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Canada Boasts Deep Roster for 2014 World Junior Championships

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Team Canada forward Jonathan Drouin celebrates his goal with Canada defenceman Morgan Rielly, right, against Russia in Ufa on Monday. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press

Jonathan Drouin celebrates a goal in last year’s WJC in Ufa, Russia (Photo by Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

By Pat White (@patwhite9126)

Team Canada hasn’t taken home the gold medal at the World Juniors Championships since  2009 in Ottawa with the likes of  John Tavaras, P.K. Subban, Jordan Eberle and Cody Hodgson on its roster.

To say that the people of the Great White North are getting a little restless would be an understatement. But this seems like the year Team Canada gets off its World Juniors gold medal schneid.

Coming into the 2013 WJC, Canada was crowned, by hockey pundits and fans alike, to be the runaway favorite to win gold. The roster was comprised of top-end talent that would have been playing in the NHL, if not for that whole lockout thing (remember that?). Those consensus top-five picks from Halifax in Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon were the talk of the hockey world. Jonathan Huberdeau, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome, Griffin Reinhart, Morgan Reilly and Mark Schiefele were all top-10 picks in the NHL draft. Sprinkle in some more first round picks and the addition of an NHL-tested Ryan Nugent-Hopkins into the mix, and Canada was poised to run over the competition.

Canada cruised to a 4-0-0 record and had the gold medal game in its sights. But then came a 5-1 drubbing in the semifinals to the United States that was simply deflating. Then to watch their North American neighbors to the south sing the “Star Spangled Banner” with gold medals must have been downright infuriating.

International play is not an all-star game. It’s not about accumulating the most skilled players from a country, throwing their names into a depth chart and playing. International play is much like any other game. It’s about defined roles and finding players that best fit those roles.

This year, Canada’s Selection Camp Roster has the skill players, but it also is deeper and has more substance. Last year’s team was an offensive-laden team that was constructed to outscore opponents. The 2014 version features players that well-rounded and do more than just score goals.

Obviously the headliners on the roster are Drouin (TB, 1st 2013),  Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid (2015 NHL Draft eligible), Portland Winterhawks forward and WHL leading scorer Nicolas Petan (WPG, 1st 2013)  and Kootenay Ice forward Sam Reinhart (2014 NHL Draft eligible).  But Team Canada has a lot of depth both defensively and offensively.

Canada boasts the luxury of having the most first round, NHL-ready talent. But this year, forget the draft position label and focus on the type of players that Team Canada has on the roster. The depth and variety of player types is what makes me believe a gold medal could be returning to Canada come January 2014.

Val d’Or forward Anthony Mantha is one player I am very excited to see on the selection roster. Mantha was the only 50-goal scorer in the QMJHL last season and has picked up where he left off. He currently leads the “Q” with 30 goals and 62 points. The 6’5 winger is an offensive dynamo with a combination of size and skill.

For every high-scoring, Mantha-type goal scorer, Canada has a Fredrik Gauthier. The Maple Leafs’ first round pick is the big (6-foot-5), cerebral, defensive-minded center that is a difference maker in international play. He isn’t a top offensive threat, but his hockey smarts are a key ingredient to any team.

Scott Laughton (PHI, 1st 2012) may be 10th in the OHL in scoring with Oshawa, but his value lies in his physicality, vision and ability to play on both special teams units. Laughton’s strong two-way play, experience and leadership make me think he could wear the “C” for Team Canada.

Head coach Brent Sutter has to make decisions on cutting two forwards and a defenceman. He has the offensive firepower to keep up with any team in the tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised if Reinhart, Medicine Hat forward Hunter Shinkaruk (VAN, 1st 2013) or Chicoutimi forward Charles Hudon were left off of the team in favor of some role players.

Three forwards that Sutter has to consider keeping on the roster are Baie-Comeau forward Felix Girard (NSH, 4th 2013), London forward Josh Anderson (CLB, 4th 2012) and Portland forward Taylor Leier (PHI, 4th 2012).

Girard is the type of meat and potatoes player that Team Canada needs in the bottom-six forward group. He doesn’t light it up offensively, but he wins faceoffs, kills penalties and gets to the dirty areas. Playing on a big rink in Malmo, Sweden, Girard is a team player who does the little things that opens up ice for his teammates.

Anderson is a very similar to Girard. He possesses a strong work ethic and knack for winning battles along the walls. Anderson has a bit more offensive upside than Girard, but he would be a great complement as a third line, checking forward.

Leier is a bit of a wildcard in terms of making the team. He is a gritty forward that has the offensive ability to play up and down the lineup. He serves as the Winterhawks’ captain and he leads by example on the ice. The question is whether he is more deserving of a spot than one of the more talented scorers.

On defense, Griffin Reinhart (NYI, 1st 2012) is the lone returnee. Team Canada is not short of puck moving defenceman with the likes of current Minnesota Wild blueliner Matthew Dumba,  Prince Albert’s Josh Morrissey (WPG, 1st 2013), Derrick Pouliot (PIT, 1st 2012) and Adam Pelech (NYI, 3rd 2012). That bods well for guys like Damon Severson (NJD, 2nd 2013), Chris Bigras (COL, 4th 2013) and Aaron Ekblad (2014 NHL Draft eligible) who are more defensively responsible.

Bigras is, to me, a lock to make the team. His smarts, poise and first pass are too good not to be on the team. Dumba, Morrissey and Pouliot are all excellent offensive puckmovers, but they leave a lot to be desired in their own end. With some question marks in goal with Jake Paterson and Zachary Fucale, Bigras is a hot commodity as a steady defensive presence.

There are still many questions to be answered when it comes to Team Canada. Like I said previously, the WJC is not an all-star competition. The team needs to be constructed with specific roles in mind for each player. Sutter  needs to have the scorers (Petan, McDavid, Drouin, Mantha), the shutdown forwards (Gauthier, Curtis Lazar, Laughton), and the grinders (I hate that term) like Girard, Anderson, and Leier.

The post Canada Boasts Deep Roster for 2014 World Junior Championships appeared first on The Hockey Guys.


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