Prospect Woo makes his presence felt at tourney
Canucks prospect holds his own against tourney opponents with physical play
KAMLOOPS Jett Woo has all the makings to become a Vancouver Canucks fan favourite.
The name is certainly memorable. He plays a rough and tumble style. And the 2018 second-round draft pick from the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors doesn’t offer up standard, cookie-cutter quotes, if the World Junior Showcase here at the Sandman Centre is any indication.
“A guy with the cage always seems to be the one that starts it all. It seemed like that happened again today,” Woo said, tagging American forward Jack Hughes, who had to wear a full face mask at the tournament because he’s just 17, as the centre point of a donnybrook at the buzzer after Team Canada’s 6-5 win over the Americans on Saturday.
“Emotions were high. Luckily, no one got hurt.”
The fact that Woo was on the ice in the waning moments trying to help Team Canada nurse home a one-goal lead tells you something about his skill set. He’s a 6-foot, 201-pound right-handed defenceman who takes care of his own zone. The 18-year-old from Winnipeg revels in playing physical hockey, evidenced by his heavy bodycheck on American forward Jay O’Brien earlier in the game.
Assuming he progresses, he may be the ideal partner one day with Vancouver for fleet-footed, offence-first Quinn Hughes, the leftshot rearguard Vancouver took in the first round who was a member of the American team here. Oddly enough, Woo and Hughes tussled for a time during that fracas on Saturday.
Hughes is a lock to make the American team at the World Juniors this December. Woo isn’t as certain to be in the Team Canada line-up when the tournament opens up on Boxing Day at Rogers Arena and Victoria’s Save- OnFoods Memorial Centre.
Team Canada had 12 defencemen here. Six were first-round NHL picks. There was also Jared McIsaac, who went to the Detroit Red Wings one selection before the Canucks made Woo the 37th overall choice.
“The one thing, coming here, that I wanted to make happen is to play my game as well as learn as much I could, and I believe I accomplished that,” said Woo, who had one assist in his three games at the World Junior Showcase. “Hopefully, I get some good feedback in the exit meetings and I’ll take it back to Winnipeg.”
Team Canada’s head coach this time around is Tim Hunter, whose regular job happens to be guiding Moose Jaw. Woo balked at the idea that might put pressure on his relationship with Hunter.
“I don’t think it changes things,” Woo said. “I’ve been coached by him for two years and a bit and he’s always been able to give me feedback, both positive and negative.
“Hopefully, I go back to Moose Jaw and have another good half a season before I come back here and see where things go.
“I knew that, coming into the WHL at 16, there was going to be quite a bit of pressure at different moments in hockey. This is another step for me. I won’t change my game a whole lot. I’ll keep learning and trying to do the things he wants me to do.”
Woo was among six players who received 10-minute misconducts at the end of the game between Canada and the Americans. Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk was assessed a match penalty and a game misconduct.
The one thing, coming here, that I wanted to make happen is to play my game as well as learn as much I could, and I believe I accomplished that.
Woo produced nine goals and 25 points, to go with 33 penalty minutes and a plus-29 rating, in 44 regular season games with the Warriors last season. In 14 playoff matchups, he had two goals, three points, six penalty minutes and a minus-one rating.