WJC: 2021 Canada Roster Talk

[Canada4Gold]

1) The record proves otherwise, they always try to have 1-2 D (Mercer and Drysdale last year) or D-1 (exceptionally, Crosby, Tavares, McDavid, Lafreniere etc.) players so they can always have at least 3-4 returnees of calibre. The last thing you want is to send a whole team that has never played in the tournament. The issue here: the 2021 draft is very weak for everyone. So the next batch of players are the 2022s (2023s will be right behind and are also a good crop for Canada), so the smart thing to do is to get at least 1 2022 in this year (the exceptional one) and Savoie next year (Bedard, Yager?).

2) Canada isn't going to see Lambert, Slafkovsky play, without playing Wright.

Yeah but most of the 2020 draft for Canada is return eligible and this was such a strong draft for Canada. The back half won't be on this roster, but guys like Guhle, Jarvis will. Possibly Lapierre, Bourque, and that's before we assume all of Byfield, Drysdale, and Perfetti will be in the NHL which I could see Drysdale and/or Perfetti not being. There will be a handful of returnees anyway. You usually look for the 18 year old D+1 guys as the returnees as 19 year old D+2 rather than the 16-18 year of draft year, or D-1 players. Last year Canada brought a few I agree, but part of that had to do with the strength of the 2020 draft for Canada and the weakness of the 2019 draft. Usually they bring 1 maximum.

For someone who has the time on their hands or proper search tools. Since 2000 how many times has Canada brought more than 1 guy who hasn't been draft eligible yet? I would guess last year was one of very few.

 

[SOLR]

I am not disputing how good Wright is, he is fantastic but he has never played the wing. Literally his entire life he has played centre and your suggestion would be to play a double underager on the first line at a position he hasn't ever played? On what looks to be the most stacked team Canada has had in years?

He is absolutely a force but he is not amongst the top 12 Under 20 players in Canada as of today. 5 years from now he likely is the best player from this bunch and a top 3 player in the NHL, but today he just isn't.

1) He's in Canada top 6 wingers right now. Our main talent is at center + Lafreniere. Name me 6 wingers that are for sure better than Wright on the wing?

Lafreniere
Quinn
Newhook
Cozens
McMichael

Perfetti or Wright? Ok maybe Wright is 7th. But I'd take Wright over Perfetti, he's a more complete player right now.

But then you realize Perfetti is probably tied to Lapierre (given Hlinka), who's a bottom line center, and that we should probably have a good 4th line with at least one of these guys.
Suddenly there is an open spot in the top 6.

You are telling me that you prefer any of these guys to play top 6 instead of Wright, right now?

Tomasino
Pelletier
Holloway
Beckman
Jarvis
Rees
etc. name them, they are not close to Wright. No one will take the spot of an exceptional player.
Only if we moved someone like Mercer or Lapierre to the wing that I might see the point of not having Wright (a defensive specialist in a shutdown role).

2) Canada has played D-1 players 6-7 times over the last 15 years, it's not rare.
a) He will turn 17 during the tournament (he's pretty old in his draft year)
b) He will have benefited from the longest gym training period in history - he will be more fit/advanced than most normal 18 years old in a normal year.

3) I'm putting him on the first line, because well, how do you stop Lafreniere - Dach - Wright. You just gave Lafreniere another weapon. Besides, I think McMichael would be on the first line for the semis/final and Wright in group play (see how he does for the first 3 games).

We might have to beat all 4 of Sweden, Finland, US, Russia this year (in 4 back to back games).

 

[SOLR]

Yeah but most of the 2020 draft for Canada is return eligible and this was such a strong draft for Canada. The back half won't be on this roster, but guys like Guhle, Jarvis will. Possibly Lapierre, Bourque, and that's before we assume all of Byfield, Drysdale, and Perfetti will be in the NHL which I could see Drysdale and/or Perfetti not being. There will be a handful of returnees anyway. You usually look for the 18 year old D+1 guys as the returnees as 19 year old D+2 rather than the 16-18 year of draft year, or D-1 players. Last year Canada brought a few I agree, but part of that had to do with the strength of the 2020 draft for Canada and the weakness of the 2019 draft. Usually they bring 1 maximum.

