Even though Team Canada Rouges didn’t make it to the finals of the World Under-17 Challenge, Victoriaville Tigres head coach – who led that team – Carl Mallette is very proud of what he accomplished in the tournament that ended Saturday in Charlottetown .

The Canada Red team lost its flag on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime loss in the quarterfinals to tournament champion Canada White. In her last game she beat Finland 5-4 in overtime.

Carl Mallette was making his third appearance at the World Under-17 Challenge, an initiative of Hockey Canada.

“It was the first time I worked as a head coach. My participation in this major competition so far has certainly been recognized, as have the Tigers’ achievements,” he says.

Carl Mallette was impressed by the quality of players from both Canadian teams as well as the teams from Sweden, the United States, Finland and the Czech Republic.

“It was a unique opportunity to get to know some of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League players better. I also got to see some potential National Hockey League stars. And overall I learned a lot during the tournament. It was very rewarding and spectacular at the same time,” he says.

The Tigers head coach doesn’t know if Hockey Canada will invite him back for more experiences like this in the near future, but he’s open to the idea.

“I definitely scored points in Charlottetown, and all the better if people are still doing business with my services,” he admits.

However, after a two-week absence, he is looking forward to resuming his duties behind the Tigers bench.

“I am very happy with our players’ performance at the weekend. And even in the two previous defeats we still did well. Of course, I was in constant contact with my representatives. It is encouraging to see that the club is moving in the right direction,” he concludes.