Bulldog president has key role in shaping Canada’s Junior team
It’s a busy week for Steve Staios.
As part of his new gig overseeing the under-20 program for Hockey Canada, the Hamilton Bulldogs president and general manager is criss-crossing the country for the Canada Russia Series.
Afterward, he’ll help determine which 32 players — 18 forwards, 10 defencemen and four goalies — will score an invite to Canada’s world junior camp in early December.
The six-game series is a key part of the identification process for both countries in the leadup to the world junior championship, which opens on Boxing Day in Victoria and Vancouver.
Bulldog Mackenzie Entwistle is still in the running for a spot on Team Canada. The 19-year-old centre will suit up for Team OHL twice — in Sarnia on Thursday and Oshawa next Monday. Teammate Matt Strome was a late addition to the roster for the Sarnia game.
The series, which pits regional teams of national junior candidates against a squad of Russian hopefuls, kicked off in Kamloops last Monday with a narrow 2-1 win by Team WHL.
The following night in Langley, Russia came out on top 3-1. After stopping in Ontario, the series heads to the QMJHL for another two games next week.
The Spectator spoke to Staios recently about what he does and what he looks for in prospective players, Entwistle included. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation, edited for length:
Teri Pecoskie: What does your job with Hockey Canada entail?
Steve Staios: Evaluating the players and putting the team together. We have a head scout Brad McEwan who does a lot of the work, and we have plenty of people around Canada who watch the games and scouts who will give us reports on these players. But it’s sort of layered. We
had a summer evaluation camp, Canada Russia is an important evaluation for some of these players, and then we roll into our camp in Victoria.
TP: The players you’re looking at are all good in different ways. How do you decide between them?
SS: We have an identity, we have a style of play that we want to adhere to, and that helps sort of try to narrow it down to the types of players we want.
TP: Do you look for the best players? Or the best group?
SS: We want the best players, and I think that playing for Canada, all the players we’re looking at are elite players for their club teams and play a certain amount of minutes, and they’ll be asked to play a certain role on a certain line, maybe outside their position — a lot of centremen that may have to play wing, which is a bit of an adjustment.
TP: Is it ever difficult for you to evaluate players on your own team?
SS: No, it’s not. You have to be objective, there’s no doubt. Whether it’s a player on our own team or not, I know the player, I can shed more light on what type of player he is, but it will be up to Mackenzie.
TP: No Bulldogs player has ever made Canada’s world junior team. What would it mean to you and the organization?
SS: I think it would be great ... It would be great for fans to wake up on Boxing Day and be able to see one of their own play.