Former Vancouver Canucks teammates Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa are proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Cole Bieksa, Kevin’s 17-year-old son, has been picked to participate in the Vancouver Giants training camp. The 5-foot-11 forward scored 63 points (26-37-63) in 47 high-school games with Fairmont Prep in California last season, and signed a contract with the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL in February.
“[Cole] is a tenacious player with a lot of upside,” Express general manager Tali Campbell said after the signing was announced. “He’s a full 200-foot player who can score goals and make plays but he’s also very defensively sound.”
Giants training camp begins on Wednesday, with on-ice sessions scheduled to start Thursday at the Ladner Leisure Centre. There are 40 forwards trying out for the Giants, so the competition is stiff. Preseason begins Sept. 3, ahead of the puck dropping on the WHL regular season at the Langley Events Centre on Sept. 20.
The Bieksa news comes one day after Henrik’s soccer-playing son Valter Sedin was picked to represent Canada internationally at the U-18 level.
Both Valter Sedin and Cole Bieksa were born in Vancouver in 2007, when their fathers were still Canucks teammates.
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