CANADA’S HOPES REST WITH NEW GROUP OF JUNIORS
Only two players are expected to return from last year’s gold-medal lineup
It’s one of the better indicators of the passion/madness that Canada has for the world junior hockey championship that the training camp roster announcement is nationally televised.
That’s to be followed by a prime-time special and frequent updates on which of the 34 teenagers will attempt to defend the gold medal won last year. We remain nuts for this thing.
But other countries are catching up: witness the five countries that have won the gold medal over the last eight tournaments, or the fact that the Swedes were so devastated by losing the final last year that the captain fired his silver medal into the stands.
Canada no longer holds a monopoly on emotional investment in the world juniors, but it’s the only country that has a title sponsor for its training camp.
So, what was learned at the announcement of the National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp roster?
THE BIG O
Of the 19 forwards invited to camp, 10 of them are playing in the Ontario Hockey League. Head coach Tim Hunter said on a conference call on Monday that junior leagues ebb and flow in terms of available talent.
“Right now the cycle is there are a lot more skilled forwards in the OHL than anywhere else,” he said of a group that includes Montreal Canadiens prospect Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound) and Alex Formenton (London), who played nine games for the Ottawa Senators this season before returning to junior.
Hockey Canada head scout Brad Mcewen said the management group didn’t worry about league balance when assembling the roster, which includes three forwards from the WHL and four from Quebec.
“We’re not really looking regionally at all,” he said.
Evidence of that: There are just seven players in total from the WHL, despite the tournament being played this year in Vancouver and Victoria.
FRESH TURNOVER
Formenton and Maxime Comtois are the only two returnees from last year’s gold-medal team, and Hunter said they are not anticipating any late additions as NHL teams decide what to do with their young talent.
The coach said it will be helpful to have at least two players who have been through the world junior ringer before, not just because they are familiar with the level of competition, but also due to their experience with the media and fan attention that far exceeds what players normally see in their junior careers.
Notably, none of the defence invitees have played in the world juniors, where last year’s squad was anchored by four returning defenders, including tournament MVP Thomas Chabot, now starring with the Ottawa Senators.
NHL CONNECTIONS
In addition to Suzuki and Formenton, the Canadian training camp roster includes another half-dozen players with links to this country’s NHL teams. Forward Shane Bowers will be joined by fellow Ottawa Senators prospect Jacob Bernard-docker, a defenceman who, like Bowers, plays in the NCAA.
Defenceman Josh Brook was a second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2017 and Evan Bouchard, another defenceman, is an Edmonton Oilers prospect.
Two of the three goaltenders are from Canadian NHL organizations: Michael Dipietro (Vancouver) and Ian Scott (Toronto). Dipietro is the likely No. 1 goalie.
Scott, who didn’t take part in Team Canada’s summer exhibition games, played his way onto the team with his strong play for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL this season, where he is 22-1 with a 1.61 goals-against average.
MEN AGAINST BOYS
As has become custom in the pre-tournament run-up, the Canadian team will have a series of games against an all-star team of university players, almost all of whom will have completed their major junior careers. Hunter said the management team likes to see their prospects go up against the “older, smarter, heavier” university-level players, who he said play a style closer to the AHL than what is normally seen in junior.
HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE
No matter who plays for the Canadian side, they will be expected to have the benefit of a raucous home crowd. Hockey Canada executive director Tom Renney said Monday that the games in Vancouver and Victoria are almost all sold out, even those not involving the home team.
Once the roster is pared to
22 by mid-december, Canada and the other teams will play exhibition games in nine B.C. communities. That tour also has a sponsor.