There is a healthy sprinkling of southern players in the first Ice Blacks squad for next year.
The New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation has named a squad of 40 that will be trimmed after the Triple Star Camp in Dunedin in February.
Seven players come from the all-conquering Southern Stampede squad.
The Queenstowners supply forwards Connor Harrison, Jack Robbie, Matt Schneider and Ryan Strayer, defencemen Stefan Amston and Callum Burns, and classy goaltender Aston Brookes.
Five Dunedin Thunder players have made the initial squad.
Noah Gregory is the only Thunder forward, joined by defencemen Dylan Devlin, Ben Harford and Max Hurring, and goaltender Jon Barakauskas.
The Ice Blacks are scheduled to compete at the world division two (group B)
championships in Iceland in April.
