Penticton Vees’ alumni Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro were two of 32 players named to Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp roster Tuesday. The two college freshmen are the only BCHL alumni invited to the selection camp.
Jost his off to a great start at the University of North Dakota, as he sits third in team scoring with five goals and 15 points in 15 games with UND. Jost is the sixth-highest scoring freshmen in college hockey and is second in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in face-off percentage (63.5 %).
Last year Jost amassed 42 goals and 104 points in just 48 regular season games, leading the BCHL in assists (62) and points per-game average (2.17). The St. Albert, Alberta, product added another six goals and 14 points in 11 playoff games.
The Vees Captain was named the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top Forward and Most Valuable Player, and was named the RBC National Player of the Year.
Jost is no stranger to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence as he was part of their World Junior Summer Camp roster, and played at the World Under-17 Challenge, the 2014 and 2015 World Junior A Challenge, winning gold last December, and played at the World Under-18 Championship in April. He set a new Canadian scoring record at the World Under-18 tournament, picking up 15 points in 7 games, breaking Connor McDavid’s record set in 2013. Jost led that tournament in scoring and was named the Top Forward at the event.
Fabbro is also off to a solid start at Boston University, averaging half a point per-game on the Terriers blue-line with three goals and six points in 12 games. The Coquitlam, BC, product had a goal and three points in BU’s last game, a 5-3 win over Harvard on November 22nd.
Last season, Fabbro led all BCHL rear-guards in points with 67, despite only playing in 45 games. He finished second in goals (14) and assists (49) but had the best points per-game average (1.47) amongst BCHL blue-liners. Those numbers earned him the BCHL and CJHL Defenceman of the Year awards. He also was named the Top Defenceman at the 2015 RBC Cup in Portage, Manitoba.
Fabbro has gone through the Program of Excellence with Jost, playing for Team Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the 2014 and 2015 World Junior A Challenge and the 2016 World Under-18 Hockey Championship. Fabbro was the third-highest scoring defencemen at the World Under-18 tournament, registering eight points, all assists, in seven games.
Jost and Fabbro were both drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo in June. Jost was picked 10th overall by the Colorado Avalanche and Fabbro was the 17th overall pick by the Nashville Predators.
The World Junior Selection Camp is December 10th – 14th, in Blainville, Quebec. The 2017 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is December 26th – January 5th co-hosted by Montreal and Toronto.
