T-Birds’ Shea Theodore joins Team Canada

Shea Theodore should benefit from playing for Team Canada’s U-18 team. (photo by Kyle Scholzen, Seattle Thunderbirds)

By Andrew Eide

Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Shea Theodore has been named to Team Canada’s U-18 team which will begin play in the 2012 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament next week in Europe.

Theodore was in Toronto for Canada’s selection camp this past week and was one of the camp stars. The invitees were split into a red team and a white team and played three games against each other. Theodore scored a goal in each of the three games, including the game winner in the red team’s 4-2 win Monday morning. Many people in attendance for the camp mentioned Theodore as one of the top players there and he should be one of Canada’s top four defenseman in Europe next week.

Team Canada will head to the Czech Republic next week to begin the tournament play with a game against Switzerland on Aug. 13 at 5 a.m. Seattle time. Theodore and his Canadian teammates will then finish up the round-robin portion of the tournament with games against Sweden and Slovakia the next two days before the knock-out rounds begin. Theodore will be back in Seattle for the start of the Thunderbirds’ training camp later this month.

Last season Theodore was forced to play extensive minutes as a 16-year-old for Seattle and showed that he has tremendous skating, puck-handling and puck moving abilities. He ended up leading the Thunderbirds in assists with 31, which was the first time a rookie has led Seattle in assists since Thomas Hickey.

Earlier this summer NHL Central Scouting listed Theodore as one of five WHL players they considered to be “A” prospects. That designation means the NHL projects Theodore to be a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft, held next June. With a year under his belt and the added confidence of playing against the world’s best, Theodore could be in for a monster season in Seattle this year.

Other WHL players who made team Canada include Tri-City goalie Eric Comrie, Edmonton’s Curtis Lazar, Regina’s Morgan Klimchuk, Prince Albert’s Josh Morrissey and Portland’s Nic Petan.