XAVIER OUELLET NAMED TO CANADA'S U-18 TEAM SELECTION CAMP

Montreal Juniors defenseman Xavier Ouellet has been invited to Canada's National U-18 Team Selection Camp. The camp runs from July 31st to August 3rd.

Ouellet is one of fourteen blue liners who will try to crack the lineup. Four other "Q" defensemen were invited to the camp including ex-Junior, now a Shawinigan Cataractes, Dillon Donnelly.

Seven of the fourteen defenseman will stick with the team to compete in the 2010 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament which is scheduled to take place August 10th to the 14th. Slovakia and the Czech Republic are the host nations.

Last season Ouellet was a rookie for Montreal and displayed excellent poise on the blue line. Dispite suffering a wrist injury at the start of the season, Ouellet finished his year with 2 goals and 14 assists in 43 games played. He added 22 PIMS and finshed the year with a +/- rating of +4.

Making this team would act as a large stepping stone in Ouellet's career. Often times players who represent Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tournament continue on to represent Canada at the U-20 World Junior Hockey Championships. The exposure to NHL scouts while playing at these tournaments can lead to a player being drafted earlier in the NHL entry draft.