Huskies football offensive lineman Ben Heenan will join two other CIS players Jan. 21 as they compete in the 87th East-West Shrine game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The game, which raises funds for Shriners Hospital for Children, features 100 of the United States’ top college players and acts as a showcase for future NFL and CFL talent. Every year since 1985, two or three CIS players are also invited to the game.

Heenan, who is a first team and second team CIS all-Canadian, is only the sixth Huskie in history to attend the game. The last was safety Dylan Barker in 2008, who currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

Like Barker in the 2008 CFL draft, Heenan is projected by the CFL scouting bureau to go number one in the 2012 draft.

Huskies head coach Brian Towriss stated in a press release that even NFL teams have expressed interest in the 6-4, 310-pound agriculture and bioresources student.

“His size, strength and mobility have already attracted interest from several NFL teams,” said Huskies head coach Brian Towriss in a press release. “The Shrine Game will enable Ben to showcase his talents with many of the NCAA’s best… He will represent CIS football very well.”

Heenan will be joined by two defensive ends: Laval Rouge et Or’s Arnaud Gascon-Nadon and Regina Rams’ Akiem Hicks.

Notable CIS players who have played in the Shrine game include the Chicago Bears defensive lineman Israel Idonije, who played at the University of Manitoba from 2000 to 2002, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Jason Clermont and Andy Fantuz, and former Tiger-Cat Jesse Lumsden.

Notable NFL stars who have played in the Shrine game include Tom Brady, Brett Favre and John Elway.

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Image: Supplied