鈥檚 earliest recollection of international hockey is one the 91大黄鸭 Rockets鈥� defenceman insists he鈥檒l never forget.
On a crisp winter night back in January 2009, a nine-year-old Korczak was among the thousands of fans all across the country who witnessed one of the most dramatic moments in Canadian junior hockey history.
With the seconds ticking down and Canada trailing Russia 4-3 late in the semifinal of the world junior championship in Ottawa, Jordan Eberle delivered one of the most memorable goals in Canadian hockey lore.
鈥淚 had to go to school the next day, but I remember mom and I sitting up and watching when Jordan Eberle scored with a few seconds left to force overtime,鈥� Korczak said from his home in Yorkton, Sask. 鈥淚t was so exciting, we were cheering and jumping up and down. It seems like it was yesterday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a dream of mine since then to one day play in the world junior championship and the NHL.鈥�
That game helped shape what has become a defining goal of Korzcak鈥檚 ever since鈥攑ulling on a Canadian jersey in international competition.
The 17-year-old defenceman got another step closer to fulfilling his lifelong dream this week when he was one of 44 players invited to late next month in Calgary. Hockey Canada will choose 22 of those players to don the Maple Leaf at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this August in Red Deer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty special to be invited to the camp,鈥� said Korczak. 鈥淭here a lot of good D guys in our age group, so it鈥檚 not going to be easy. I鈥檓 just excited to be getting the chance and am just going there to compete and try and make the team.鈥�
Korczak gained his first international experience last year playing for Team Canada Black at the World Under 17 Challenge in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.
Now that he鈥檚 firmly on Hockey Canada鈥檚 map, Rockets assistant coach Kris Mallette is looking forward to watching Korczak continue to progress and develop.
鈥淚t gets tougher at each level you move up, so being one of 44 players chosen for this camp is a feather in Kaedan鈥檚 cap,鈥� Mallette said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 worked extremely hard on his game, he really turned the corner after Christmas and just got better and better.
鈥淗e skates well for a big guy, he has a good hockey IQ and sees the ice very well,鈥� added Mallette. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to play a huge role for us next season, so every opportunity he gets like this really bodes well for him and us.鈥�
Korczak was the Rockets first choice, 11th overall in the 2016 WHL bantam draft.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound rearguard lived up to his billing by winning the Rockets rookie of the year awards, recording three goals and 16 points in 67 games.
Rockets forward and Korczak鈥檚 teammate, Nolan Foote, played on last year鈥檚 gold medal-winning Canadian team at the Hlinka U18 tournament in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
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