Edmontonian Named to National Team

EDMONTON (April 28, 2010) - A young Edmontonian floorball player has been named to Canada's national team.

17-year old Andrzej Zadora, who had previously represented Canada at the 2009 Men's U19 World Floorball Championships in Raisio, Finland, has been named to the U19 Selects team for the 2010 Canada Cup.

Naming him to this team ensures him exclusive scouting for the national squad that will represent Canada at the 2011 Worlds, in Germany. The U19 Selects squad will play at the elite division of the Canada Cup, which is the largest floorball tournament in North America. Although the schedule has yet to be announced, the team may possibly face off against Czech powerhouses SKP Nymburk, 2009 Champions X-Stream IBK, or even the Republic of Georgia and their national team.

In addition to playing in the elite division at the Canada Cup, Zadora will also play in the intermediate for a joint Canada-US squad he co-founded, Can-Am United FC.

"It is of great honor for me to once again be able to represent my country at an elite level. Playing alongside teammates from the 2009 Worlds in Finland, and being exclusively scouted for the 2011 German team, will help further my floorball career. I am happy with the opportunites given to me thusfar, and I can't wait to jump out onto thje court in May to play for Canada once again."

In 4 games at the 2009 World Championships, Zadora, the only Albertan player on the team, tallied one goal, in a win against Japan. He is professionally sponsored by Salming, a company owned by NHL Hall of Famer Börje Salming, which produces equipment for the sport.

Floorball, also known as unihockey, has been played in Canada since 1998. The sport is similar to floor hockey, but is played with a whiffle ball and a carbon-fibre stick. It involves limited physical contact and rules that focus solely on the safety of the players. Through this, it has been very popular in school systems, having 150 schools in Ontario already playing the sport on a regular basis in their physical education programs.

A record 57 clubs have registered for the 2010 Canada Cup, which will be held from May 21st to 23rd at York University in Toronto, ON.