OAKVILLE, Ont. – After four days, four practices, a scrimmage and two games against a team of USports All-Stars, Team Canada has narrowed its World Junior squad from 30 players invited to selection camp to 23 players who will travel to Sweden.
Here are my thoughts on the seven cuts (three forwards, three defensemen and one goalie), my updated projected lines, and notes on each player who attended camp.
The cuts
F Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers): Barkey is a great story and should be proud of himself for joining the conversation despite his size after failing to receive the invitation to the summer meetings. He provided an assist for Canada's first goal in the first game against USports, scored when a shot went off his shin pad into the net to make it 2-1 in that game, and played with his usual zeal and bounce. I would guess that if Canada doesn't get one of Matt Poitras and Zach Benson, as they hope, he will be the one to get the recall.
GO DEEPER
The shared path of Flyers candidates Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk
F Jagger Firkus (Seattle Kraken): My big thing about Firkus is that he looks like he's taken a step up. He's always been very nimble with cuts and jumps, but there are also some straight-line bursts/accelerations. However, I would have liked him to sometimes make decisions a little quicker with the puck. His play was disjointed and ineffective in both USports games, and his decision-making and execution seemed just a bit off. He hit a post on the power play in Game 2, but that was it. You could feel it slipping away.
F Paul Ludwinski (Blackhawks): Ludwinski's speed was noticeable as he chased pucks and put more pressure on the puck than playing on it. He made some quick decisions while the puck was in the attacking zone. He also had a big block late in the first game, in a 3-2 game. I liked it better in the opener than in the finale.
F Markus Vidicek (uncovered): Vidicek's running technique and pace were particularly noticeable in the first game. But nothing much actually came of it and he had to do more to make it happen.
D Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues): Buchinger really struggled and had an ugly loss of the ball in every game that spoke for itself. I thought he was going to be quicker and more energetic at the start of Game 2, but then it got away from him and he got burned for conceding a few goals. I don't think he did enough.
D Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators): Donovan defended well one-on-one against the bigger, older players on USports. I thought he also complemented Ty Nelson pretty well and let Nelson play the busier style. But he was pretty sloppy with the puck and made a few too many bad passes.
D Ty Nelson (Seattle Kraken): Nelson threw a one-timer in the red-white duel. After an early turnover in the first USports game, he made several plays on exits and entries under pressure. He also received an assist for Wood's opening goal in the first game against USports. Throughout, he was active in and out of the line, engaging in plays and presenting an option. He was loud. He definitely has a certain presence and swagger about him. His head was always up. He is never sloppy on defense. I can see he's dialed in out there. He took a penalty late in the second period of the second game and had a few misjudgments one-on-one, but I thought he definitely outperformed Warren, and even though he's small, he was the most physically advanced player in camp I wouldn't necessarily buy the size argument. He was the only surprise for me, although it was always going to be difficult to get this Team Canada on the right side rather than the left.
G Domenic DiVincentiis (Winnipeg Jets): DiVincentiis struggled. It was leaky in practice. He was good in Game 1, stopping 12 of 13 (the goal he conceded came from a bad angle but was perfectly placed by Wood). But he gave up three of 14 shots in Game 2, and he didn't seem decisive on two shots, going down early on the third.
The team
F Owen Allard (undrafted): The best story of the camp. Allard works, has great speed and has the size that this Team Canada lacks up front. He may not be a sexy name, but he hit the crossbar, made it, was eye-catching on the forecheck and impressed in three-on-three overtime. Hockey Canada likes to bring in a Zack Ostapchuk-type for the fourth line, and Allard fits the bill.
F Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens): A stronger skater than most in camp, which was evident in the practices, scrimmage and the individual game in which he played. Beck was on pucks, had a big penalty kill shift and was defensively responsible, which will be his role in this game despite being the only returner.
F Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs): One of the first things that struck me in camp this week was how much knowing Cowan's move impacts his play (both positive and negative). On the one hand, he's always engaged and on his toes because he never stands up and comes to a stop, and he's agile on his first cut/change of direction (not so much on his second, since it requires commitment). On the other hand, if he really commits to a contact position or a reach-in, it can throw him off balance and push him around in his size. He was better as the 13th forward in the first game against USports than he was in the second. He moved well in and out of transitions and played offensively with some bounce. He had a few moments holding pucks around sticks. He showed good speed. But other than a big block in the second game, he wasn't as impactful as he needed to be.
F Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings): Danielson was quiet in practice earlier in the week, but I thought he was slowly finding his game through the Red-White duel and the two USports games. He didn't produce much on offense, but his lines spent some time in the offensive zone and he and Allard seem to be able to do it together on the forecheck. He'll play a bottom-six position on this team, likely on the wing (where they used him all week).
F Macklin Celebrini (NHL Draft 2024): It should come as no surprise that the first scoring opportunity of the first true scrimmage came from a tic-tac-toe sequence that Celebrini began with Easton Cowan (who knocked a puck through to Jordan Dumais). When he turns his back to the defenders along the wall, it's so hard for the guys to take the puck away from him. Impressive ability to shield pucks in his feet and maintain a strong stance. Noticeably and make a difference from shift to shift. Rewarded with a nice first assist from low to high for the 3-1 goal. Worked a give-and-go with Dumais on the first shift of Game 2, then scored two shifts later. Achieved the most consistent speed through neutral ice on the team. On pucks. Stay tuned. Protects it. Dexterity in tight situations. Speed. Physically. Always open.
F Jordan Dumais (Columbus Blue Jackets): Dumais impressed and made plays like he almost always does. In the first scrimmage, Dumais' first four touches on the ball in his first two shifts created an offensive look for himself or his linemates. He reads the game so quickly that he knows where he's going with every touch. It is always open in the small pockets. He threw the needle to Celebrini for a really good outing on the first shift of the second period of the first game, picked up a second assist on the 3-1 goal, made another silky smooth pass in the third and made a few more early in the game 2 before sitting out the second and third periods to avoid a problem with the hip flexor he's currently playing with.
F Conor Geekie (Arizona Coyotes): Geekie scored in the red-and-white scrimmage with a quick shot on a partial break and was eye-catching throughout. He was also one of six players not required to play in the first game against USports, which is always an early signal as to who the locks are. On a roster that lacks size at the top, I wasn't surprised to see him as the third forward in this group (alongside the only two forwards to have played NHL games this season: Fraser Minten and Matt Savoie) .
F Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs): The combination of his age, his NHL experience (although he has only played four NHL games, that's the most among the forwards in camp), his size and his all-round ability made Minten one of the top prospects in camp and, like me expect to become an important player for this team.
F Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken): Rehkopf is so dangerous as a direct goalscorer. This was clearly visible in the training sessions. He has this little feint that he does before the release before he lets it go. It seems as if he is content to get rid of her whenever he goes for this feint. He was a little forced in the opening game and conceded a penalty, which I thought meant he had to play well on Wednesday to secure a spot, but he responded and showed his skills in Game 2. He almost gave Celebrini the lead He made it through the back door in the first third and had a good turn in the cycle the next time over the boards. He showed creativity and was on screens defensively over the pucks, in front of the net. He won pucks. There were still a few moments where he waited too long to get the puck, but he looked a lot more like himself and Canada will need his talent to shine at some point. I could see him being the 13th ranked forward if Canada gets an NHL player – and eventually working his way into the top 6 scorers list.
F Matthew Savoie (Buffalo Sabres): As they began to seriously work on PP/PK work in a game environment, Savoie needed a shift to create an outlier look for himself who was shorthanded. It's so hard for defenders to track him when he gets into turns. When they practiced the shootout, Savoie missed virtually nothing (five-hole, deke, short-side, whatever), so I expect him to be the go-to guy when it matters most. He hasn't played in any of the USports games, so I'm looking forward to seeing where he'll be deployed before the tournament as he can play either at center or on the wing (most likely I'd expect him to be at 1RW though). .
F Matthew Wood (Nashville Predators): I had barely noticed him in camp until he hit a perfectly placed shot from a bad angle to put the first goal of the first game against USports under the crossbar. From then on he was always noticeable offensively and supported the game well. He also scored the second goal in that first game, picking up two major points and a goal in the shootout (after blocking a shot in OT). In Game 2, he particularly stood out for showcasing his good hands, finding a way out of traffic with the puck and holding on to pucks until he reached the sticks, keeping them close to his body. He had to secure a spot and was one of the few to actually grab that spot, in a camp that was somewhat mixed for most of the other players.
