Stingers men's hockey standouts Mathieu Bizier, Simon Lavigne and Mikael Huchette have been selected by Team Canada to the 2025 FISU games roster. The tournament takes place in Torino, Italy from January 13 to 23.
The team will also serve as the 2024 U SPORTS Selects, an all-star squad of student-athletes, competing against Hockey Canada’s World Junior hopefuls, who are vying for a roster spot on at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Led by two-time U SPORTS Coach of the Year, Mark Howell (University of Calgary Dinos), the roster is comprised of five players from the Canada West conference, 12 from the OUA, and six from the AUS.
“The coaching staff is extremely excited about the group of athletes we have put together, who will represent Team Canada at the upcoming 2025 FISU Games in Torino, Italy in January,” said Howell. “We have worked diligently to assemble a team that will play a fast, skilled and relentless style of hockey. As always there are some extremely difficult decisions when you are evaluating the top players across the country. Yet, it was our mission to put together the best team and not just a collection of players. For a competition like this, you need to be able to play a variety of styles and need players who are talented yet can also check and have a high hockey IQ. We are excited to start our journey next week in Ottawa as we play Canada’s National Junior Team.”
The roster will be bolstered by Concordia University Simon Lavigne, who leads all U SPORTS defenders in scoring, with 11 goals in 16 games. Forward Mathieu Bizier also has a hat hand going into the tournament, currently sitting in 3rd in the OUA with 12 goals in 18 games, and 5th in U SPORTS with 24 pts. Mikael Huchette has made a huge impact in his first season with the Stingers, scoring 21 pts - 7 goals, 14 assists - in 17 games.
Team Canada will open its schedule on Saturday, January 11th, against South Korea.