For someone who has the time on their hands or proper search tools. Since 2000 how many times has Canada brought more than 1 guy who hasn't been draft eligible yet? I would guess last year was one of very few.

Last year both Drysdale and Mercer were draft eligible.

In the exceptional players, it's the rule to appear in their D-1 years more than the exception. Tavares, Crosby, Mcdavid, Lafreniere

 

[Canada4Gold]

Last year both Drysdale and Mercer were draft eligible.

In the exceptional players, it's the rule to appear in their D-1 years more than the exception. Tavares, Crosby, Mcdavid, Lafreniere

I addressed last year though? The weak 2019 draft crop caused a lot of the 2020 crop to be the best options. That combined with many of them in camp(Mercer, Holloway, Laf, and Schneider) and on the roster were later birthdays so they were 18 already. That's just not the case this year with the 2020 crop being so strong there's an abundance of 18/19 guys already, and the weakness of the 2021 crop.

Teams don't bring draft eligibles(or double draft underagers in Wright's case) just so they have potential returnees the following year. There are usually more than enough 18 year old guys who were just drafted to fulfil that if that was a goal. Using Canada next year as an example, I just listed 7 guys who could be on this team that are eligible next year. 5 of which are close to locks this year. Look at the USA for instance last year. Their 2019 draft was stacked similar to how ours was this year. Last year they brought 10 players from their stacked 2019 draft who were 18 and can come back this year. They didn't need to look for someone like Jake Sanderson to bring as a draft eligible guy so they could fulfil returnee numbers for this year, they had 10 guys already. We're going to have a bunch as well so there's no reason to bring a 16 year old just because you know he'll be back next year.

I'm not saying they won't bring him. I'm saying that won't be the reason when the team will likely have 5-7 guys who are eligible to come back.

 

[NA Hockey]

The first line will be Lafrenier - Dach - Cozens

At this point in time you could easily argue that three 100 point players in the CHL in Tomasino, Beckman and Jarvis are better suited to play on the top three lines than a double underage who has never played the wing and had 60 points. They are not picking who the best prospects are in the future or who will be better in 5 years, but they are picking who will be better in 60 days. Tomasino is a better player today. Wright is the better prospect but that doesn't matter for this team.

Perfetti had almost double the number of points as Wright, (111 to 66) was runner up for league MVP, has played wing over the last two years and is a PP specialist and the smartest player of the whole group.. At this point there should be no debate that Perfetti would be more impactful in this tournament especially on the wing in the top 3 lines than Wright.

I know points aren't everything but it does show where they are in the development cycle.

To address your other points:

2) Canada has played D-1 players 6-7 times over the last 15 years, it's not rare. - He is D-1, that is rare for Canada
a) He will turn 17 during the tournament (he's pretty old in his draft year) - A lot players are early birthdays
b) He will have benefited from the longest gym training period in history - he will be more fit/advanced than most normal 18 years old in a normal year. Everyone on this camp list has had the same amount of time to workout and get bigger, faster and stronger, so he has no advantage because of the layoff.

I have to state once again that I think Wright is exceptional, but my point from the beginning was he isn't a first line player on this team. If he makes it, which he could (and that would be great feat) it would be as a 4th liner to start. That is a testament to his two way game and ability to play lower down the lineup, but he does not bring the same level of offence as the other mentioned above to play on the top 3 lines.

IMHO

 

[SOLR]

I'm not saying they won't bring him. I'm saying that won't be the reason when the team will likely have 5-7 guys who are eligible to come back.

Yes they do. Because these underagers are often the stars of the next year and there is a national imperative at developing your 0.1% as others nations do.

2) Canada has played D-1 players 6-7 times over the last 15 years, it's not rare. - He is D-2, that is very rare for Canada

Shane Wright is D-1. He will be drafted in June 2022.

