Left to right: Ben Harvey, Brock Cripps, Riley Boychuk, and Daxon Rudolph. (Prince Albert Raiders/Mark Peterson)

By Nick Nielsen

Going Global

Four Raiders heading to Canadian Program of Excellence summer camps

Jul 18, 2025 | 2:03 PM

The puck doesn’t drop for the start of the 2025-26 WHL season until Sept. 19, but some of the young guns for the Prince Albert Raiders are still managing to open up opportunities.

Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk, who both found full time spots with the Raiders last year, will be heading to Canada’s U18 Program of Excellence camp. Two other young Raiders hoping to crack the roster full time this season, Brock Cripps and Ben Harvey, will be heading to the U17 camp.

Rudolph and Boychuk will be looking to earn a spot on Team Canada at the Gretzky-Hlinka Cup. For Boychuk, getting the chance to try and make the team ‘means everything.’

“When I got the call to find out that I was invited to camp, I was pretty thankful and pretty grateful. Wearing the maple leaf is something that you dream of playing for every single year, and especially when you’re a kid. Just to have that opportunity means everything to me.”

Boychuk, Rudolph, and Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald on the bench, all won gold with Team Canada at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in 2024. That was Boychuk’s first chance to wear the Team Canada jersey.

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Rudolph has had the opportunity to play for Team Canada a few more times – most recently in May at the U18 IIHF Men’s World Championship which won gold. Before that, he also was a part of the U16 Team Canada at the Youth Olympic Games in 2023-24. While neither Rudolph or Boychuk have made the team yet for the Gretzky-Hlinka Cup, having one of his teammates join him at camp makes this opportunity all the more special for Rudolph.

“Being able to go to camp again is truly an honour and I really look forward to it. It’s going to be lots of fun, especially having Riley there with me. Sharing one of these experiences with him again is just incredible for myself and him. We’ve been able to share so many great experiences together and I’m looking forward to that one as well.”

Meanwhile, Harvey and Cripps stand out as the highlights of the 2024 Raiders draft class, and the two of them are looking to join Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald at the U17 World Hockey Challenge at the end of October.

Harvey and Cripps have the chance to make one of two teams at the tournament – Canada Red or White. After spending last year as an assistant coach for the gold medal winning Team Canada White, McDonald will instead take over head coaching duties for Team Canada Red this year.

Neither Cripps or Harvey has represented Canada before, but both represented their home provinces in last year’s WHL Cup where Harvey’s Team Alberta won gold, and Cripps’ team B.C. finished fourth.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com