Three members of the Queen’s Gaels men’s hockey team are helping lead a U Sports all-star squad that will face off against Canada's national junior hockey prospects in two-game exhibition series next week.

Gaels head coach Brett Gibson, defenceman Spencer Abraham and goalie Kevin Bailie have been named to the university squad that will play the national junior team as it prepares for the 41^st IIHF World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal (Dec. 26- Jan. 5).   

Both games will be played at the Centre d'Excellence Sports Rousseau in Boisbriand, Que., on Monday, Dec. 12 at 7 pm and Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 1 pm.  

Gibson, in his 11^th year as head coach of the Gaels, has also been selected as Canada's head coach for the 2017 Winter Universiade in Kazakhstan.

“I am extremely excited to work with the top coaches and players in U Sport men’s hockey from across our country,” says Gibson, who was named the OUA East and U Sports coach of the year in 2014. “The opportunity to help prepare our national junior team in their quest for gold, along with providing our U Sports players with a first class experience, will make for a great partnership.”

Bailie returns to the team for a second time after playing in last year’s series. In his fourth season with the OUA East-leading Gaels, Bailie has a 6-4-1 record with a 2.43 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

Abraham is also back for a second time and has two goal and 10 assists in 18 games in his third season with the Gaels.

A total of 23 players were named to the U Sports squad.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for these 23 U Sports athletes from across the country to showcase how great of a product we have,” says Gibson. “It also comes with a great responsibility to be a small part of the preparation for our Canadian under-20 team in their quest for a gold medal.”

The National Junior Team has faced U Sports competition on a regular basis in recent years in its preparation for the IIHF Championship, with most of those contests coming against a single university team or a selection from two or three programs. Last December, the U Sports all-stars – featuring the best players from across the country – split the two-game series with the Canadian hopefuls, claiming a 5-4 shootout victory in the first game.