CANADA
Canada skates into the WJC aiming to improve on last year’s oh-so-close second-place finish
YOdiUdClaAsNt’yTeCaOrM, lEosAiNngY icnloaseshr ot otgoouldt tohaTneaCmanUaSdAa medallCiinsatnasnu, caiknnsdtsatnhiltel-ychleadasosdnic’itnfeitnonatBleirunftfMhailosonyatersaetrah’ls.eBesuviltevntehtre afwesietlthhleaiklefoatvhorfmipteeasrd.itaTyt,heaissntdwheailvnlekbnsetthaoottuohguehgrhtahvteoegunaromnuasemshewoncitlkley hordes of Southern Ontario crossing over the sbthtrreiidykg’elelg,noCelaedndianadWafe’swekstiedhrsinwgNsileltwostgiYlol hrkiag.vhettiof tchoeaylewscaen,tatnod noTdhoeubhtigbhelitghhet oouftdthoeorpgraemlime iangaariynsrtotuhnedU.wS.ill agtetNaecwhaElrleanSgteadriguhmt oDffecth. e29h,obpuwt itthheFCinalnaanddi anssthweiilrl Boxing Day opponent. With Dominique Ducharme raectuhranminpgiobneshiinpdptehdeibgreenechw, Choaniasdwaehlal-svaercsoeadchinwtihthe national program. As per usual, the absences on Canacdtau’salrloysdteornwthilel bjeerjsuesyt. as famous as the players who buWs OFFENSE aitnhd PTiyesrorne-LJousct iDnuCboliosraednot,rethnechCeadnaidniaCnosluwmil-l jbuestmcihsusirngs otwutopviveoryts,gsoo dexcpeenctenres.wBruetcrthueitscotounpticrky uf(rSpot.nthtLeowusililas)cb.keT. SPhaeemrhtwSatpoesectllhi(ceAknmeadohseitnimima)pmaonardjtoaJrnotrwdcaoynmaKbtyortuohpue KWyorrolud inJupnaiortricSuulamrmhaesr sStahyoewdchaoset bianckMhicohmigea, ntoracnhdSinagrnthiae SOtHinLgatseathme. hKeyardouo’fsaesxucrepllreinsitnsgklyatdinagngaebrioliutys wiAllngoitvheedresfteanrdaetrtshfeitWs aJtStShwe atosuRronbaemrtenTth.omas (St. Louis), a 2017 first-rounder who plays a smart game fOoHr Lt.hAeddpirnosthpecrte-tmuarnchiningeMiLcohnadeol Mn cKLneiogdh(tsNeiwn JtehreseTyi)papnedttT(aFylolorridRaa)dadnydshth(eTaWmHpLa Bdauyo),osfnCipoedryOGwlaesns
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chael Rasmussen (Detroit) at the CHL-Russia series, and you’ve got the makings of a solid attack, albeit one that is not bulletproof. “Up front, it’s one of their deeper skill groups,” said one scout. “But in Michigan, they lacked a certain dimension. Maybe they didn’t have the elite high-end, like a Dylan Strome, but Thomas was great. On paper, they’re deep, but they need to find guys willing to take on third- and fourthline roles. I’m not sure if they’ve done that yet.”
Could a Boris Katchouk (Tampa Bay) or Nick Suzpurek-it(oVuergnaasm) teanktecoanmtphaint cDheaclelemnbge?r Twhilaltb’sewcrhuecrieatl.he
DEFENSE An area of abundance and aptitude, this is where Cheaenlasd.aEvheanswthitehcShaamnuceltGoirpaurdt o(Cpoplonraednots)oandthVeicirmtoorrMeestkeil(lMedobnlturealiln)eirnstthheaNnHthLe,ythheaCveanraodsitaenrssphoatvse, taswhcneoedliulr.ttb.“h“TieEghgveiensntdtewesrftniertanehlnsoegcutotihsmTsh.spTioemhmtieitlayiaos’rvnCethogwaoblitalolsatts,nieyitrcewveaeimrl,”ltibhxseeaoiofdtngeeutahymoesf who can create offense, guys who can run a power plaIynatnedrmgusyosfwpiuthcks-imzeoavnedrsp, hreytsuicranlintyg.”players Jake Bean (Carolina), Dante Fabbro (Nashville) and Kale Clague (Los Angeles) are all adept at pushing the pace, while at the same time they’re still responsible in their own end. Cale Makar (Colorado), 2017’s pricokv,inshgohweewd oaurladpnidotmbaetuirnattimionidadtuerdfinougrtheoWveJrSaSll, by the step up from Jr. A. The fact he has been solid aMsaakafre’sshpmucakn saktilUlsMaarses sbeoclosntedrstohinsorneep.uTtahteiounn, haenrdalded Josh Mahura (Anaheim) is another solid option bLanoedgtah, inef tSghtueayntyeleoayum(dWisonilno’tnowkipianengt)ftohoramas tdeheifetfeirnreeatnchthefeacenolrd,n6se-nrfoasro. lCt-ta7ol bFCoeaonhtaiesda(laThsaetmacvphiaalynBcpaeuyra)stucaaeWnd tgJhCiveaedptuphaeelacrteiatanizmceen.s,iaznedanthdisswkiilll. TeaTmhisChaansadbaeein GOALTENDING trheecemnot sytecaorns,traonvderesviaelnpolassitioyneafro’sr iCsnialvrCetoernrsnHqouarratIdn(wgPrhaaismlandoaettlpitmheimaf)uironsnet .saTigshnhesotroetaflmteraoskuheb,plbters.itEnavgreitnengrstuqaulalyd, Ibnagtrtalemfoforlgdoeldd,.aTnhdeHfarct chaemweabsaockn tohehewlprotnhge cefionmdaleaigmsanoinorsetbclTleuemtacmihshtUhoSanAn’sPHaTrystlo’esnrrsPetsahuresmsoeen,dsaiysnst.ahesypidriotne’dt
With Hart returning, Canada gets an experienced aosnglyotnheath, brouutgHhatrhtewtiolltableitwy oelflprreesstnsuertemainlrdeeardwy.hNooht oedf ,tshiencseehaseohnad(stiolvbearttlilneimngo!n)oannudclweoassisjuatsthgeesttianrgt bisuuspy faograginraibnsm, diodn-N’tobveesmubrper.isWedhilfeMthicehabealcDkuiPpiestlroot (Vancouver) seizes the job. Athletic and tenacious, he ahlarseabdeyenhaesxaceMllemntofroiarlaCnupOHtitLleWtoinhdisonrasmqeu,aadndthhaet “hMasydineiatlitalwthitohuaglhltsiosrtthsaotfthreoisrtegroahlotelensditnhgisisebaestotenr. than it has been in the past few years and that had btheeyn hthaveeir aAvcahiliallbelse’ htheiesl,”yesaridatrheemscooruete. s“tTahbelisghueyds andIncaonpseirsftecnttw.” orld, Hart is the unquestioned startbCehruasntwaipfhdrDooai,vPhaeiatnesltterotaohsbehteahbaseatw’csokigncinongtmearoewnfinihictieahsnpacdeogdsartiecgeharateedseaythattihlitlmeutdshehel.ifpwafnaoydr,
THEY’RE DEEP, BUT THEY NEED TO FIND GUYS WILLING TO TAKE ON THIRD- AND FOURTH-LINE ROLES. I’M NOT SURE IF THEY’VE DONE THAT– Scout