By Kathy Johnson
Cape Sable Island’s Brendan Nickerson will be lacing up to represent his country at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Austria in January.
Nickerson is one of 17 hockey players from across Canada named to the men’s hockey team that will be competing at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
The international competition is the first of its kind. Upwards of 1,100 athletes from more than 60 countries are expected to compete at the games being held in Innsbruck, Austria from Jan. 13 to 22, 2012.
Five countries will be competing in men’s hockey, Austria, Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States, and will play in a round robin format.
Nickerson, 15, is one of six defencemen named to the national team. Nine forwards and two goaltenders round out the roster.
Nickerson currently plays with the Canadian Tire Mustangs in the Nova Scotia Major Midget AAA Hockey League.
2011 has been a banner year on the ice for Nickerson. He played on the Nova Scotia Men’s Hockey Team that competed in the Canada Winter Games in Halifax this past February.
Nickerson was also one of 42 Bantam age players invited to participate in the Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp hosted by the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) in August.
