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Hockey Canada taps Hitmen coach for national U18 squad this summer

So much for the summer vacation.

Mark French will be in more hockey rinks than swimming pools this off-season.

The Calgary Hitmen bench boss got the call from Hockey Canada on Wednesday as he was named an assistant coach for the summer selection camp and the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.

“Ah, it’s for a good reason,” French said of his abbreviated vacation plans.

August’s Ivan Hlinka tourney won’t be the first time French has set foot in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. He coached against teams in Prague and Bratislava during his season with the KHL’s Medvescak Zagreb in 2013-14, prior to joining the Hitmen.