WJC: 2020 Canada Roster Talk

[Halfy]

Not at all worried about Laf.

 

[jj cale]

It's not serious apparently, as it's something he's been playing with most of the season as he's been dominating the QMJHL. It makes sense to give him the time off given that he's been playing regularly and is obviously already on the team.

Very good to hear.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Veleno also absent. (Rees as well )

Interesting that they’re using Thomas at C for now. He was a RW in the summer showcase and played real well in that position. If Hayton or Dach come, Thomas makes more sense at RW, if they don’t then I could see him being used as a C.

 

[newfy]

I would be interested to see Newhook play a bit on the wing with Veleno and Lafreniere.That guys speed just opens things up so much and hes been pretty hot coming into the tournament in the NCAA. I think someone like Cozens might be better suited there but having Newhook burning down the wing could open up a lot of space for Lafreniere out there as well on the big ice.

I know other guys are good skaters as well and Cozens could really fit there as a shooter but after the u18s I think Newhook deserves a look. Either way thats a lot of high end skill on one line

 

[bert]

Depends on your definition of pretty big role. I could see him being leaned on on the PK for sure but thats about it. He doesnt move the puck as well as anyone else likely to make it and doesnt have the offense of anyone else likely to make it. Mobile for a 6'7 guy is true but hes still not as good of a skater as the rest of them either.

I think he makes it but I dont think hes playing over Smith, McIsaac, Byram or JBD in the top 4 and that without knowing about Dobson coming back or not. He seems like an easy choice for the bottom pairing/7th D that could play a safe game in case someone like Drysdale doesnt pan out

I would not be suprised to see him in a shut down pair role at all. He covers more ice than anyone on the team because of his size and skating, his skating is better than you make it sound. I have watched plenty of Smith, id much rather have Bahl on the ice, not a big fan of McIsaac either. Bahl could be a great partner for Byram.

 

[biturbo19]

I see a lot of effort being put into the line up. I think it’s more important to look at our special teams. What have you guys got for the top two PP units and a SH unit. Here in Halifax Groulx is an exceptional penalty killer. Lavoie is also good but not as agressive. Just something to think about while building this team. We can skate with anyone 5vs5. Special teams will make or break us.

Exactly. Every year, people pencil in lineups without factoring in the special teams and particularly the PK factor. Sometimes even Hockey Canada manages to mess it up badly.

I'd say it's probably slanted the other way even. Depending on how many 4-Forward units you run...you realistically need almost an many PK forwards as you to PP guys. I think 6 is a pretty good number, with at least a guy or two in reserve who could step in if there are injuries.

Most of the players you bring to a tournament like this will be skilled kids, who will be on their respective club teams PP. They'll be able to slide in if needed. It's the PK where you have to dig for those guys who have that all-around ability to thrive in a tournament like this...while still playing a role lower than usual in the lineup, and doing yeoman's work killing penalties.

That's a lot of where my prospective lineup came from. I figure 7-8 guys who could be solid PKers. Filling out the PP is less of an issue, because we know who the fixtures on the top units are going to be up front who will be leaned on for most of those minutes, and we have a ton of defencemen this year, who run their own club teams respective powerplay from the point with aplomb.

 

[Jetcetera]

This could be one of the best team canadas we've seen in awhile

 

[Dominance]

Veleno also absent. (Rees as well )

These cannot possibly be the lines they’re really testing out. You could make a better lineup by putting it into a blender.

 

[biturbo19]

This could be one of the best team canadas we've seen in awhile

It really doesn't look that way on paper. It's going to be either one of the youngest team Canada's in a very long time...or it's going to lean on a lot of older less skilled guys. Either way, it's hard to look at it as a "strong" team pre-tourny.

Obviously anything can happen in this short tournament, and maybe some more youthful infusion is just what this team needs...but it doesn't look that strong to me. It could be a strong team, but a lot is up in the air and it's honestly a surprise if Canada isn't a strong team.

These cannot possibly be the lines they’re really testing out. You could make a better lineup by putting it into a blender.

It legit just looks like they pulled names from a hat. I really hope that's not a sign of things to come.

 

[JackSlater]

May as well take a look at the practice PP units from yesterday:



I imagine that we'll see a variety of combinations tonight in the exhibition.

 

[kyle44]

Am I the only one that hates these U-Sports games? We've seen some injuries in years past, including to the likely captain of last years team in Formenton, which is foolish to me considering Hockey Canada pretty much has the team picked before camp even begins and a good or bad performance in these games isn't a major determining factor.

 

[Hockey Stick]

Am I the only one that hates these U-Sports games? We've seen some injuries in years past, including to the likely captain of last years team in Formenton, which is foolish to me considering Hockey Canada pretty much has the team picked before camp even begins and a good or bad performance in these games isn't a major determining factor.

I’ve never been a fan myself. I’m always holding my breathe during them cause I worry there will be a formenton situation every year. It also doesn’t help when Canada loses them and looks like absolute garbage

 

[Statsy]

Am I the only one that hates these U-Sports games? We've seen some injuries in years past, including to the likely captain of last years team in Formenton, which is foolish to me considering Hockey Canada pretty much has the team picked before camp even begins and a good or bad performance in these games isn't a major determining factor.

You have to play someone, and that means there’s always a risk of getting an injury. However, to NOT play is a much bigger recipe for disaster. It takes time to develop player chemistry and work on some game mechanics the coach may be looking to instil. To go in cold seems just foolish.

