Forwards Matt Savoie and Conor Geekie of the Winnipeg Ice are among the 45 players who have received invites to the Canadian U18 summer development camp scheduled for July 25 to Aug. 4 at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex near Calgary.
A third member of the Ice organization, prospect Rieger Lorenz of Calgary, is also on the list of invitees. The six-foot-two, 185-pound winger with Okotoks of the AJHL was a fourth-round selection by Winnipeg in the 2019 prospects draft and has committed to the University of Denver.
Savoie and Geekie, both born in 2004, were the first- and second-overall picks in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft. Savoie, who is from the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert, spent the 2020-21 season with Dubuque of the USHL and scored 21 goals and added 17 assists for 38 points in 34 games for the Saints. The year before, the five-foot-10 and 180-pound centre had seven assists in 22 games while playing as a 15-year-old for Winnipeg.
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Geekie also played seven games with the Ice before his 16th birthday during the 2019-20 WHL season. This past year in the East Division Regina bubble, the six-foot-four and 205-pound centre from Strathclair, Man., put together 9-14-23 totals in 24 games for Winnipeg.
The Under-18 national team summer development camp structure will see the players split into red and white teams for practices and intrasquad games over the course of the 11 days. There will also be two days on Aug. 2 and 3 when the U18 players will scrimmage versus members of the Canadian national junior team. That camp roster has yet to be announced.
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Joining Savoie, Geekie and Lorenz on the U18 roster are Regina Pats goalie Matthew Kieper and Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk.
