Clague asked to fill big skates on Canada’s blue-line
MONTREAL — The Team Canada defenceman who has been asked to replace Philippe Myers at the world juniors readily admits he’s nothing like the 6-foot-5 behemoth.
For one, Kale Clague is five inches shorter than Philippe. And he shoots with his left hand, not right. He’s also less physical, less inclined to join the rush, and less of a scoring threat.
That’s not necessarily a knock on Clague, whom the Los Angeles Kings drafted 51st overall in 2016. Rather, it’s a comment on Myers’ one-of-a-kind qualities.
“I’d say we’re different players,” said Clague, who was bumped up to the top pairing with Thomas Chabot for Monday’s quarter-final game against the Czech Republic.
“Philippe is a great player. It’s going to hurt us with him being hurt. He’s big and strong and makes the simple play. He’s steady and he logs minutes. Obviously, he’s going to be missed. I’m going to stick my game and do what I do well and hopefully I can contribute any way I can.”
Prior to suffering a concussion after taking a hit in the New Year’s Eve game against the U.S., Myers had been Canada’s most electrifying defencemen. In some ways, he was like a fourth forward. He has three assists in four games, but more importantly, formed what head coach Dominique Ducharme called a “pretty complete” top pairing with Chabot.
“Seeing those guys compete, it was pretty obvious how well they play together,” Ducharme told reporters earlier in the tournament. “The way they move in transition. They’re defending well. They have a good gap on guys, they have a good sense of time and space, and they win most puck battles.”
Without a game-breaking forward like Connor McDavid or even Mitch Marner, Canada has relied on its defence maybe more than in years past. The team tied the U.S. for allowing the fewest goals in the tournament (six). With or without Myers, the team will have to keep that going if it hopes to advance through the medal round.
“I know forwards on the bench are sometimes commenting on how our D are really good at stepping up and keeping pucks out of our zone,” said captain Dylan Strome. “It’s been impressive to see that … We have seven D on this team for a reason and every D is capable of playing those minutes.”
No one is asking Clague to play like Myers, who can change the tone of a game with a big hit or an explosive rush up the ice. Clague will be asked to play on his offside but it’s something he’s familiar with, playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League.
A two-way defenceman, Clague scored 19 points in 23 games this season and also has three assists at the world juniors. But it’s his skating ability, especially in the defensive end where he’s able to close the gap on opposing forwards, that makes him so effective.
“I think (Clague’s) a great skater, he’s good offensively, he’s got a good hockey sense,” said Chabot, who leads Team Canada defencemen with two goals and five points.
Chabot has been rooming with Myers in Montreal and says the injured defenceman remains upbeat and optimistic that he might return if Canada continues on.
“When I talked to him he said he’s feeling fine and feeling good,” said Chabot.