WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY
Hall snubbed as McDavid, RNH get the call
Taylor Hall should have had a leg up on a spot on Canada’s World Cup of Hockey team because it’s overloaded with centres and they could use some natural wingers.
But the Edmonton Oilers forward, who had a productive world championship in Russia, drew the short straw Friday afternoon.
His teammate, Ryan NugentHopkins, got the call, though, as one of the four forward additions to play for Team North America’s Young Guns, the under-24 squad Todd McLellan is coaching and GM Peter Chiarelli is co-managing with Chicago’s Stan Bowman.
He’ll be there with Connor McDavid, one of the first nine Team North America forwards picked back in March.
If it’s any consolation, San Jose’s second-line centre Logan Couture, who leads the playoff scoring race, and two-time Olympic right winger Corey Perry were bypassed for the Canadian team as well as Hall in favour of Couture’s Sharks’ teammate Joe Thornton, Philly captain Claude Giroux, who just had right hip surgery, Colorado centre Matt Duchene, who was in the Olympics in Sochi in 2014 and Boston Bruins disturber/winger Brad Marchand, who scored 37 goals, as head coach Mike Babcock’s Canadian team fleshed out its 13-man forward group.
At first blush, Marchand beat out Hall because both are left wingers. Maybe they feel Marchand can fill a penalty-killing, energy fourth-line role better than Hall if he wound up there.
“Tough decisions,” said Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong, the St. Louis general manager. “It was nothing Taylor didn’t do, but we could only name so many guys.
“Taylor was a strong player at the Worlds as well as Marchand and Duchene.”
Duchene has also spent a lot of time on the wing internationally.
“I feel badly for Taylor,” Oilers’ GM Peter Chiarelli said. “Taylor and the rest of our (Oilers) group dipped at the end, but I thought he was really good for a large chunk of the year and he had a really strong Worlds. He plays hard, drives the play with his skating and his competitiveness, but I understand what Doug has to do.”
“I’m sure he’s disappointed but making Team Canada is so hard, there are so many great players,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I know he’ll get his chance again, whether it’s the Olympics or the next World Cup.”
Nugent-Hopkins, who had an injury-troubled season — first breaking his right index finger in January, then suffering a concussion — didn’t go to the worlds in Russia, but was still added to the Young Guns team with the likely No. 1 pick in the June draft, centre Auston Matthews, Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele and Tampa winger Jonathan Drouin. RNH is part of another squad that’s heavy with centres and could be No. 3 behind Connor McDavid and Calgary’s Sean Monahan for coach Todd McLellan’s team.
“Since I’ve played more years than other guys, I hoped my experience would get me there (313 games),” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Feels weird, but I’ll be one of the oldest guys on the team and I’ll be counted on, and if I have to play a different role on the team, I hope to have an impact. It’s strange to be one of the older guys (23). I’ll play wherever they want me to go.”
Nugent-Hopkins played in only 55 Oilers games because of his injuries and had 34 points. He didn’t go to the world championship tournament because of his finger but it’s coming along.
“I’m still doing rehab on it. I want to get the grip back to where it’s 100 per cent. I want to get to the point where I know nothing’s going to tear or rebreak. I don’t have the range or strength yet,” he said.
“Nuge didn’t have a year that he normally does but I wanted his two-way play and somebody Todd would be comfortable with,” said Chiarelli.
“He’s a smart player with five years of experience in the league. He had some injures and had a tough year but I know what he is and what he does.”
“We felt with Nugent-Hopkins and Scheifele, they’d give us lots of experience. Scheifele may be on the wing because he can shoot and handle the wall, and we needed that if we were bringing the youth on,” said Chiarelli, who agonized over some of the picks.
“(Winger Alex) Galchenyuk was really good (30 goals). The two forward guys (centre Vinny) Trotchek and (winger Jonathan) Huberdeau and (centre) Boone Jenner (Columbus), they were good, too.”
Matthews is only 18 and hasn’t played a single NHL minute but he’s a phenom. Since the World Cup is in Toronto and the Leafs will likely be taking him with the first pick in the draft, he’s a natural for the team, along with his terrific skill-set.
“Stan and I looked closely at Matthews at the World Championships (USA) and he really turned our heads,” said Chiarelli.
Chiarelli and Bowman added St. Albert’s Colton Parayko on the back-end after the 6-foot-6 defenceman’s outstanding rookie season in St. Louis.
“We like Colton’s range, poise, consistency. He’s just a solid twoway guy with a bomb,” said Chiarelli, who also added Calder finalist Shayne Gostisbehere (who had hip surgery after the playoffs) and Winnipeg ’s Jake Trouba to the seven-man defence corps for the World Cup.