By John MacNeil /

Harrison Ruopp will have a short stay at his family farm this Christmas, but the 16-year-old defenceman from the Prince Albert Raiders isn’t complaining.
Ruopp is among 11 players from Saskatchewan named to the 22-man Team West roster for the world under-17 hockey championship from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4 in Timmins, Ont.
He received the invitation in mid-November, a couple of months into his WHL rookie season.
“When I got the phone call (from West assistant coach Garth Mitchell), the feeling was indescribable,” Ruopp said.
“I didn’t really know what to say when they said I’d be playing for Team West. It just feels great that I’m going to get to represent my country and wear that Canada jersey.”
Ruopp is among just seven active WHLers on the West roster, which is comprised evenly of Saskatchewan and Manitoba players.
Team Pacific, representing Alberta and British Columbia, features 17 players from WHL teams, including Raiders forward Mark McNeill.
Prince Albert prospect Brock Balson, now playing junior B with the Chase (B.C.) Chiefs, was also chosen to skate with Team Pacific in the 10-team international tournament.
The under-17 championship, set for Timmins and five other northern Ontario communities, will bring together national teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the U.S., along with five regional Canadian entries: Atlantic, Ontario, Pacific, Quebec and West.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” said Ruopp, whose father runs a grain farm in Zehner, near Regina.
“I’ve talked to guys who have played in the tournament before, and they said nothing feels better than pulling on that Canada jersey and wearing that crest.”
One of Ruopp’s buddies with the Raiders is fellow freshman Sean Aschim, who skated with an overachieving West contingent in last year’s championship.
“Team West finished fourth, but they were rated to finish last, so they kind of shocked everyone,” said Ruopp, 6-2 and 180 pounds “That was great.”
McNeill, a power forward from Edmonton, is part of a star-studded Pacific lineup that includes the top three picks from the 2008 WHL bantam draft: forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels and Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks and defenceman Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades.
McNeill, an everyday player in his rookie season with the Raiders, has overcome a serious Achilles injury suffered last May during the Alberta stage of the under-17 tryouts. 
“I really wanted to prove myself and make that (Pacific) team,” said McNeill, whom the Raiders drafted fifth overall in 2008.
“It was always a goal of mine. I’ve really been working at it, just getting back (in form) from the recovery and having a solid start to the season. To be able to make that team, I thought, was a great showing of dedication on my behalf.”
At Christmas-time last season, McNeill and his Edmonton midget AAA team played in the Mac’s international tournament in Calgary. He’s in for another hockey holiday in Timmins.
“You still have time with your family on Christmas Day and what not, and then you’re off (to hockey) on Boxing Day,” McNeill said. “It should be a fun time.”
Balson, a Pacific forward, played a couple of games with the Raiders before being sent to junior B in Chase, near his hometown of Kamloops, B.C.
“I was pretty pleased, but a little surprised, too,” Balson said of his selection to Team Pacific. “There’s a lot of junior A guys from B.C. (who were in contention), so I thought maybe they’d have a better chance.
“I had a bit of major junior experience at the start of this season, so I think that definitely helped. I get a lot of ice time here, too, so that definitely helps, too. But I think I’m one of their bigger kids – good size – so maybe that played a part.”
Balson, McNeill and Ruopp are big-bodied players expected to be cornerstones with the Raiders in the next few years.