 

[DJB]

So far not a fan of lines or pp setup.

 

[newfy]

Am I the only one that hates these U-Sports games? We've seen some injuries in years past, including to the likely captain of last years team in Formenton, which is foolish to me considering Hockey Canada pretty much has the team picked before camp even begins and a good or bad performance in these games isn't a major determining factor.

I'm sure a guy like Forementon was a lock obviously but how sure are you that they have the team actually picked? Guys have played their way onto the team before in exhibition/camp. And then obviously the locks need to play together a bit before the tournament and develop some chemistry. You cant just chuck the team out there come tournament time and hope they play well together. Plus the U sports games are a lot less rough than playing againt other countries.

That's a lot of where my prospective lineup came from. I figure 7-8 guys who could be solid PKers.

Special teams are important but I dont think focusing on having 8 solid PKers makes a lot of sense. I would focus on having 2 solid PK units and then have a few guys that you know can fill in if one of them takes a penalty or gets hurt. Alot of these guys are good enough to fill in that you dont need to worry about taking more than a couple clear PKers.

 

[DJB]

I’ve never been a fan myself. I’m always holding my breathe during them cause I worry there will be a formenton situation every year. It also doesn’t help when Canada loses them and looks like absolute garbage

Building chemistry is very important . Better to do it now with 4 meaningless games then start coLD against the Americans.

 

[tfantasy]

Man this team is hard to put together. Foudy, Newhoook, Holloway Groulx and Zary are all tough to choose from. Not to menion Foote and Mercer. In past years I've been able to make a team by now (or several) but this year its tough

 

[LFCTML]

Man this team is hard to put together. Foudy, Newhoook, Holloway Groulx and Zary are all tough to choose from. Not to menion Foote and Mercer. In past years I've been able to make a team by now (or several) but this year its tough

Good problems to have though. Definitely a lot of hard decisions to make, but I'm surprisingly optimistic that this years coaching staff will make the right calls. Past few years.. not so much.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

Am I the only one that hates these U-Sports games? We've seen some injuries in years past, including to the likely captain of last years team in Formenton, which is foolish to me considering Hockey Canada pretty much has the team picked before camp even begins and a good or bad performance in these games isn't a major determining factor.

If anything I think they dont have enough practice games as a team.

 

[kyle44]

You have to play someone, and that means there’s always a risk of getting an injury. However, to NOT play is a much bigger recipe for disaster. It takes time to develop player chemistry and work on some game mechanics the coach may be looking to instil. To go in cold seems just foolish.

I never said to go in cold, but other countries manage to win gold medals without risking injuries in these sorts of games. They practice together nearly every day from the 10-26th and play a series of exhibition games, I guess I just don't see the point of amplifying the chance of injury to a key player.

I'm sure a guy like Forementon was a lock obviously but how sure are you that they have the team actually picked? Guys have played their way onto the team before in exhibition/camp. And then obviously the locks need to play together a bit before the tournament and develop some chemistry. You cant just chuck the team out there come tournament time and hope they play well together. Plus the U sports games are a lot less rough than playing againt other countries.

Look at Bob Mckenzie's locks/front runner projections (which he gets from conferring with Hockey Canada personnel) the day the selection camp has been announced for the last 10 years. You will find that most spots are earmarked before camp even begins. Sure players have played their way onto the team before, but its largely tinkering around the edges.

 

[WildWillie]

I never said to go in cold, but other countries manage to win gold medals without risking injuries in these sorts of games. They practice together nearly every day from the 10-26th and play a series of exhibition games, I guess I just don't see the point of amplifying the chance of injury to a key player.



Look at Bob Mckenzie's locks/front runner projections (which he gets from conferring with Hockey Canada personnel) the day the selection camp has been announced for the last 10 years. You will find that most spots are earmarked before camp even begins. Sure players have played their way onto the team before, but its largely tinkering around the edges.

Maybe the players should wear bubble wrap leading up to the tournament.

 

[bert]

It really doesn't look that way on paper. It's going to be either one of the youngest team Canada's in a very long time...or it's going to lean on a lot of older less skilled guys. Either way, it's hard to look at it as a "strong" team pre-tourny.

Obviously anything can happen in this short tournament, and maybe some more youthful infusion is just what this team needs...but it doesn't look that strong to me. It could be a strong team, but a lot is up in the air and it's honestly a surprise if Canada isn't a strong team.



It legit just looks like they pulled names from a hat. I really hope that's not a sign of things to come.

This team looks very strong, not sure what you are talking about. The only weakness is the goaltending they are very strong on D and forward.

 

[JackSlater]

You have to play someone, and that means there’s always a risk of getting an injury. However, to NOT play is a much bigger recipe for disaster. It takes time to develop player chemistry and work on some game mechanics the coach may be looking to instil. To go in cold seems just foolish.

I agree. These games are useful, and while there is a risk of injury the benefits outweigh the risk. The team largely being picked before the camp points to a different problem all together. I preferred when Canada had larger, more competitive camps.

 

[Hockey Stick]

Building chemistry is very important . Better to do it now with 4 meaningless games then start coLD against the Americans.

I don't know that's what I figured the pre tourney games were for. Build chemistry, work on systems, try lines, etc.

 

[jj cale]

This team looks very strong, not sure what you are talking about. The only weakness is the goaltending they are very strong on D and forward.

unfortunately that is usually a fatal weakness, it sure has been for us at this tournament and other international events for quite some time.