A young Airdrie hockey player is taking further steps in his blossoming hockey career.

Jake Neighbours recently came back from the Hockey Alberta U16 Summer Development Camp in Camrose and says while it was a tough camp, the experience was tremendous.

"It was awesome, it was a great experience.  It's a grind for sure, take a lot of energy out of you.  Little rest time there, great competition.  You're skating twice a day somedays, so it's a tough place to be at the time but it was an unreal experience. I met lots of new friends and it was organized very well and the competition was awesome."

Neighbours was especially impressed by the level of coaches at the camp.  

"Every single one of them there including the U16 head coach and assistant coaches and then the ones that run your team alone were all good."

Neighbours feels he played well at the camp.  Good enough, he hopes, to be shortlisted for the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup in Calgary.  

"I thought I played really well.  I suffered a concussion on the Friday so I missed the last two games but my first game and a half went really well.  I think I showed good showings and I think if all goes well I have a pretty good chance at making the short list."

The development camp featured the top 80 U16 athletes identified by Hockey Alberta.

It's been a great year for Neighbours.  He was drafted fourth overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League Bantam draft.  He won gold with Team South at the Alberta Cup hockey tournament where he scored two goals and collected four assists in five games.  

Neighbours spent last hockey season at the Pursuit of Excellence Bantam Prep Academy in Kelowna, B.C.  This year he plans to try out with the Midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes.  He hopes to join the Oil Kings as a 16 year old.  

 

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