Guys, he did play his D-2 year last year.

 

[NA Hockey]

Yes sorry, a typo. D-1 is very rare as mentioned by you in naming the D-1's in recent memory. Change made in the post.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'm aware of how good Newhook is. But Hockey Canada has left him off rosters/not invited him at times when it seemed like they should have. The guys in here who follow Hockey Canada closely have noticed this as well with Newhook.

Mercer is a returning player, Newhook isnt and has been shat on by hockey Canada in the past. I wouldnt pencil Newhook above Mercer in the line up at this point in time

Hockey Canada loves hype and pedigree which Newhook has now. I agree they’ve been tough on him in the past but he’s earned his spot with his camp performance last year and scorching hot second half of his season.

 

[bagsw]

Great team. Hope to see another Russia – Canada final. It was very emotional last year

 

[JackSlater]

First snowfall down on the ground this morning, world junior camp around two weeks away. Might as well take a stab at a team for fun. Heeeeeyyyyyy babbbbbyyyyy ooooo ahhhhh - don't you forget your roots. Eh oh Canada go.

Newhook Dach Cozens
Perfetti Byfield Mercer
Pelletier McMichael Quinn
Holloway Krebs Tomasino
Rees, Wright

Byram Schneider
Guhle Drysdale
Harley Korczak
O’Rourke, Power

This is assuming that Dach remains but Lafreniere isn't there. Dach and Cozens seem like a decent starting point and I like Newhook to add a little speed, plus he has wing experience. I expect Byfield to be a big contributor this year. I could see him working well with Perfetti, whom I think is a lock for the team, and Mercer is there as a do it all forward who can cover for them defensively at times. You could argue that Perfetti Lapierre Mercer makes a lot of sense as a line due to familiarity, though I'm not sure that Lapierre is ready for a role that prominent yet and I don't think that Hockey Canada usually cares all that much about u18 lines once the actual games start. McMichael is obviously on the team and so is Quinn given that his coach is coaching the team. I could see them making a solid offensive pair. I picked Pelletier for that spot over Beckman because I like his tenacious playstyle as a natural LW but there are several players who could go there. Krebs has the more defensive oriented line, and I expect that Holloway is very likely to get a LW spot on whatever line Canada uses for defensive purposes. Tomasino is a quality utility forward and his RW experience helps. I liked Rees as 13th forward as a guy who can play on the wing and also contribute without the puck on his stick but there are many options. I took Wright as 14th forward because the 14th forward spot is ideal for a player who may not be ready for a big role this year but who could use the experience for the future, particularly with his league not playing.

The defence pairings are kind of obvious. LHD and RHD alignments, built around Byram, Drysdale, and Harley as the puck movers. Schneider, Guhle, and Korczak provide defensive cover for them while still being capable of moving the puck. I prefer Barron to Korczak as a RHD option but I do think that there are risks to bringing him. O'Rourke is one of the many guys who could fill in in a seventh role, and Power is my pick for the 8th defenceman even though I think that he will be in tough coming in from the USHL with no NCAA experience. I like his size and that he'll be 18, plus he could be a big contributor in 2022.

For goalie I'd go with whoever plays best in camp. I have no idea which one is the leading candidate.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

If Dach and Lafreniere end up playing, I'd stick Krebs on a line with the two of them and recreate our top line at the 2018 Hlinka. That line murdered the tournament.

 

[Gold Standard]

My two cents.

My fingers are crossed that Lafreniere decides to play.

1. For sentimental reasons I'd like to see the two Newfoundlanders slice and dice together.
2. Wright gets his shot the 1st. game to see how he does; and then after that he either stays in the lineup or not. Jack Quinn subs in for Wright.
3. same goes for Power on D. looking forward to seeing where he's at. but both he and O'Rourke take turns in the lineup.
4. Pelletier and Perfetti take turns in that LW spot. I like Perfetti to start. I like his game a lot. but the Q-player just may be in better game shape.