F Brayden Yager (Pittsburgh Penguins): I liked Yager's work rate away from the puck. He played with some speed and bounce. He drew a penalty. He was better in both games as the game went on. But he wasn't at his best offensively and it didn't work. His pedigree and strong history with Hockey Canada was likely the deciding factor.
D Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers): Bonk's outlets were clean as always. Even at this moment he kept the chain running. In Game 2, he converted a penalty that put the puck out. He was outsmarted in the three-on-three game, but overall I thought he did well. A nice reference as an 18 year old.
D Jake Furlong (San Jose Sharks): Furlong dropped a beautiful shot to make it 3-1 in the first USports game and then fired into an empty net for the second time in the game. It was neatly in the sockets. I thought he looked composed and confident with the puck. Without anything less (he got out of position a few times in key moments), but he makes sense in this group as a No. 6/7 D.
D Maveric Lamoureux (Arizona Coyotes): Was impressed as always with how good his edges are for his size. He is comfortable inside and out, even when his towering body is bent outward at sharp angles. I'm assuming Tristan Luneau will be No. 1 on this team in terms of ice time, but it looks like Denton Mateychuk and Lamoureux will be Nos. 2-3 (in whatever order) and will also play a major role. These three D's were treated differently throughout camp and it was no surprise that they sat out both USports games.
D Tristan Luneau (Anaheim Ducks): Luneau looked good in training and in the red-white duel all week. It was impressive. His skating looks so comfortable, flexible and smooth and it's nice to see that his knee doesn't seem to be bothering him anymore. During combat drills and small-field competitions, he pushed past opposing players with ease and controlled play. He will be a horse for this team and it wouldn't surprise me to see him get 25-30 minutes when games count.
D Denton Mateychuk (Columbus Blue Jackets): Mateychuk didn't play in a USports game, but he looked like he always does on the skates in three zones, and the way Hockey Canada talked about him, it feels like he's wearing a letter for this team and maybe even the “C” (which he has). already worn in this age group and on the Columbus rookie team).
D Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators): Molendyk suffered a blow in a game against Red Deer with Saskatoon on December 8, just two days before camp began. He didn't skate on Day 1, skated twice on Day 2 (first in the morning without gear and then with gear, both alone), participated in the scratches for their morning skate on Day 3, and then finally played the second game against USports on Day 4 . He played fast and directed some entries and exits with his feet and quick passes under the first layer. His demeanor under pressure was immediately noticeable. Molendyk looked everything you would expect him to, ticking the boxes he needed. A clear decision if he was ready to start, even if the youngest defender was invited to the camp.
D Noah Warren (Anaheim Ducks): It was nice to see Warren trying to get involved in the game offensively by moving the puck. Even when the puck doesn't come to him, when he activates and controls the midlane, it draws a lot of attention. He had some good chances in the offensive zone. But he gave me a run for my money defensively more than anyone else in the camp, and that's the be-all and end-all for them. He kept getting caught out of position and left unprotected a few times, which eventually led to a few goals conceded that he was directly involved in was involved. He was ranked twice in one-on-one one-on-one competition. To me he seemed significantly worse than his colleagues. However, they clearly covet the length/size/drop on the depth chart.
G Scott Ratzlaff (Buffalo Sabres): I thought Ratzlaff, the only 18-year-old goalie in camp, seemed the most comfortable the entire time. He was the only goalie not caught turning or napping, stopping 28 of 30.
G Mathis Rousseau (undrafted): Rousseau allowed the only two goals in the red-white duel, and he would probably like to have both back. But he had the longest leash as he was the goalie who played the best this year and he played really well in the two USports games and a combined 30/31 in the two halves he played achieved. He got into trouble after making the first save on the first goal in the first game against USports, and I'm guessing the Hockey Canada team got a little nervous because that made it the first three goals conceded of camp lay with him. But he was the best goalkeeper from then on and was tested in the final. He's noticeably small, but he's had the best numbers of the group over the past few years in the CHL and ended up having the best numbers in USports games.
G Samuel St. Hilaire (undrafted): St. Hilaire made some of the better saves in camp, showcasing his good tracking and athleticism. He placed 23rd out of 26. Good story. Never had anything to do with Hockey Canada until now. Was only 18 years old in the QMJHL.
Lineup projection
(Top photo courtesy of Hockey Canada)