Local hockey team to face off against Kazakhstan in pre-tournament World Junior game

Playing in the World Junior Hockey Championship has always been a dream for Rémi Gagné, the captain of the Hawkesbury Hawks — and soon, that dream will partly come true. 

While he may not be representing Canada, Gagné's junior A team has been chosen to face off against Team Kazakhstan in a pre-tournament game on Saturday. 

"I was surprised. It was nice, like you dream to be a part of [the] World Juniors," Gagné said. 

Before the monumental tournament kicks off in Ottawa on Boxing Day, each of the 10 competitors plays in two pre-tournament games. 

However, teams can request a third game if they want — which is what Kazakhstan did, but had no opponent to play. 

So Hockey Canada asked junior teams in eastern Ontario if any would be interested, and the Hawks jumped on the opportunity. 

"Right away, I piped up [and] said, 'Hey, we'll do it here in Hawkesbury, we'd be excited to do it!'" Hawks coach Ryan Leonard said.  

His players even pushed back their holiday plans to make it happen, he said. 

"I was excited, it took me by surprise a bit. I think the whole team got a bit surprised because you're not expecting to be like [a] junior A playing against [Team] Kazakhstan," assistant captain Aleksy Bandu said.

"[I'm] glad I can represent Canada in some way, that's for sure," he added with a grin. 

Team Kazakhstan 

Ahead of the pre-tournament games, each of the 10 teams is stationed in a community in eastern Ontario for a training camp. Team Kazakhstan's host community is Carleton Place where they eat, sleep and train for four days. 

"It's super amazing. Every single person we've met [is] super friendly to us and it's very great to be here," said Aslan Zhusupbekov, captain of Team Kazakhstan.

"It's completely different compared to Kazakhstan, because [hockey is] not that popular," he said. "[Here] they came to our practices just to watch us."

Carleton Place Mayor Toby Randell confirmed dozens of community members came out to watch Team Kazakhstan's first practice on Tuesday. 

"This is gonna be something that doesn't come back anytime soon, so it's a great opportunity for our citizens to come out and see some awesome hockey," Randell said. 

He's even planning on cheering for Kazakhstan at Saturday's matchup against the Hawks.

Tournament wide-reaching  

This is just one of 11 scheduled pre-tournament games, most of which will take place in smaller communities throughout eastern Ontario before the tournament officially begins on Boxing Day.

Until Dec. 23, teams will face off in Arnprior, Brockville, Belleville, Kingston, Cornwall and Ottawa, bringing a slice of the tournament to areas that may not get the full experience. 

"To see a community like Arnprior basically sell out the day that it went on sale for one of the games that they're hosting is a really neat experience," said Dean McIntosh, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact.

The legacy that's left behind when a community hosts a game or team — inspiring kids and engaging with diverse groups — is an important part of what Hockey Canada does, he added.  

Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre said he's hopeful the game will have a lasting effect on the town, whatever the final score.

"It's the next level [of hockey], so I think a lot of people will be excited, and the fact that we're having it here in Hawkesbury, I think it's just great for the whole community and for the surrounding community," he said.