U19: 2024 World Junior A Challenge
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
- Start date
With the BCHL out and the NCAA opening to CHL players, Canada is now stuck with a less talented Junior A talent pool. This year's results are already speaking for themselves. How long before Hockey Canada drops this tourney?
Hockeyfrilla
Swe prospect fanatic
You are right, the five Alberta teams leaving for the BCHL late last year and the movement of Junior A players to the CHL has weakened the talent pool.
Only way for Canada to be successful in this tournament is to drop one team and allow over agers to play.
Similar to what others have said, with BCHL teams rendered ineligible by Hockey Canada; some of the best 5 programs in the AJHL moving to the BCHL and their players being rendered ineligible; the opening of territorial borders by the BCHL such that some kids that would've played OJHL or CCHL are now in the BCHL and are rendered ineligible; and some of the better Jr A players jumping ship to the CHL as a result of the NCAA ruling, these Canadian teams can't compete. These are the worst Canada East and West rosters I have ever seen, so the outcomes thus far aren't surprising. Hopefully they can revamp it in some form in the future given all the changes.
theslatcher
Registered User
Finals:
Sweden - USA
Third place game:
Can - Can
As expected.
Sweden - USA
Third place game:
Can - Can
As expected.
I don't disagree but it gives lesser players another format to perhaps get NCAA exposure.
Hockeyfrilla
Swe prospect fanatic
jetsmooseice
Up Yours Robison
- Feb 20, 2020
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From a casual fan standpoint it is also 1,000,000% more interesting when there is one Team Canada to get behind. The moment you start splitting the country into regions, it looks irredeemably small time, more like the Canada Winter Games than the WJHC.
Also, judging from the crowds in Camrose there wasn't exactly a ton of fan interest...there was hardly anyone at the bronze and gold medal games. So why does this exist? Is this a large global tournament put on for a few dozen scouts?
NTDP
Registered User
From what I've heard it was organized by Hockey Canada originally to give CJHL (Canadian Jr.A) players more exposure to NHL scouts. Of course other nations were coincidentally getting scouted as well just from being there, and like ten years ago I thought I remember lots of NHL scouts being in attendance. I haven't watched this tournament in a few years though so based on what I've read it seems to be losing is luster, especially this year.
To your point, I remember up until somewhere around 2012-13 at the U17 World Hockey Challenge Canada sent a Team Pacific, Team West, Team Ontario, Team Quebec, & Team Maritimes maybe? to that event and then cut it down to three teams (Black, White, & Red), and now down to two.
