Regina Pats goalie Ewan Huet has been selected to Switzerland’s preliminary roster for the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships in Sweden.
Huet will be joined by Rodwin Dionicio (Saginaw, OHL) and Miles Muller (Moncton, QMJHL) and Leo Braillard (Lethbridge, WHL).
This season, the 18-year old is 6-9-0-1 this season with 3.60 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage in 17 appearances.
Huet has represented Switzerland on the international stage before playing for them at U18s in 2022-2023 and the U17s in 2021-22.
Switzerland will be Group B at the tournament in Sweden, joining Czechia, Norway, Slovakia and the United States in the round robin.
The 2024 World Juniors begin in Sweden on December 26.
The Pats netminder said on Tuesday he was contact with the Goaltending coach for the Switzerland squad recently, so he had a hunch that he would be named to the team, but it still didn’t deflate the thrill of the moment.
“It was just great news.”
After spending the past few months in Regina competing in the Western Hockey League, Huet says there are some minor adjustments he will have to make before he competes internationally.
“At the end of the day it’s all about stopping the puck, I don’t think there’s a big adjustment to that.”
Pats Head Coach Brad Herauf believes the experience in Regina has served Huet well.
“A lot of it was getting acclimated to the environment, the food, the culture, the practice times, all those things. I think he has a lot things you like in a goaltender.”
The World Junior Hockey Championships has become a staple for Canadians during the holiday season. Huet noted that in Switzerland the tournament is held in high regard as well.
“Switzerland is a hockey country, I remember as a kid watching it on TV, it’s always on TV, playing in those big rinks and stuff. It means a lot, especially in Sweden, back in Europe.”
Next week Huet will be in Germany as the Swiss team will meet the German team in a pair of exhibition games leading up to the tournament.