​Rhys Hoff of North Vancouver and Ryan Zeng of West Vancouver, both 10 years old, have been selected to play on Team BC for the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament at West Edmonton Mall in July. | Courtesy of Mistelle Evans

By Nick Laba, North Shore News.

Sliding across the ice on a bent knee, with some hearty fist pumps and an electric smile, a 10-year-old Connor Bedard of North Vancouver celebrates goal after goal at The Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in 2015.

Following in the footsteps of the first overall pick in last year’s NHL Draft are two North Shore youngsters chosen to play from Team BC in this year’s Brick event.

Rhys Hoff of North Vancouver and Ryan Zeng of West Vancouver will compete against some of the best nine- and 10-year-old hockey talent in North America, July 1 to 7 at West Edmonton Mall.

Hoff and Zeng, both 10, have played hockey together for four years. Both young athletes have played for the Vancouver Vipers hockey club, which was home for Bedard and also Macklin Celebrini, the North Vancouver product who’s projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Last year, a YouTube video of Bedard’s highlights from his 2015 play in the Brick tournament garnered more than 200,000 views.