‘I have to go in there and do my thing’
Giants defenceman Byram’s quest for a spot on Team Canada goes through LEC on Tuesday
Let the Bowen Byram and Aaron Ekblad comparisons begin.
Ekblad, the 2014 NHL Draft first overall draft choice who’s now a key part of the Florida Panthers core group, was the last 17-year-old defenceman to make Team Canada at the world juniors, sticking with the 2014 side. There’s a case to be made that Byram, the Vancouver Giants sophomore rearguard, could do the same this coming tournament, which will be held in Vancouver and Victoria starting Dec. 26.
For perspective, all seven defencemen on last year’s Team Canada were 19, which is the maximum age for the tournament. In fact, all 11 blue liners invited to last year’s tryout camp were 19.
Byram, who excels at getting the puck up the ice with his skating and poise, is projected by many to be the first defenceman to hear his name called at next June’s NHL Draft at Rogers Arena. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, for instance, had the Cranbrook native going at No. 6 in his pre-season rankings released in September.
The highest drafted Canadian defenceman last summer was Evan Bouchard (No. 10), followed by Noah Dobson (No. 12) and Ty Smith (No. 17). Go back two drafts, and the earliest Canadian defenceman picked still eligible for world juniors is Pierre-Olivier Joseph (No. 23).
This week marks the opening of the six-game CIBC Canada Russia Series, which Hockey Canada says helps determine the selection camp roster for December. Team WHL, which features Byram as well as Giants goaltender David Tendeck, does its part by facing the Russians Monday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops (7 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650) and Tuesday at the Langley Events Centre (7 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650). The LEC is the Giants’ home turf, of course.
“I have to go in there and do my thing. I don’t have to put any extra pressure on myself,” explained Byram, who’s been among the key contributors to the Giants 12-3-2-0 start to the WHL season. “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. If it doesn’t, the couple of games this week are still a great experience.”
Hockey Canada has a good book on Byram. He made the all-star team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John last November. He was one of three underagers on the squad that lost in the Under-18 worlds quarter-finals in Russia last April, playing alongside the likes of Smith. And he was an alternate captain on the Team Canada entry that won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton last August.
The 6-foot-1, 192-pound left-handed shot has played predominantly his natural side in his time with Vancouver, although recent injuries to veterans Dylan Plouffe and Matt Barberis has seen him doing some duty on the right. Whether Hockey Canada thinks they have guys who could comfortably play their off side could be a factor in whether Byram sticks or not.
For instance, Bouchard, who got seven games in with the Edmonton Oilers before being sent back to the London Knights, is right handed, as is Dobson, the New York Islander prospect who plays for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Other righties include Team WHL captain Josh Brook and Vancouver Canucks prospect Jett Woo, who are teammates on the Moose Jaw Warriors, and are coached there by Tim Hunter, who is also Team Canada’s bench boss this winter.
Smith is the most prominent lefty. The New Jersey Devils draft selection has 22 points, including two goals, in just 14 games this season with the Spokane Chiefs. Byram has 14 points, highlighted by five goals, in 17 games with Vancouver.
“Obviously there’s a lot of older guys trying out who probably have an inside shot. I just have to go and work hard,” said Byram.
Tendeck had a similar sentiment. Team Canada’s starting job seems destined for Canucks pick Michael DiPietro, particularly after Hockey Canada had the Windsor Spitfires backstop act as a third stringer at the senior men’s worlds last season. Tendeck’s stiffest competition for the backup gig may come from his Team WHL netminding partner Ian Scott, the Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 fourth rounder who is 14-1-0-0, with a 1.60 goals against and a .941 save percentage for the Prince Albert Raiders.
Tendeck, a North Vancouver native who turns 19 later this month, has an 8-3-1-0 mark, with a 2.33 goals against and a .907 save percentage. Tendeck, an Arizona Coyotes sixth rounder last summer, has been splitting duties with the Giants with second-year backstop Trent Miner.
He has no previous Hockey Canada experience. Scott has done three stints, including backing up DiPietro at the 2016 Hlinka Gretzky.
“I think it’s going to be a great experience, a cool experience, to play with guys around the league,” said Tendeck.