Airdrie's own Catherine Longchamps was among forty-six female hockey players who are now one step closer to representing their Province in the 2016 National Women's Under 18 Championship.

Longchamps received the invitation from Hockey Alberta to participate in the Team Alberta U-18 Female Summer Camp. 

"Its a very intense program," said Brad Lyon, Senior Manager of Communications for Hockey Alberta. "The coaching staff is not only looking at the skills and the talent of the individual players when they're on the ice, but they are also looking at how they gel with each other off the ice."

The invitation list includes 6 goalies, 16 defense, and 24 forwards. The 46 athletes were selected from 88 who attended the spring selection camp in Spruce Grove, which included fitness testing, mental skills preparations, on ice skills sessions, and several games.

"We're looking forward to seeing how these 46 athletes perform under elevated pressure at the upcoming camp in Camrose. The level of competition will be extremely high, with a chance to represent Alberta at the U18 Championship on the line," said Mathieu Provencher, Coordinator of Team Alberta, Female.

Longchamps is coming fresh off a huge season with the Rocky Mountain Raiders, which saw the team compete in the Esso Cup Female Midget AAA Nationals.

The camp will run from July 12th-17th, in Camrose.

For more information on the camps, and a full invite list, visit the Hockey Alberta website.