GOOD NEWS FOR JUNIORS
ONE BLUELINER RECOVERING, ONE SET TO RETURN
MALMO, SWEDEN— An under manned Canadian defensive corps is slowly being revived.
Griffin Reinhart will sit out the final game of his suspension from last year’s tournament against Slovakia on Monday and is eligible to return against the United States a day later.
Meanwhile, Mathew Dumba’s condition is improving.
Dumba felt ill during Canada’s tournament opener against Germany, missed practice on Friday and could barely speak following Saturday’s game — a 5-4 shootout loss to the Czech Republic.
“I’m feeling a lot better, a lot better than yesterday,” he said Sunday. “I just got a good night’s sleep and now it’s just really a sore throat and a bit of a cough.”
The 19-year-old defenceman said a fever that began during the Germany contest has subsided.
It wasn’t easy for him to play against the Czechs though.
“You definitely feel it, but I tried not to let it affect me,” he said. “I tried not to change my game, maybe just some shorter shifts there.”
Not that he ever considered missing the game against the Czechs.
“Once I got out of bed in the morning, I prepared for game day I didn’t really think about it,” Dumba said. “I just battled through it.”
With Dumba on the mend, Reinhart’s addition to the lineup should be a huge boost.
“He’s been through it,” Canadian head coach Brent Sutter said of the returning blueliner. “He’s a big, strong defenceman. He’s a smart player. He moves the puck well. He’s got a great shot. He’s pretty good at defending. Those are all things you need on your back end.
“That’s why we made that decision when we did (to put him on the team). We looked at the defencemen that were there. There’s a reason we could be patient through three games and wait for him to get back. He has those things that you don’t find in every defenceman.”
Reinhart joins younger brother, Sam, on the team, becoming the third set of brothers to play on the same Canadian national junior team. Mike and Randy Moller (1982) and Freddie and Dougie Hamilton (2012) are the other two.
While Reinhart said he’s excited to join Sam, Canada’s fourth-leading scorer with four points, he’s more anxious to get back on the ice. “The hardest part is watching your team lose,” Reinhart said about sitting in the stands. “You feel guilty almost out there.”
The 19-year-old earned a four-game ban from the International Ice Hockey Federation for high-sticking American Vincent Trocheck in last year’s semifinal.
Reinhart received a two-minute minor on the play. He served the first game in the bronze medal game, which Canada lost to Russia.
“I’m not going to change the way I play my game,” Reinhart said. “I don’t know if the IIHF knew my track record or not. But I’m clean.”