of of us,” Stankoven
explains.

“It was exhausting for me to seek out coaching in Vancouver, so I requested him if I
might dwell with him for a little bit bit earlier than the season began and he stated
sure,” Bankier provides. “We had an off day […] and we determined to go on an
out of doors rink simply to skate round. We have been fairly lucky we have been the
solely ones on the market and we nonetheless had the entire day left. So, Stanks determined
to guide us a tee time on a golf course afterwards.”

“It was a crazy day,” Stankoven says. “It’s not too typically that you simply go
{golfing} and then you definately’ll go skate on an out of doors pond on the identical day within the
center of December.”

When Stankoven attended choice camp final 12 months forward of the 2022 IIHF
World Junior Championship, he had teammate Dylan Garand by his aspect, who
had beforehand competed within the 2021 World Juniors. This 12 months, the roles
reversed: Stankoven is coming off a gold medal efficiency in August whereas
Bankier attended his first Team Canada camp.

“It’s good to have someone that you simply undergo this complete course of with.
It’s not straightforward,” Stankoven says. “It’s demanding being a man that was making an attempt
to struggle for a spot on the crew, and with me going via it final 12 months, I
was capable of assist Banks this 12 months.”

“On the airplane trip, I feel I requested him 1,000,000 questions on what his
expertise was like and simply what to anticipate for me,” Bankier provides. “Going
in final 12 months, he simply labored his approach onto the crew and that was my objective
this 12 months: to work my approach on. I attempted to duplicate all the pieces he did final
12 months and that approach, we might expertise this occasion once more collectively.”

After a powerful displaying at choice camp, the 2 associates waited to listen to if
they might be taking the ice collectively sporting the Maple Leaf.

“He’s had a real nice season with our team back in Kamloops,” Stankoven
says of Bankier. “He went on the market in two video games [against a team of U
SPORTS all-stars] and had a objective and a pair assists and regarded actually
good. [I was] simply happy with him as a buddy.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Bankier says about making Canada’s National Junior Team. “First, I bought a knock on the door, and it was the [housekeeping]
service… I had so many feelings operating via my head. Obviously, a bit
later I bought a knock on the door and there was the assistant coach and the
digicam on the market.

“You watch these movies on social media from years previous with guys. For you
to be the one within the video, I can’t even describe it. It’s a lifelong
dream.”

From event teammates to Blazers leaders, the duo are able to embrace
the worldwide stage collectively as they compete in Halifax on the 2023 World Juniors.

“Very few get to expertise the World Juniors, however solely a handful get to do
it with their finest associates,” Bankier says. “I’m fairly fortunate and I’m actually
wanting ahead to it.”

“We’ve created some good memories over the years,” Stankoven says. “I feel
having a crack at this event collectively is one thing that I feel is
going to actually repay in the long term with our crew internet hosting the Memorial
Cup. Hopefully [we] win a gold medal right here and take this expertise again to
our crew and have remainder of the season.”