World Junior hopefuls auditioning in Kamloops

Week-long tourney also features United States, Sweden and Finland

KAMLOOPS (CP) — Alex Formenton and Maxime Comtois know what it takes to capture world junior hockey gold and now they’re sharing their wisdom with a whole new squad.

Both of the forwards were part of the Canadian team that won the championship in Buffalo, N.Y., this past January. They each keep the championship rings they earned next to their beds — a hefty memento to provide daily motivation.

“Every time I wake up, I just want to be better than I was the day before,” Comtois said Tuesday in Kamloops, where he’s on the Canadian roster at this summer’s world junior showcase.

Canada has 39 players at the event, a group that will eventually be whittled down to the 23-man team playing in the annual world junior tournament in Vancouver and Victoria this winter.

Comtois and Formenton are the only ones at the showcase who were also part of the 2018 gold medal-winning group. St. Louis Blues prospect Robert Thomas was invited, but is reportedly recovering from an ankle injury.

Being a veteran means taking on a leadership role, Formenton said.

“I’m not a very vocal guy, but I want to lead by example out on the ice and help out my teammates as much as I can,” said the 18-year-old Ottawa Senators prospect, who got into one NHL game at the start of last season.

For the returnees, that work will include taking the experience and using it to help guys who are new to the roster.

“It’s going to be our job to build the chemistry of the team,” said Comtois, who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2017.

The young men playing for Canada at the showcase hail from across the country, from South Surrey to Summerside, P.E.I.

Coming together as a group will be key to winning, said Tim Hunter, head coach of the junior national team.

This is Hunter’s first year at the helm, but he’s been an assistant coach for the last two.

“We’re going to be a different team than the past two years where we won silver and gold and had a lot of success,” he said.

“So these guys are going to have to come together as a group, get really close — because close teams win — and write our own story.”