It was an experience of a lifetime for Whitehorse Mustangs Tyson Glass, Gage Preece and Matthew McCarthy.

The three bantam players suited up, along with 40 other Canadian players, in a tournament in Czech Republic earlier in April.

"That's the first time that they have ever had a chance to play 100 per cent European teams, so it was a real eye-opener for them," said Whitehorse Bantam Mustangs coach Jay Glass, who accompanied the boys on the trip.

The opportunity to travel to the Czech Republic came in 2008 and was a result of the three players, who were on the peewee Mustangs then, being scouted at the provincials in Dawson Creek, B.C.

Other Canadians included players from the western provinces and Ontario. Canada had enough players to ice two teams.

Tyson and McCarthy played on the Wolves, which finished fourth overall. Preece, on the other hand, ended up on the Grizzlies, a team that ended up going undefeated, winning the tournament in a shootout against a Czech Republic squad from Prague.

Despite winning the tournament, Preece said the highlight for him was just playing with his teammates.

"Our team from the first day we did everything together and just the teamwork we had was really unbelievable," he said. "I think just playing with all the friends I made was really the best part."

He said the style of play, which is more of a possession game and less physical took some time to get used to.

"At first it was kind of weird because here you are always looking for the hit and there you are just using your stick and your feet a lot more," Preece said. "It adds a whole new aspect to the game, which is really good."

Tyson said the European style is based on skating and puck movement.

"Here in Canada we like to hit a lot, so we got quite a few penalties down there," he said. "You pretty much had to adjust to it or else you would get too many calls against you."

McCarthy said it was an unbelievable experience playing in the Czech Republic. He said he wasn't disappointed about not winning the tournament.

"I'm fine with it," he said. "I didn't really care where we placed, just the experience of playing and being there, that's all that really mattered to me.

"Anybody that gets the opportunity to go there definitely should, it's well worth the money and definitely worth the experience."

In addition to the trip itself, the boys also had dryland training and video analysis sessions. The 12 days in the Czech Republic also included visits around Prauge, which features a number of old churches and castles.

One of the older arenas used in the tournament was the Sparta rink. The area can hold more than 16,000 people and has been used for the world junior hockey championships.

Watching his son play in the Sparta Arena was Jay's main highlight in the Czech Republic.

The bantam coach said the Yukon boys played really well at the the tournament.

"Our guys from here looked right in the mix," he said. "Of the 40 Canadian kids there they were definitely in the top half. Gage's team obviously won the gold medal, so that was great for him."

He said he noticed an improvement at this past weekend's Bantam Mustangs ID camp.

"I think I saw it with those guys and what they are doing a little bit more is they are bringing that experience and that confidence with them," Jay said. "They are a little bit more comfortable leading these guys here and showing them a little bit more about what it takes to be successful. I see it out there, those kids look different. They look a little bit more confident and a little bit more comfortable and they just look a little stronger."