Young Stars Classic rosters solidified

The Young Stars Classic is set to take place at the South Okanagan Events Centre this weekend, displaying some of the best young hockey talent in Western Canada.

Among those competing are players with connections to the Okanagan and BC on the rosters of the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets.

The first pair of names hockey fans might recognize are Jari Kykkanen and Connor Levis.

Kykkanen is expected to be the starting goaltender for the Kelowna Rockets this season and will be dressing for the Flames after receiving an invitation from them to attend rookie camp.

Levis will be suiting up for the Winnipeg Jets after he was selected by the franchise in this year’s NHL draft.

The Jets add another Connor into the organization, drafting Connor Levis of the Kamloops Blazers. #NHLJets pic.twitter.com/FOo7NzT0sW

— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) June 29, 2023

Former Kelowna Rocket Carson Golder will be joining Levis on the Jets’ roster. After splitting this past season with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Kelowna Rockets, Golder signed a tryout agreement with the Jets’ AHL affiliate this past spring.

In net for the Jets will be BC native and Seattle Thunderbird Thomas Milic.

Milic helped Team Canada to a gold medal at the World Juniors this past January and then the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship this past spring, falling short in the Memorial Cup final to the Quebec Remparts.

Kamloops native Sawyer Mynio will be skating for the Canucks after being drafted by the club this past offseason.

Mynio is a teammate of Milic on the Seattle Thunderbirds and is preparing for his third season in Seattle on the blue line.

There will be a few other players to keep an eye out for on the ice this weekend, including Aatu Raty of the Canucks.

Raty spent this past season with the Abbotsford Canucks after he was involved in the trade that sent Canucks’ former captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders.

The forward appeared in 15 total NHL games last season, mostly with the Islanders.

On the Oilers' roster, Ethan De Jong is set to take the ice.

The former Prince George Spruce King finished a five-year career this past season at Quinnipiac University, helping the program to their first NCAA championship.

In 41 games played, the North Vancouver native had 19 goals and 21 assists. This past offseason, he signed with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL, the Oilers’ affiliate.

The Young Stars Classic kicks off this Friday for a weekend packed with hockey in Penticton. Tickets can be purchased online at this link.