Concordia Stingers centre Charles-Antoine Messier is among 31 hockey players from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference invited to a training camp in preparation for the 24th Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey next month.
The OUA will put together an all-star team to represent Canada at the prestigious international event also known as the World University Winter Games, taking place from Jan. 23 to Feb. 6.
The camp is scheduled for London, Ont., beginning this Friday. There will also be an exhibition game in Toronto against Canada's national world junior team Dec. 14 at the MasterCard Centre.
Four goalies, 11 defencemen and 16 forwards are in the mix.
Messier, a native of Boucherville, Que., is the leading scorer on the Stingers with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 16 games. He ranks 12th in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports scoring leaders.
The 22-year-old Management student played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before joining the Stingers in 2009. The Vancouver Canucks selected him in the fifth round, 145th overall, in the 2007 NHL entry draft.
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation.
The 24th edition of the winter games will feature 11 sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, freestyle skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, nordic combined, short track speed skating, ski jumping and snowboarding.
