Canada’s junior team takes shape
He’s Bean there, done that.
But that doesn’t make Wednesday’s news any less exciting for Calgary Hitmen star Jake Bean.
And this year, he wants gold instead of silver.
The WHL defenceman is heading back to the world juniors — hopefully — after being one of seven returning players invited to Canada’s national junior team selection camp.
Bean, a 2016 first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, helped Team Canada win silver at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“It’s a huge honour just to get the invite to the camp,” Bean said. “It’s a very prestigious program. I feel really lucky to have this opportunity. I’m just going to go there with an open mind. A lot of the guys coming back, we really want to win this year — a little bit more than last year, I think.”
The 19-year-old is one of 32 players taking part in the camp, which runs Dec. 12-15 at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.
The camp features a trio of games — two against U Sports teams on Dec. 13 and 14, and a contest against Denmark on Dec. 15 before the final roster is named.
Canada opens the high-profile world junior tournament in Buffalo on Boxing Day against Finland, a year after losing to the Americans in a shootout in the gold-medal game.
“It definitely left a sour taste in our mouth and we can definitely bring that fire to camp and start out first day with that inspiration,” Bean said.
Bean is in his fourth season with the Hitmen and leads the club in scoring with 25 points in 24 games.
His Hitmen resume is impressive, highlighted by a pair of franchise records. In 2015-16, he tallied 24 goals to set a new single-season franchise mark for goals by a blueliner and, in 2014-15, he also established a club record for most points by a rookie defenceman with 39.
But in a few days, he’ll turn his attention to helping the country garner gold at the world juniors.
“Having the same coaching staff, that helps you know a bit more of what to expect. All seven returning guys, including me, they’re going to expect us to be leaders. It’ll definitely be a benefit to us.”