Campbell River Storm player Riley Langille will be making his way to Serbia in the new year after being called up by the Australian National Junior Team to take part in Division 2B of the U20 World Championship.
“We’re obviously very proud of Riley and are excited for him to get another opportunity with the Aussie U20 team,” said head coach and general manager of the Storm, Kyle Evans. “Very few people will ever get the opportunity to represent their country in sports. This is a great experience for him and also a chance to play some high-level hockey.”
The tournament will take place in Belgrade from Jan. 14 to 20 and will be Langille’s third tournament representing Australia.
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The 18-year-old Perth native (will be 19 on Dec. 27), joined the Campbell River Storm in the 2022-23 season after splitting the season with the Ice Hockey Western Australia Premier League (IHWA Premier) with Perth Sharks and the West Coast Flyers in the 2021-22 season.
However, the forward’s parents are both Canadian and he retains Canadian citizenship, which is required (or U.S. citizenship) to play in a sanctioned junior league in Canada, when not using one of a limited number of international spots.
“Riley is a highly-skilled player who brings with him some great leadership qualities,” said Evans, who added Langille is a beloved figure in the Storm’s locker room. “He always seems to be in the mix when there’s an uproar in the room. He’s a great kid to coach and the guys love having him around.”
His form warranted him a spot in the National U20 team, which participated in the 2022 World Championship Division 3 tournament in Querétaro, Mexico. Langille had a good tournament, scoring four goals and 11 assists. The team topped Group B, which consisted of Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and South Africa, winning all three games. However, after beating Kyrgyzstan in the quarter final, Australia lost in the semifinals to Mexico 3-2. Australia did beat Israel in the third place match though, to get a bronze medal.
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In the 2022-23 season, Langille played 12 games for the Storm, scoring two goals and four assists in the regular season. He also appeared in 11 playoff games. The forward also joined Perth Thunder in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), the nation’s top-level and semi-professional league, which runs its season from mid-April to the last weekend of August. But before he joined Perth, he and Australia had another crack at the U20 World Championship Division 3 in 2023.
Hosted in Istanbul, Turkey, Australia were placed in Group A with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, and New Zealand. Australia won all three games in the group stage, destroyed South Africa 28-0 in the quarterfinals, beat Bulgaria 4-1 in the semifinals and beat Israel 4-1 in the final to secure the title and promotion to Division 2B.
Langille was a major player in the tournament, scoring nine goals and 11 assists.
“Last tournament with the U20’s, he put up 20 points in six games,” says Evans. “Although they have been promoted to a higher division, I would expect him to have the same type of impact and being a real offensive catalyst for that team. As one of the older returning players on that Aussie squad, I would expect his leadership qualities to shine and for him to be a role model for the younger Aussie players.”
Evans said that it’s very rare for the Storm to be sending their players to represent their nation, adding that the organization is very proud Langille is playing the game on the international stage.
“We hope that it will show people that they can use our program to develop their game and chase their hockey goals, whatever that may be.”
Hockey is a very niche sport in Australia. Any players looking for a high development play and chasing professional dreams would need to relocate to North America and Europe to chase those dreams. Evans said Langille’s success with the Storm, the Australian national team and the Perth Thunder, has brought the Storm some recognition in Australia. Evans said Australia could now be a potential pipeline to recruit players who are eligible.
Australia will have to play Romania, Belgium, hosts Serbia, Iceland and Chinese Taipei in Division 2B. There will be no playoffs in this tournament, with the team at the top of the table being promoted to 2A for 2025, and the bottom team will be relegated back to 3A (3B was introduced for 2024).
There is a fundraising campaign to help fund the team trip to Serbia, due to a lack of funding from the Australian government. If any fans of the Storm or general hockey fans would like to help Langille and his teammates get to Serbia, they can do it through https://asf.org.au/projects/iha/u20-mens-world-championships-2024.