A LAFRENIÈRE	K DACH	D COZENS
A NEWHOOK	Q BYFIELD	D MERCER
C PERFETTI	C MCMICHAEL	S WRIGHT
D HOLLAWAY	P KREBS	P TOMASINO

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

J PELLETIER J QUINN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

B BRYAM	J DRYSDALE
T HARLEY	B SCHNEIDER
K GUHLE	K KORZCAK
R O’ROURKE	O POWER

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

D GARLAND/T GAUTHIER/D LEVI

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[newfy]

Hockey Canada loves hype and pedigree which Newhook has now. I agree they’ve been tough on him in the past but he’s earned his spot with his camp performance last year and scorching hot second half of his season.

I'm not disagreeing he should be on the team, he obviously has earned a spot. But the fact that he got cut after lighting it up pretty good at camp last year kinda proves what Hockey Canada thinks about him.

The whole post I was replying to was a guy saying he felt bad for Mercer, a returning player but that it was good Newhook would play. I just wouldnt bet on newhook having a huge role and then Mercer barely playing like that guy was making it sound.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Canada WJ rosters are like:

Forwards

The most stacked group of forwards; cuts could probably be first line on every other team

Defensemen


One of the best groups of defenseman, most are 1st round picks

Goalies

Starting: Somebody
Back up: Somebody else

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

Couple of things, I don’t think people know how good Devon Levi is, he can and will literaly be able to steal the tournament if he has to. If he was 6.3 I’d put him up there with Knight and Askarov, he’s not at a high level yet but watch him.

hendrix Lapierre is a wild card, he was once considered to have too 3 talent, if he’s in stride he could have a breakout tournament.

 

[ORRFForever]

Canada WJ rosters are like:

Forwards

The most stacked group of forwards; cuts could probably be first line on every other team

Defensemen


One of the best groups of defenseman, most are 1st round picks

Goalies

Starting: Somebody
Back up: Somebody else

Sounds like the 2005 team.

 

[ORRFForever]

Of course everyone knows but the TSN article...

Lessons from Chicago's core four will help Kirby Dach lead Canada at World Juniors - TSN.ca

 

[DavidLamb]

First snowfall down on the ground this morning, world junior camp around two weeks away. Might as well take a stab at a team for fun. Heeeeeyyyyyy babbbbbyyyyy ooooo ahhhhh - don't you forget your roots. Eh oh Canada go.

Newhook Dach Cozens
Perfetti Byfield Mercer
Pelletier McMichael Quinn
Holloway Krebs Tomasino
Rees, Wright

Byram Schneider
Guhle Drysdale
Harley Korczak
O’Rourke, Power

This is assuming that Dach remains but Lafreniere isn't there. Dach and Cozens seem like a decent starting point and I like Newhook to add a little speed, plus he has wing experience. I expect Byfield to be a big contributor this year. I could see him working well with Perfetti, whom I think is a lock for the team, and Mercer is there as a do it all forward who can cover for them defensively at times. You could argue that Perfetti Lapierre Mercer makes a lot of sense as a line due to familiarity, though I'm not sure that Lapierre is ready for a role that prominent yet and I don't think that Hockey Canada usually cares all that much about u18 lines once the actual games start. McMichael is obviously on the team and so is Quinn given that his coach is coaching the team. I could see them making a solid offensive pair. I picked Pelletier for that spot over Beckman because I like his tenacious playstyle as a natural LW but there are several players who could go there. Krebs has the more defensive oriented line, and I expect that Holloway is very likely to get a LW spot on whatever line Canada uses for defensive purposes. Tomasino is a quality utility forward and his RW experience helps. I liked Rees as 13th forward as a guy who can play on the wing and also contribute without the puck on his stick but there are many options. I took Wright as 14th forward because the 14th forward spot is ideal for a player who may not be ready for a big role this year but who could use the experience for the future, particularly with his league not playing.

