Swift Current Broncos draft pick Josh Davies is hopeful that his career is going places.  And he's hopeful that the next place on the list will be the WHL locker room at only 16 years of age.

Last season he took his talents to the west coast to play with the Pacific Coast Academy Prep School in Victoria, a U18 AAA team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.  As a 15-year-old, Davies was named the club's Most Valuable Player, an award he calls a huge honour.

"Especially being a 15 year old on the team.  I think I showed great leadership and I showed my skills on and off the ice.  Yeah, it's just a huge honour for me to get that, hopefully going into the Western League next year."

Earlier in the year, Davies was selected as one of 113 players from Canada that were chosen for the (later cancelled) World Under 17 Hockey Challenge that would have been held from October 31 - November 7 in Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island.  While that event was eventually put on ice due to the rise of COVID-19, organizers still held a modified event; turning the camp that had been scheduled to take place in Calgary prior to the tournament into a "virtual" event.

Davies said that event though the event no longer involved sticks and skaters, it was still an unforgettable experience.

"Just collaborating with all those high-end athletes and some of the best coaches and staff in the world.  Just getting the Hockey Canada experience was just phenomenal.  Just learning and meeting all those new people was just great."

The camp fired him up for his potential future, and he is hopeful that he can continue to climb that ladder in the upcoming season with the Broncos.

Selected in the third round, 54th overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, Davies was called up and played three games with the club in the pandemic shortened season.

He's banking on that experience and the impression that he made at the U18 AAA level last season to help him make the jump permanently when the WHL resumes in December.  He initially expected to begin training camp with the Broncos by around the middle of September.  COVID-19 restrictions have altered the WHL's plans and now the league is tentatively scheduled to start up on December 4th.  Davies has met with Swift Current management.

"I talked to them quite a bit and they're expecting me to make the team and play for them, but, again I have to go in there and prove I belong.  I think that's mostly the main key that they've said to me is that I have to go into camp and show them I belong there."