Canadian junior team takes pass on Royals’ Phillips
Royals captain not among 32 players invited to Team Canada’s final selection camp
It was a morning of tangled emotions Wednesday for the Victoria Royals. Forward Matthew Phillips was not invited to the final Canadian selection camp for the 2018 world junior hockey championship, which begins Boxing Day in Buffalo, New York. Royals import-forward Igor Martynov, meanwhile, is headed to the world juniors to play for his native Belarus.
“It’s disappointing, but there are a lot of good players, and it was probably a tough decision,” said Phillips, of being left off the 32-player Canadian list.
The Calgary Flames prospect is an undersized late bloomer who had no national-team experience at the U-17 or U-18 levels before receiving an invite to the junior team [U-20] summer tryout camp. Phillips also got a chance to show his skills with Team WHL in the CIBC Super Series against the Russian juniors. Phillips said he wouldn’t have approached the opportunity any differently and that he played hard and left it all on the ice.
“[Phillips] pushed really hard but this is a testament to how strong this 1998-born group of players is in Canada,” said Royals GM Cam Hope.
“You can’t argue with any of the players named. Because of the strength of this year’s group, other players were cut who in other years would have been wearing the Canadian colours.”
Added Phillips: “It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it goes.”
Phillips, who has 21 goals and 47 points in 31 games this season, said he didn’t feel being an outsider in Hockey Canada’s international development system hurt his chances. After all, Canada wants the best national team possible at the world juniors, regardless of previous exposure within the system.
The upside for the Royals is that Phillips won’t be lost to the team through the Christmas and New Year period.
“Team Canada’s loss is our gain,” said Hope.
Thirteen WHL players, including six first-round NHL draft picks, made the grade to attend the final Canadian selection camp next week in St. Catharines, Ont. They include forwards Dillon Dube, Canucks-prospect Kole Lind and also defenceman Cal Foote of the B.C. Division-rival Kelowna Rockets.
The only other WHL teams with more than one player named were the Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings with two each.
The 32 invitees will be whittled to a Canadian roster of 22 players, who open the 2018 world junior tournament on Boxing Day against Finland.
Seven players return from last year’s silver-medallist Canadian team, which lost in the final to the U.S. in a shootout. They include goaltender Carter Hart of the Everett Silvertips, Dube and fellow WHLers in defencemen Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen and Kale Clague of the Wheat Kings. The other returnees are Coquitlam native Dante Fabbro from Boston University of the NCAA and OHL skaters Michael McLeod of Mississauga and Taylor Raddysh of the Erie Otters.
Belarus, meanwhile, has not officially named its roster for the world juniors but reports indicate Martynov is pretty much assured to be on it after being a part of that nation’s teams at the U-17 and U-18 levels.
“I’m so happy and excited,” said Martynov, who has 10 goals and 18 points for Victoria.
The core group of Belarusian players have come up playing in the national team development system.
“We have played together before and are familiar with each other,” said Martynov.
“We play fast and with a good passing game.”
Martynov said he prefers the larger European ice sheet but added the more constricted North American sheet makes for “faster thinking” as a player.
Martynov is only 18 and also eligible for next year’s world junior championship, which will be hosted by Victoria and Vancouver. Wouldn’t that be sweet, to be playing in the world juniors in his home Royals rink on Blanshard, should Belarus again qualify.
Despite his own disappointment, Phillips is pleased for Martynov.
“Igor will do well at the world juniors and represent the Royals well,” said Phillips.