Matthew Thiessen has received an invitation from Hockey Canada and will attend the National Under-17 Development Camp in Calgary from July 26th to August 2nd.

"I was pretty excited," said Thiessen who was in Calgary last weekend for a Hockey Canada Program of Excellence goaltending camp. "Anything with Team Canada and representing our nation on a national stage will be pretty fun and a good experience."

Thiessen will be among 12 netminders looking to earn a roster spot on one of the three Canadian teams playing in the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in November.

"I'm just going to go in there and work as hard as I can," said the 16-year-old Altona native who played with the Manitoba "AAA" Midget Hockey League's Pembina Valley Hawks last season.  "Try and improve and gain experiences. Always improving is what I need to focus on."

Thiessen, who helped Team Manitoba bring back a silver medal from the 2016 Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup in Calgary, says his plans for this upcoming hockey season are up in the air.

"I am still weighing my options and I think I got a few that I am willing to consider.  I'm not 100 percent sure about next season but I'm going to go to different camps and try out different things and try and see what is the best option for me."

Thiessen says he does plan to attend the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Steinbach Pistons camp as well as the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans camp.