Brett Howden and Zach Sawchenko are focused on December following the World Junior Summer Showcase, which wrapped up over the weekend.

The two Moose Jaw Warriors, along with head coach Tim Hunter who is serving as an assistant with Team Canada, took part in the summer development camp last week as they looked to impress the Hockey Canada brass.

“It was a cool experience, obviously very humbling and special to be able to go to something like that, it’s very rare to get the chance to go to these kinds of camps, so you try to take as much in as you can and learn from the older guys,” said Howden, who has represented Canada at every level, but was attending his first World Junior camp.

Howden suited up in all three exhibition games during the camp for Canada, but was held off the scoresheet, while Sawchenko appeared in one game, making eight saves for Canada in a 5-1 loss to Sweden.

Canada lost their three exhibition games, falling 2-1 in overtime to Finland before dropping back-to-back 5-1 games to Sweden and the United States down in Plymouth, Michigan.

Howden said that he’s happy with how he played and felt like he showed Hockey Canada what he’s capable of at that level.

“It’s tough with it being in the middle of summer, you’re not in game shape, but I felt like after I got the first and a bit of the second game out of the way, I started playing better and felt more confident,” he said.

During the games, Howden was put in a number of different roles for Canada, playing his normal centre position, as well as moving to the wing and jumping from the top six to the bottom six.

“For me, I feel like a player that can fill any role,” Howden said.  “Whether that’s wing or centre, or even my off wing, it doesn’t matter to me, I feel like I can adapt to any role that’s given to me and that was good for them to see.”

Sawchenko was battling with Everett Silvertips goalie Carter Hart, Kamloops Blazers netminder Connor Ingram and Evan Cormier from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit for playing time in a wide open goaltending battle.

Canada doesn’t have a returning goaltender this year, meaning the position is up for grabs.

“It was the first time in game action in about three months, but it was good,” said Sawchenko, who also started the intrasquad game for Team White.

“The biggest thing that I did well in those couple of games was I played the puck pretty well.  I was a little hesitant, but it went fairly well, the team played great in front of me and it was a great experience.”

The summer camp is just the start of the process to represent Canada at the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship in Montreal and Toronto as the 44 players that attended the camp will now be under the microscope for the first half of the Canadian Hockey League season.

Sawchenko said he’s ready to prove that he belongs on that team in December.

“The biggest thing that I take out of camps is that it’s never said and done until the roster is out,” said Sawchenko.  “It’s going to be a long two-and-a-half months before the Super Series and then before the December camp comes out.

“They’re going to be watching our team closely with Brett and Tim as well, and every day is an opportunity to impress and separate yourself from others, so its going to be a fun run.”

For now though, the World Juniors are on the back burner for both Howden and Sawchenko as they get ready for another season with the Tribe, as well as their first NHL training camps next month.

Both players will be arriving in Moose Jaw next week to help out with the Warriors’ Kids Camp and then training camp, which gets underway on Aug. 24.