U18 Women’s Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Sweden

Owen and Avery Pickering have a traditional brother-sister relationship with
annoyances and disagreements, however they’re one another’s largest competitor
and supporter.

“He continues to be the annoying brother, however I like him, and we now have an in depth
relationship in some ways,” Avery says. “We have grown to be aggressive
with one another and push one another. He is 2 years older than me and has
been my function mannequin on and off the ice.”

Owen is an 18-year-old defenceman and captain of the Swift Current Broncos
of the Western Hockey League, and was chosen twenty first total by the
Pittsburgh Penguins within the 2022 NHL Draft.

Avery is a 16-year-old presently patrolling the blue line with Canada’s
National Women’s Under-18 Team on the 2023 IIHF U18 Women’s World
Championship in Sweden.

“We have an incredible relationship. She is a big particular person in my life and to see
what she is undertaking makes me tremendous proud,” Owen says.

The two are simply 27 months aside in age and hockey turned their strongest
bond. Many of their household reminiscences embrace a stick and puck.

“Hockey is how we spend time collectively. Most of the time that we spent
collectively rising up was taking part in video games – whether or not that was mini sticks within the
basement or being out on the ODR within the yard,” Avery says. “We’ve by no means
taken a household trip – we’ve gone on so many alternative journeys for hockey
tournaments.”

For so long as Owen can keep in mind, he needed to play hockey. It was a sport
he gravitated to early on and the love for the sport grew to grow to be an
vital a part of his life.

“There are photos of me after I was little placing on my dad’s helmet and
taking part in mini sticks,” he says. “There are movies of me hiding beneath the
desk, considering that nobody may see me, consuming maple syrup as a result of I
needed to be an NHL participant they usually drank Gatorade. The maple syrup was my
Gatorade.”

The St. Adolphe, Man., duo put within the onerous work to attain their hockey
targets and each will now have the privilege of representing Team Canada at a
U18 world championship.

“The first time placing on the Maple Leaf is surreal. You dream about it as
a child, however nothing prepares you for that feeling of strolling into the
dressing room, seeing the emblem and seeing your jersey quantity with Pickering
on the again. It was such a surreal second,” Owen says.

He received to expertise that final 12 months in Germany – recording two assists in
4 video games as Canada fell in extra time within the quarterfinals – and now Avery
will get to put on a jersey with Pickering on the again for the primary time on
the world stage.

“I’m nonetheless in disbelief. Every day I take into consideration getting thus far and
I’ve been working in direction of this for thus lengthy,” she says. “To get the
alternative to return right here and be in Sweden to play a world championship for
Team Canada is so loopy. There has been a lot that has led as much as it, it’s
simply so unbelievable to me.”

For Owen, seeing his sister attain this stage is no surprise.

“I’m tremendous pleased with her. She works so onerous and is so dedicated. There is
nothing that’s going to cease her. When I see her work ethic, it makes me
proud,” he says. “I hope she will take a step again and cherish this second.
I do know it gained’t be the final time she places on the Maple Leaf.”

Having gone by means of a world’s championship, Owen was in a position to ship some
brotherly recommendation to Avery forward of her debut.

“He shared to play as myself and belief myself – know that what I’ve finished
has gotten me thus far and to consider that I’ve finished it thus far
and proceed to belief myself and benefit from the second,” says Avery, who made
her nationwide group debut in opposition to Finland final summer time and helped Canada to a
three-game sweep of the United States.

Despite being eight hours away from one another throughout the hockey season,
the 2 attempt to keep in contact as a lot as attainable and lean on one another
for hockey and life usually.

“We ship little texts with congratulations for the accomplishments we’ve
gotten, and we ship one another songs that we hear. I at all times get pleasure from each time
we take the time to speak. It is a reminder for each of us of the place we’ve
come from,” Avery says. “He goes to proceed to be there for me and to
discuss to about my sport. As we each transfer on in our careers, it’s so cool to
have that chance.”

Owen provides: “There had been numerous occasions [growing up] I couldn’t stand her and
after we get dwelling, we argue in regards to the littlest issues, however we’re every
different’s largest supporters. To step again and watch what she has
achieved and can proceed to perform is fairly cool.”