It's official

The wait is over.

Travis Randell of Twillingate has been named captain for Team Atlantic in the upcoming World Under 17 Hockey Challenge to be played in London, Ontario, starting Dec. 29.

Randell was a member of the Central IcePak Major Midget team two seasons ago which is based in Grand Falls-Windsor and Gander.

A press release received on Dec. 12 from Trevor Murphy, general manager of Team Atlantic, has confirmed that Travis was invited by team coach Ken MacDougall to head up the team of 16-year olds.

"Travis Randell is a leader on and off the ice and we are very pleased to be naming him as Captain of our team today," stated MacDougall. "The staff was impressed with Travis at our summer evaluation camp and we have continued to follow his progress during the first half of the season and the staff likes what they see from him as a young player in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)."

Hearing the rumour on Dec. 6, The Pilot (the Advertiser's sister paper in Lewisporte) contacted Travis who at that time was in Lewiston, Maine, where the Mooseheads were scheduled to play a scheduled game the next day against the Lewiston Maniacs. It was obvious that he was excited over the prospect of being named captain as well as with the opportunity to play for Team Atlantic in an international setting.

"I could hardly believe it when Coach MacDougall contacted me and asked if I would be captain," he said. "I feel I'm playing with more confidence now. First when I joined the Mooseheads I was more or less playing in awe of the others, some of whom included first-round drafts of the NHL.

"I'm happy to be playing in the Quebec Major Junior League, but this is something really extra and I'm looking forward to it."

Brad Yetman from St. John's who plays with the Shawinigan Cataracts is among the four assistant captains named. Brad as well as Travis played as a member of Team Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Winter Games in 2007. Other assistant captains include one from Nova Scotia and two from New Brunswick.

"I am very pleased with the make-up of our leadership group," added MacDougall. "Each of these players possesses a lot of skill, work ethic, character, and the drive to compete. All have experienced at a high level of competition as all represented their respective home province at the Canada Games last year. We are fortunate to have quality young men like these in our program."

Team Atlantic will travel to London on Dec. 26. After practicing on Dec. 27 and playing an exhibition game against Slovakia on Dec. 28, Team Atlantic will play their first tournament game against Team USA on Dec. 29. Team Atlantic will also face off against team West, Russia and Germany in the round-robin portion of the event.

"The Under 17 program is a cornerstone for Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence," noted Murphy in his release. "It is the first time that players in our country get to put on the Canadian jersey and compete against international teams. The invaluable experience gained by these young men will help them as many will go on to represent Canada at the Under 18 World Juniors and other international events."

Representing Canada in the Under 17 tournament will be five teams: Team Atlantic, Team Ontario, Team Quebec, Team West and Team Pacific. Divided into two groups, Team Atlantic in Group B is scheduled to play Team USA on Dec. 29, Team West on Dec. 30, Team Russia on Jan.1 and Team Germany on Jan. 2. Further games will depend on their success in the round robin. Other countries in Group A include Slovakia and Finland.