Captaining the WHL team tonight will be defenceman Colten Teubert of the Regina Pats, a Los Angeles Kings first-round draft pick, who has already seen pro action with the Kings’ ECHL-affiliate Ontario Reign.
“We haven’t had much time together, but there’s a lot of talent on this Team WHL, so it’s about trusting each other and trusting the coaches,” said Teubert.
Although Teubert was a member of last year’s gold-medallist Canadian team at the 2009 world juniors, the White Rock product is taking nothing for granted.
“No spots are set in stone with the Canadian team. All these other guys are also looking to take them,” said Teubert. “You’ve got to be prepared to battle for your spot on Canada. Nobody is going to hand it to you.”
As for taking the next step in the Kings’ system, Teubert said it’s a matter of maturing.
“During my time [last spring] in the ECHL with the Reign, I learned a lot about playing with older guys and what it’s going to take,” he said.
“Another big thing I learned was about keeping the passion. There were some guys on the Reign in their late 20s and they still loved the game and still had the passion to play pro hockey.”