The defence pairings are kind of obvious. LHD and RHD alignments, built around Byram, Drysdale, and Harley as the puck movers. Schneider, Guhle, and Korczak provide defensive cover for them while still being capable of moving the puck. I prefer Barron to Korczak as a RHD option but I do think that there are risks to bringing him. O'Rourke is one of the many guys who could fill in in a seventh role, and Power is my pick for the 8th defenceman even though I think that he will be in tough coming in from the USHL with no NCAA experience. I like his size and that he'll be 18, plus he could be a big contributor in 2022.

For goalie I'd go with whoever plays best in camp. I have no idea which one is the leading candidate.

I love your line. I agree on the forwards totally.

Newhook Dach Cozens
Perfetti Byfield Mercer
Pelletier McMichael Quinn
Holloway Krebs Tomasino
Rees Lapierre Wright

Byram Schneider
Robertson Drysdale
Harley Korczak
Guhle Barron
Power

I just don't like the idea of having two eighteen year old defenders on D-pairing 2. I would slide 19 years old Robertson in. He is a good skater who has very good size.

 

[Gold Standard]

Sounds like the 2005 team.

pretty much! minus a Sidney Crosby like phenom! As good as Wright is, his impact will be more along the lines of '04 Sidney Crosby and the gold medal meltdown team (thank you, M.A. Fluery! disappointed you never got a shot at making amends for that loss in a Team Canada sweater) than the '05 Sidney Crosby - the best team in the history of the tournament - team.

 

[JackSlater]

I love your line. I agree on the forwards totally.

Newhook Dach Cozens
Perfetti Byfield Mercer
Pelletier McMichael Quinn
Holloway Krebs Tomasino
Rees Lapierre Wright

Byram Schneider
Robertson Drysdale
Harley Korczak
Guhle Barron
Power

I just don't like the idea of having two eighteen year old defenders on D-pairing 2. I would slide 19 years old Robertson in. He is a good skater who has very good size.

I like Robertson a lot as well. Outside of Drysdale, Byram, Harley, and Schneider I think that things are somewhat open, especially among LHD.

 

[SOLR]

Couple of things, I don’t think people know how good Devon Levi is, he can and will literaly be able to steal the tournament if he has to. If he was 6.3 I’d put him up there with Knight and Askarov, he’s not at a high level yet but watch him.

hendrix Lapierre is a wild card, he was once considered to have too 3 talent, if he’s in stride he could have a breakout tournament.

Lapierre and Mercer are the 2 best bottom 6 centers we have imo, not sure why we are seeing all these Krebs /McMichael centering bottom lines. I know this board is generally not fond of Quebec talent, but Mercer is a returnee, he's going to be on the team. And he probably has the shutdown line center position on lock - there is no comparable talent anywhere in the country, the guy plays like Carbonneau. Lapierre could play on the wing, but given Perfetti is probably a lock, Lapierre has a big chance of making it given the Hlinka relationship.

 

[SOLR]

I like Robertson a lot as well. Outside of Drysdale, Byram, Harley, and Schneider I think that things are somewhat open, especially among LHD.

Agreed, don't think Gulhe as a lock on it.

 

[bert]

Nice team overall:

Team will have 8 defence, who would you add as the 8th?

So with Lafreniere, Jarvis doesn't make the team but without him he jumps to the second line?

I cant see Quinn playing 1st line Left wing when he has really only played right wing the last two years. I think if Lafreniere doesn't play, you would play Newhook on 1st line left wing and Quinn on second line right wing if you wanted to play him in your top 6.

I think he could play there, he would be able to cycle and play a dominant heavy game with Dach and Cozens. Quinn played as much LW as RW last year, he can play either. I actually think he is better on left, his ability to take the middle of the ice and shoot from his off wing is devastating, same with his one timer. However I think there will be alot of different potential combinations Newhook would be great in that slot too, I definitely see him qs a top 6 player on this team Canada. I could see Quinn wear alot of different hats on this team Tourigny plays him in all situations shut down, pk etc. Could end up on a matchup line. Perfetti might be top 6 or bust on this team. Super talented deep group this year, competition for spots will be fierce.

Not sure about who the 8th d man will be ive seen alot of people predict robertson or korczak.

