St. Laurent's Buors named to Team Manitoba

St. Laurent's own Ian Buors is set to suit up for Team Manitoba this spring. 

The 16-year-old forward was thrilled to see his name on the provincial roster for the 2023 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship. This event will see each province from across Canada put together a team of U18 players with an Indigenous background to compete against one another.

"I'm extremely excited because I get to represent the Indigenous people and Manitoba at the same time," says Buors. "It's amazing that it's in Winnipeg, so our family and friends can join us in this experience."

Buors is looking forward to reuniting with some of his old teammates, who have also made the roster. He has been playing with the U18 AAA Interlake Lightning this season and has put up 50 points in 39 games.

"My season has been really good this year. My coach Aaron Kaatz has been great at giving us tools to develop as players and as a team," Buors explains. "I think that's a huge reason why Interlake has a chance to make the playoffs this season. He's given all the players the chance to do well."

The St. Laurent product says his biggest area of improvement this season has been confidence, especially in crunch-time situations. Buors believes this can help him greatly with Team Manitoba but he notes there will be a lot more to learn at a tournament like this.

"It'll be great to get experience playing against the top players from different provinces and to get experience in a big atmosphere," Buors continues. "It's almost like a showcase. So, it'll be a good place to get some nerves out, and it'll teach me how to play under pressure."

While Buors is extremely excited to represent his province, his current focus is still on the Interlake Lightning's playoff push. The squad has three more games on their schedule and will be fighting to hold their position as the eighth seed and earn a playoff spot. Buors is trying to help lead the Lightning to their first playoff appearance in nine years.

The National Aboriginal Hockey Championship will go down in Winnipeg from May 7-13.