Healthy contests likely for junior team roster spots
Dominique Ducharme would not say exactly how many jobs are up for grabs at this week’s selection camp, but with 33 players invited — and only 22 roster spots available — the Team Canada head coach is expecting to see a healthy competition.
“It’s going to be interesting to see the battles, because we feel strongly that 33 guys have a chance at making this team,” Ducharme said. “It’s their job to make us make difficult decisions.”
It is expected the returning players (forwards Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Taylor Raddysh, defencemen Jake Bean, Kale Clague and Dante Fabbro and goalie Carter Hart) will earn spots on the team, as well as defenceman Victor Mete, who is on loan from the Canadiens.
Cale Makar, the No. 4 overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche in this year’s draft, is also considered a lock, along with forwards Sam Steel, Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, and goalie Michael DiPietro. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
“I won’t go and say we have 13 spots open,” said Ducharme, who plans on whittling down the roster after Canada plays a pair of games against U Sports — essentially a Canadian university all-star team — Wednesday and Thursday, before Friday’s game against Denmark.
“We don’t have a clear plan saying after the second game we will be cutting that many guys. I would think after the second game there is going to be some cuts, but the players will be dictating how many and who’s going to be cut.”
What is Canada looking for? Well, the usual things. Speed and skill are obviously coveted assets, but Ducharme also set up various drills during Day 1 of practice where players had to backcheck and work hard to take away time and space from the opposition.
“We want to make things happen,” Ducharme said. “And I think we have the speed and we have the skills and we have the checking ability to retrieve pucks quick and make things happen on the offensive side. We want to be hard to play against. Our speed is one thing for sure that can be hard to handle for the other teams.”
Nashville Predators prospect Fabbro did not participate in Tuesday’s practices because of a minor injury. He is expected to be back Wednesday, but Ducharme said the returning defenceman likely won’t get into a game until Thursday.
Dube (Flames), who wore a yellow non-contact jersey, is also battling through a shoulder injury suffered a couple weeks ago.
Hart, (Flyers) has the inside track as the No. 1 goalie, but the plan is for all the goalies — including DiPietro (Canucks), Colton Point (Dallas) and undrafted Samuel Harvey — to split time in net against U Sports.