Without laf i do think they go with Jarvis for the extra offensive punch. I think there is a very good chance Perfetti and Jarvis maybe competing for the same spot. Part of the reason I put Jarvis on the second line is he has chemistry with Byfield.

Lapierre and Mercer are the 2 best bottom 6 centers we have imo, not sure why we are seeing all these Krebs /McMichael centering bottom lines. I know this board is generally not fond of Quebec talent, but Mercer is a returnee, he's going to be on the team. And he probably has the shutdown line center position on lock - there is no comparable talent anywhere in the country, the guy plays like Carbonneau. Lapierre could play on the wing, but given Perfetti is probably a lock, Lapierre has a big chance of making it given the Hlinka relationship.

Mcmichael is better than Mercer, he is also a returnee who was a way more important player on the team the previous season. No shot Lapierre plays ahead of him as an 18 year old. I get it you're a Q guy but you are way off the mark here. Mercer is also currently playing the wing..... I mean you did watch the tournament last year did you not......

My two cents.

My fingers are crossed that Lafreniere decides to play.

1. For sentimental reasons I'd like to see the two Newfoundlanders slice and dice together.
2. Wright gets his shot the 1st. game to see how he does; and then after that he either stays in the lineup or not. Jack Quinn subs in for Wright.
3. same goes for Power on D. looking forward to seeing where he's at. but both he and O'Rourke take turns in the lineup.
4. Pelletier and Perfetti take turns in that LW spot. I like Perfetti to start. I like his game a lot. but the Q-player just may be in better game shape.

A LAFRENIÈRE	K DACH	D COZENS
A NEWHOOK	Q BYFIELD	D MERCER
C PERFETTI	C MCMICHAEL	S WRIGHT
D HOLLAWAY	P KREBS	P TOMASINO

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

J PELLETIER J QUINN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

B BRYAM	J DRYSDALE
T HARLEY	B SCHNEIDER
K GUHLE	K KORZCAK
R O’ROURKE	O POWER

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

D GARLAND/T GAUTHIER/D LEVI

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Close to a 0 percent chance Quinn isnt in the top 12 with or without Tourigny as the coach. However with him here its as close to a guarantee as it gets after Laf, Dach, McMichael and Cozens. He remains the most underrated prospect on HF. He is an absolute star. Mercer is not close to as good a player, I have watched them both play alot. Glad people will finally get to see what Quinn can do. He is a lethal scorer, highly competitve with a great stick.

 

[SOLR]

Mcmichael is better than Mercer, he is also a returnee who was a way more important player on the team the previous season. No shot Lapierre plays ahead of him as an 18 year old. I get it you're a Q guy but you are way off the mark here. Mercer is also currently playing the wing..... I mean you did watch the tournament last year did you not......

Yeah McMichael I see on one of the big lines or in multiple lines at a time, ie he's probably the 3rd most important forward we have after Lafreniere and Dach. But that's why I see Lapierre and Mercer as stable anchor of the bottom lines. With McMichael taking some rotations on any line. My comment was not against McMichael, it was "you are not placing McMichael right in the lineup"

I could see Byfield sitting on the bench again replaced by McMichael or Cozens after a few games as well.

A national team is all about trying to make as many things as possible work. This is why McMichael might seem to have a smaller role at the first, as they try to make other players go.

 

[bert]

Yeah McMichael I see on one of the big lines or in multiple lines at a time, ie he's probably the 3rd most important forward we have after Lafreniere and Dach. But that's why I see Lapierre and Mercer as stable anchor of the bottom lines. With McMichael taking some rotations on any line. My comment was not against McMichael, it was "you are not placing McMichael right in the lineup"

I could see Byfield sitting on the bench again replaced by McMichael or Cozens after a few games as well.

A national team is all about trying to make as many things as possible work. This is why McMichael might seem to have a smaller role at the first, as they try to make other players go.

So you think management will make room for worse players at the expense of better players? Thats certainly not how its going to happen. Players will play well and force the coaching staff to play them.