OAKVILLE, ON | Junior Team Canada will be inexperienced this year. In total, the 23 players traveling to Sweden, where the Junior Ice Hockey World Championship will take place from December 26th, have a total of 13 minutes and 9 seconds of experience in the competition.
We didn't need a crystal ball to come up with this number as it's quite easy to determine as only one player from last year's Champion Edition in Halifax is back on this year's team: Owen Beck.
And it wasn't even a regular!
Beck was called up midway through the competition following an injury to forward Colton Dach and played a total of 13:09, just over four minutes per game, in the team's final three games.
“It is certain that we will rely on him a little bit,” admitted ÉCJ head coach Alan Letang on Sunday evening at the end of the first training session of the camp. He will be able to talk about how intense the games are and how important every little detail is. We talked a little about it with him when we met and I think he will be able to implement it well. On the other hand, I think our players know what they are getting into as this tournament has become a tradition in the country.
Alan Letang Photo Agency QMI, Dominic Chan
Nothing acquired
Despite being the only returning player, the Montreal Canadiens prospect prefers not to take anything for granted.
“I'm just focused on putting the team together and when that happens I'll try to take a leadership role and give advice based on my experiences from last year.”
This experience in Halifax allowed Beck not only to be a privileged witness to the “Connor Bedard Show”, but also to see how this team had managed to overcome the pitfalls that this type of tournament brings, and finally finishing it off with a gold medal.
Owen Beck Photo Agency QMI, Dominic Chan
“It was a very resilient team last year that went through ups and downs. When the medal round came, everyone's mentality changed. We knew that every moment was something big and everyone was helping and ready to accept and play their role.”
An example
When talking about accepting and playing his role, Beck was the perfect example last year, noted coach Letang, who was an assistant to Dennis Williams at ÉCJ last year.
Arriving in disaster on January 1, he agreed to spend a few minutes per game on the ice to help Canada on its gold rush.
“Every year, Hockey Canada challenges players to take on different roles that they don’t necessarily have on their junior team. What are you willing to sacrifice so that we can achieve our goal? When Owen arrived he knew he was with us because he is good at passing and responsible defensively. He proved that every player, no matter where you are in the lineup, has the chance to be a hero.”