Hockey Canada announced Friday that Petes forward Nick Lardis has been named to Team Canada Black for the inaugural Capital City Challenge in Ottawa, Ontario.
Lardis, a 5’10”, 155 lbs winger, has appeared in all 12 games in his rookie season, tallying five goals and five assists for ten points.
The Oakville, Ont. native and Petes sixth overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection is currently ranked thirteenth in OHL scoring amongst rookies.
Lardis will join fellow OHL forwards, Denver Barkey (London Knights), Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals), Alex Pharand (Hamilton Bulldogs), and Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack) on Team Canada Black.
Announced on November 5, Petes Head Coach Rob Wilson was named Head Coach for Team White and Petes Alumnus Kyle Raftis was appointed Director of Operations for Team Canada Red.
The Capital City Challenge will feature three national men’s U17 teams and Canada’s National Women’s Centralized Roster. Preliminary-round action kicks off Friday, November 26 at TD Place Arena, home of the Ottawa 67’s. The preliminary-round will conclude on Monday, November 29, followed by the semifinals on Tuesday, November 30. The medal games will take place on Wednesday, December 1.
The Capital City Challenge will serve as a one-time event to replace the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while providing an opportunity for Canada’s National Women’s Team to compete as part of its centralization schedule.
Full-event ticket packages for the Capital City Challenge can be purchased for $80 (plus applicable fees), while single game tickets are available starting as low as $5. Tickets are available at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.