SYDNEY, N.S. — A Cape Breton Eagles player will compete on the international hockey stage.
Eagles forward Egor Sokolov has been selected to play for his home country Russia at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Team Russia will open the tournament Boxing Day against host Czech Republic at 10 a.m. Atlantic Time.
“I think we have an amazing group of guys and everyone is trying to make everybody better on and off the ice,” Sokolov told the Cape Breton Post while attending the Russian training camp last week.
The six-foot-four, 231-pounder from Yekaterinburg was drafted by the then Screaming Eagles as the No. 35 overall pick at the 2017 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
Over the past three seasons with Cape Breton, Sokolov has recorded 75 goals and 75 assists for 150 points in 162 career games.
Sokolov also represented Russia on ice in the past.
During the 2016-17 season, he played with the Russians at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., before suiting up for the country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2017.
He also played for his country at the Canada Russia series last month in Moncton and Saint John, N.B.
As part of the world junior tournament running from now until Jan. 5, Team Russia will face Canada on Dec. 28, and the United States on Dec. 29, before wrapping up the round robin on Dec. 31 against Germany.
