Canberra duo Ben Staines and James Day have been earmarked as the next-gen Kookaburras as Hockey Australia searches for players to take the team to the Paris Olympic Games.
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Staines and Day were named in a 19-strong national development squad with a view to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, the World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Kookaburras coach Colin Batch said the athletes' performances in the new domestic competition played a significant role in their selections.
Staines and Day played for the Canberra Chill and stood out despite the men's side failing to make the finals.
"There is really good depth in Australian men's hockey at the moment and the athletes that have been selected have proven they have the quality to be in the mix for the Kookaburras," Blatch said.
"The coaching staff and high performance department see this group of athletes as integral in driving the Kookaburras to ongoing improvement and success, and being selected in this squad clearly sends the message that they are very much in contention.
As part of the development squad, athletes will train at home with their national training centre programs under the guidance of the national program coaches.
They may be invited to train with the senior Kookaburras squad in Perth as part of a visitor athlete agreement and be involved in training and match environments that are above their current level of compete.
