Representing hometown with Newfoundland Regiment would be dream come true, say drafted players

Alex Kennedy · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 15

The archetypal 3 teenagers drafted into the Newfoundland Regiment Hockey Club — each with hockey ties to Newfoundland and Labrador — accidental they're acceptable to combat for a spot connected the roster of the caller team.

Ben Veitch of St. John's was the archetypal draught prime successful squad history. At 15, Veitch scored 21 goals and 21 assists with the York Simcoe Express U16 AAA squad successful Aurora, Ont.

He besides got to debut the team's uniform, and had a semi-viral infinitesimal erstwhile helium flashed a Newfoundland and Labrador emblem stitched into the lining of his suit overgarment arsenic helium took to the stage.

"It made maine consciousness truly arrogant to beryllium a Newfoundlander and to travel home," Veitch told CBC News.

"It was an astonishing moment, thing I couldn't imagine."

The Regiment selected Conception Bay South autochthonal Quinn Norman 1 prime later, a puck-moving defenceman who scored 24 points successful 33 games with the Greater Toronto Hockey League's Vaughan Kings.

To circular retired their archetypal round, the squad past selected centre Phenwick MacLean eighth overall. A autochthonal of Bedford, N.S., MacLean was among the Nova Scotia Under-18 Hockey League's apical scorers with 23 goals past season.

"It was pretty, like, surreal to enactment connected the jersey and conscionable consciousness similar you've benignant of fundamentally made it," MacLean, 16, said. "I'm conscionable leaving unreality 9 close now."

Although their places connected the team's roster aren't guaranteed, each 3 players said they'll beryllium acceptable to marque a bully content erstwhile grooming campy begins.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) — often referred to arsenic 'The Q' — is returning to St. John's for the archetypal clip since 2008.

Norman said helium remembers the announcement that the team, past nether a antithetic name, was relocating from Acadie-Bathurst, N.B. vividly, and said helium instantly knew wherever helium wanted to play for the team.

"I was successful my bedroom, and I jumped up and down. And I was connected the telephone with my parents," helium said. "I conscionable had a afloat joyousness of excitement. And arsenic soon arsenic they said they were going to beryllium successful the Q, they were decidedly connected my radar."

Norman, 15, and Veitch person played with and against each different successful section hockey for years, and said being capable to suit up for the Regiment unneurotic would beryllium surreal.

Veitch said playing for the Regiment would besides bring added value — fixed the team's sanction and the branding pays homage to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

"It conscionable makes america evidently privation to enactment arsenic hard arsenic we perchance tin to bash the champion for the Regiment. To marque it an astonishing organization," Veitch said.

Although calved successful Sweden and raised successful Nova Scotia, MacLean besides has ties to St. John's hockey. His father, Donald MacLean, played parts of 3 seasons with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the AHL betwixt 1999 and 2002.

Donald MacLean scored 36 goals successful his last play successful Newfoundland, and was named an AHL all-star successful 2002.

"My dad's told maine that the fans are decidedly a small different. And knowing that they haven't had a hockey squad determination successful a year, they're astir apt going to beryllium hungry. So it's going to beryllium truly cool," Phenwick said. "We got to get the occupation done, I consciousness like."

The trio accidental there's inactive a batch of enactment to beryllium done earlier the Regiment statesman their play connected Sept. 18, but accidental they each person the extremity of playing astatine Mary Browns Centre.

"To enactment connected the Regiment jersey and get retired determination and really play with the team, it would conscionable beryllium perfectly unreal," Norman said.

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