Two Airdrie players have been invited to take the next step in their careers at this summer's Hockey Alberta U16 Development Camps in Camrose.

Jake Neighbours  is one of 80, 2002 born males invited to the camp that runs from July 4th - 9th and Jocelyn Pearce is on the list of 63, 2002 and 2003 born female players to be selected for their camp from June 29th - July 2nd.

Neighbours and Pearce are both coming off exceptional seasons.  

Neighbours was recently selected as the fourth overall pick in the Western Hockey League's Bantam Draft, being chosen by the Edmonton Oil Kings.  He won gold with Team South at the Alberta Cup hockey tournament in Canmore where he collected two goals and four assists in five games.

Pearce was named the top goalie in the Alberta Female Hockey League for her work with the Olds Grizzlies.  She then went on to capture the gold medal with Team South Black at the Alberta Challenge Cup, allowing just one goal in the three games she played, being named the tournament's all star goalie.

From the male camp, a shortlist will be established, and those players will be scouted with their club teams until the 20 players who will make up Team Alberta are named in the fall.  Those players will compete at the 2017 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

For the females, that group of athletes is eligible to compete at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer as part of the Team Alberta U18 squad.  

Along with the Airdrie players, four Cochrane players were invited to the camps, Tyrel Bauer, Nicholas De Beurs and Caleb Willms for the males and Sarah Wozniewicz for the females.  Crossfield's Jared Miller was also invited to the male development camp.   

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