Four Red Deer Rebels prospects invited to national U17 development camp

Four Red Deer Rebels prospects have been invited to Canada’s national under-17 development camp.

Four Red Deer Rebels prospects invited to national U17 development camp Published 1:08 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Four Red Deer Rebels prospects have been invited to Canada’s national under-17 development camp. Defencemen Nolan Wolitski and Owen Archer, forward Chace Turchak and goaltender Chase Nielson are among 80 players from across the country invited to take part in the camp from July 17-21 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ont. Following camp, players will continue to be evaluated through the beginning of the 2026-27 season before the Canada Red and Canada White rosters are named ahead of the 2026 U17 World Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 1-7 in Oakville.

Wolitski was selected in the first round, seventh overall, at the 2025 Western Hockey League Draft. The big six-foot-three, 180-pound St. Albert native posted 15 points in 27 games for Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He added one point in seven playoff games and played for Team Alberta at the 2025 WHL Cup at the Marchant Crane Centrium.

Turchak, selected in Round 2 of the 2025 WHL Draft, had 45 points (13 goals, 32 assists) in 36 games with his hometown Calgary Buffaloes U18 AAA of the Alberta Elite Hockey League this past season. The five-foot-11, 180-pound forward appeared in four regular season games with the Rebels in 2025-26. Archer, also selected in the second round of the 2025 WHL Draft, had his season cut short due to injury.

He had four points in seven AEHL games for the St. Albert Raiders U18 AAA and played for Alberta at the WHL Cup before missing the rest of the year. Nielson, the only unsigned of Red Deer’s four players heading to the under-17 development camp, was selected in the third round of the 2025 WHL Draft. The Fort MacLeod native posted a 12-5-1 record with a 3.13 goals-against average and .913 save percentage for Southern Alberta Hockey Academy U17 Prep of the CSSHL.

He was named the CSSHL U17 Prep Top Goaltender and to the First All-Star Team.