Medical issues cut world junior roster down to 41

Those 47 players invited to Canada's world junior selection camp?

They're down to 41 and they haven't cut anybody.

The University of Michigan wouldn't release freshman defenceman Owen Power, who could be the No. 1 pick in the

2021 NHL draft, and now five others, who just sat through two weeks in their hotel room in

Red Deer because of quarantine — defencemen Matthew Robertson, Daemon Hunt and Mason Millman and forwards Ridly Greig and Xavier Simoneau — are out for medical reasons.

After Thursday's second of two Red-white games, coach Andre Tourigny will actually get down to his 25 players for the tournament, based on how they're playing, not how they're feeling. Welcome to the COVID Games.

“We just hope we don't get any injuries,” said Tourigny.

Well, that would be more normal for a training camp.

“Every year I've been working for a team, the coach always wants a little more time (with player decisions),” said Tourigny. “You wish you had one more practice, one more game, one more day, one more week. I wish we had more time to evaluate our players, but the reality is we have to pick our team today, tomorrow, in three days.”

There are five goalies, 25 forwards and 11 defencemen left in camp. The team will carry three goalies, eight D and 14 forwards, playing 22 in the games.

If you were handicapping the D before Tuesday's health news, Bowen Byram and Jamie Drysdale are the top pair with Thomas Harley and Braden Schneider as the second unit. Robertson and Kaedan Korczak looked to be a possible third tag team, with Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron as possible No. 7 and No. 8. Now, it's wide open for the third pairing.

THE VIRUS IS WINNING

The Swedes are being hard hit on and off the ice by the virus, losing their best centre Karl Henriksson, the New York Rangers second-rounder, and head coach Tomas Monten and assistant Anton Lundberg, too.

“An incredibly sad situation,” said Monten, who has to quarantine for seven days and won't be on the flight Dec. 13 to Edmonton.

Henriksson was supposed to centre fourth-overall pick Lucas Raymond (Detroit) and Alex Holtz, No. 7 selection by New Jersey.

OUCH, THIS HURTS

Germany won't have its best player, defenceman Moritz Seider, Detroit's top prospect because he's staying with Rogle in the SHL and now winger Lukas Reichel is out with COVID. The Germans aren't deep enough to not have these two kids. Reichel was the 17th overall pick by Chicago in October and would have been on Germany's top line with Ottawa's first pick Tim Stutzle and winger John-jason Peterka (Buffalo second-rounder).