Matthew Van Blaricom (submitted photo/Marla Possberg, Humboldt Broncos)

By Ben Tompkins

World Junior A Hockey Challenge

Dreams coming true: Broncos’ Van Blaricom heading to Nova Scotia as member of Team Canada

Dec 6, 2023 | 11:16 AM

A member of the Humboldt Broncos is having one of his dreams come true, as he left for Truro, Nova Scotia early Wednesday morning, as a member of Team Canada.

Matthew Van Blaricom was selected as one of 22 players to be a part of Team Canada West’s roster and participate in the 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge.

“It’s definitely a huge honour for me; it’s been a dream since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed about wearing that jersey and putting it on and representing not only my community but the whole country as well,” Van Blaricom told northeastNOW.

The 17-year-old is just one of two SJHL players named to the roster, alongside Nipawin Hawks’ defenceman, Ronan Buckberger.

The Southey native is also just one of three players who were born and raised in Saskatchewan, alongside Buckberger (Saskatoon) and former Red Wing, Ty Mason (Weyburn), to don the maple leaf.

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“It definitely shows how special it is to be on that team and how hard it is to make it, so it’ll add a little bit of pressure and a little more excitement to it, so it’s definitely gonna be a fun tournament and it’s a big honour too,” Van Blaricom added.

“It’s a big thing to be able to show why Saskatchewan is still a great place to be able to play hockey and then shows that you can make it to the next level no matter what. Southey is such a small town but there’s still talent that can come out of there, which is a big thing to showcase, and it brings some honour to my community too as well.”

It was announced on Friday that the rightwinger would be heading out east, but Van Blaricom had to focus first on his duty as a Bronco.

Humboldt has played three times in the past five days, of which Van Blaricom was a part of two, as his team sent him off to Nova Scotia with a win.

“It’s definitely nice of them to let me have this opportunity to go there and I got full faith in them that it won’t be any different results, whether I’m there or not. I know they’ll play hard every game and I’m sure we’ll come up with four wins that I miss there, so I’m expecting big things from them,” he explained.

“I’m also expecting to gain some more confidence from this experience and just learn some different skills and things from teams I play and players on my own. Even just growing as a human who’s emotionally and mentally stronger is a big thing, so I’m definitely expecting to be coming back as an all-around better person for my club.”

Another advantage for the 2006-born forward is taking a significant piece of his SJHL organization with him, as his head coach, Scott Barney, is the head coach for Team Canada West.

The NCAA Div I commit is grateful for the familiarity the two will have together, and so is his head coach.

“It’s definitely nice to have someone to kind of guide me throughout that tournament, make sure I’m ready to be playing all the time there and even help me get around Nova Scotia. Being a little younger, it’s harder to travel I guess, but it’s definitely nice to have him there even just for sport too,” Van Blaricom said.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of representing Hockey Canada, the Humboldt Broncos, and the SJHL along with Matthew, as well as Ronan from the Nipawin Hawks,” said Barney. “It’s a great opportunity for the players to be on the world stage and I just can’t wait to get started.”

Currently, Van Blaricom is ninth in SJHL scoring with 33 points in just 22 games, as he’s used to being one of if not the top players on the ice at all times.

(submitted photo/Marla Possberg, Humboldt Broncos)

The World Junior A Hockey Challenge will of course have the best of the best though, as the Michigan Tech commit will have to work even harder to prove his worth.

“It’s definitely an exciting thing to be able to prove myself, especially when I’m not seen as maybe the top guy. I’m hoping I’ll be able to work my way up there and test myself against guys who are seen as the best players in that tournament to see how I fair against them and even learn things from them, so I can just elevate my game,” he said.

“I’m hoping to at least try and be a point-per-game player, that would be nice, but even just being able to play consistently every game, find a role in the team and just sit in that role, that’s the main thing. Trying to fit where I belong in that team and just showcase my skills and everything throughout my time there.”

This year’s tournament will feature Canada East, Canada West, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States, beginning Dec. 10 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Canada West, which selects players from the AJHL, SJHL, MJHL and SIJHL, will kick off their 2023 World Junior A Hockey Challenge against Sweden on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Atlantic Time.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8