Canada has the need for Jackets prospect’s speed
The poster boy for the speed and skill the Hunter brothers want to unleash on their world junior foes later this month sat out of the Canadian selection camp hopefuls’ exhibition opener Wednesday.
That’s normally a good sign. “I don’t really want to think about it,” said Liam Foudy, a London Knights forward in the Ontario Hockey League and Blue Jackets first-rounder. “I’m all right not playing in this game and I’ll just get ready to play (Thursday against the U Sports all-stars).”
Flint captain Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), University of North Dakota defenceman
Jacob Bernard-docker (Ottawa Senators) and Spokane Chiefs blue-liner Ty Smith (New Jersey Devils) were the other healthy bodies in the stands at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The four NHL first-rounders are expected to be major contributors to the team in the Czech Republic.
But no one has reason to feel more comfortable this week than Foudy, the speedy 19-year-old from Scarborough, Ont. He has previous Hockey Canada experience, was a late cut from the team last year and is surrounded by members of the Knights organization — from teammate and OHL leading scorer Connor Mcmichael to Canadian coach Dale Hunter and his GM brother Mark and even the support staff with equipment manager Chris Maton and security liaison Bob Martin.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “Having these guys (around) if I have any questions, I can just go to Mark and Dale because I have that trust with them. I’ve been with them since I was 16. It’s great having them here and they know what they’re doing.”
If not for them, Foudy might be representing Canada in another athletic venture.
His mother France Gareau anchored the Canadian women’s 4x100-metre relay team to a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics at age 17. His father Sean was a six-year CFL defensive back with Ottawa and B.C., winning a Grey Cup with the Lions in 1994.
Liam and his younger brother Jean-luc, a Windsor Spitfires forward who will be in the world junior mix next year, grew up playing a wide variety of sports and weren’t pigeonholed early into endless hours at minor-hockey rinks.
Foudy was so good at athletics, he established the Ontario high school record in the junior boys 300-metre hurdles. His Grade 10 time of 37.86 seconds from the 2016 Ontario high school championships remains the provincial benchmark.
“I hope it stands forever — until I die,” he said with a grin.
“It probably won’t. Records are meant to be broken, right? But to have one is still nice. My brother couldn’t get it (a few years later). It’s up there. It’s a fast one.”
It also marked the finish line of his track pursuits.
“When London picked me in the first round (of the 2016 OHL draft), I didn’t do anything competitive in track again,” Liam said. “The Hunters never said anything to me about it. I guess they just figured I’m just a hockey player now. That’s it. I’ve always loved hockey first. Track was my mom’s thing. Both my parents wanted me to do track and it’s a big factor in every sport speedwise and it helped me in hockey. “I’m thankful I did it.”
His superior skating skills are rooted in his running stride. There aren’t many hockey-playing teenagers across the board with his golden legs. Foudy’s former Knights teammate Alex Formenton, now a Senators prospect, used his Connor Mcdavid-like quickness to help win Canada’s last world junior gold medal two years ago.
“My speed has always been my biggest thing,” Foudy said.
“The fact the tournament will be on the bigger Olympic-sized ice, there’s a lot more room out there. I can use my speed more effectively. It’s wider, so when
I’m going around a (defender) I can use my speed and they can’t pinch you off. If they do, you can just spin off and you won’t run into the boards.
“It’s nice.”
That extra gear nearly got him on the team last year. This time, it’s a necessity for the game Canada wants to play.
This tournament will be Foudy’s equivalent of an Olympic track final or Grey Cup Sunday.
“It’s every Canadian kid’s dream to play in it and being that close to it last year hurt,” Foudy said. “I just try to use it as motivation to make it this year.”