Clarification on Kole Lind and the 2017 World Junior Championships

On Wednesday last week, the Kelowna Rockets tweeted some exciting news concerning the first of the Canucks’ two second-round picks at this year’s draft, Kole Lind. The Rockets’ account indicated that Lind received an invite from Hockey Canada to participate in their World Junior Development Camp.

Word spread quickly about the news, and the question was raised as to why Team Canada hadn’t invited Lind from the beginning. The Rockets’ account deleted the tweet shortly after it went live.

I reached out to the Kelowna Rockets Twitter account for clarification but have yet to hear back. I could be wrong, but I do believe the Hockey Canada Men account retweeted the original tweet.

Regardless, it’s odd for a team to present such intriguing and positive news, and then remove it within an hour.

Kelowna’s AM 1150 station reported the news shortly after the tweet was deleted, but it’s probable that it was based on the ‘announcement’ rather than sources. Lind also hasn’t been added to the camp roster on Hockey Canada’s website. With the Summer Showcase taking place in just over two weeks, one should certainly wonder why an official announcement – if he has been invited – hasn’t been made yet, and what could be holding them back?

I wanted to clarify that Lind hasn’t been officially announced as a late invite to the camp. I’m not sure if Hockey Canada retracted their offer or if the Rockets prematurely tweeted the news, but what is known is that Lind has earned the right to be considered for the Canadian junior team — he should be a lock for their development camp.