The after-effects of the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie last month are being felt in a huge way for at least one Whitehorse athlete.

Goalie Teneesha Merkel has been invited to attend NAIG in Ottawa next month after a great performance in net for the Yukon's AWG female hockey team.

Merkel will attend as part of Team Northwest Territories.

This isn't the only excitement coming up for Merkel.

This weekend she will take part in the Canada Winter Games hockey ID camp this weekend in Whitehorse.

She will then fly to Yellowknife to play with her NAIG teammates before taking off to Ottawa for the first weekend in May.

As she pursues her dream of hockey, Merkel is keeping up with her school work as a Grade 11 student.

"Her hard work and great preparation is paying off,” said Louis Bouchard, coach of the Northern Avalanche girls hockey team.

In 2007 Merkel was the youngest player to participate in the Canada Winter Games.

Because of her age, she will again have the opportunity to skate for Team Yukon at the Games coming up next winter.

The Yukon Amateur Hockey Association (YAHA) will be hosting the Female and Male Hockey Identification Camp this weekend at the Canada Games Centre, beginning at 4:45 p.m. Friday for girls born between 1993 and 1998. Boys born between 1995 and 1996 will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.