WJC: 2025 Team Canada Roster Talk

[MeHateHe]

Anyone surprised Joshua Ravensbergen didn't get an invite to camp? I know nothing about junior hockey so I plead ignorance, I just see he is commonly mocked in the first round of the 2025 NHL draft.

They've got one draft-eligible goalie in camp. I was surprised at that. But two? Ravensbergen hasn't been as good this year as last, so Ivankovic it is.

 

[Digital Dog]

Tij Iginla had a great U18 tourny didnt he? Weird one as Hockey Canada usually love guys who have come through and performed in the system, this one surprised me most

 

[kyle44]

Somebody needs to frame this and hang it on a wall. Glorious.

It's hard to tell online sometimes but, if you are trying to poke fun at my statement, I don't see anything wrong with what I said.

Two things can be true:

1. The team selected was good enough to win the tournament; and

2. Hockey Canada's galaxy brain decisions made the pathway to a championship harder by prioritizing age, grinders and role players over talent and skill, and validating this kind of talent evaluation has and will come back to haunt them in the future.

 

[AyeBah]

They're better than the vast vast majority of defensemen invited to camp. Only Schaefer and Dickinson have arguments over them, and they're LHD lol

Better at what? Schaefer and Dickinson can pretty much do what they do offensively and are vastly better than them at defense, This was never going to be a team of 6 puck movers and you know that (Or you don't, you sound like a casual who just says draft position=best)

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Let’s rock with this. Who wins?

Team A - WJC

McKenna-Ritchie-Nadeau
Cowan-Rehkopf-Martone
Cristall-Luchanko-Yager
Barkey-Beaudoin-Wood
Cataford

Dickinson-Bonk
Molendyk-Allen
Schaefer-Gibson
Price

Bjarnason
George
Ivankovic

Team B - EE (“everyone else”)

Benson-Bedard-Sennecke
Iginla-Celebrini-Hage
Misa-Catton-Greentree
Parascak-Heidt-Gauthier
Pinelli/Howe/Finnie/Lardis

Morin-Yakemchuk
Mynio-Parekh
Chadwick-Brunicke
Dupont/Akey/Marrelli/Mews

Ratzlaff
Ravensburgen
the guy ripping it up in the Q

I mean if you are going to include Bedard and Celebrini of course that team will likely be better. I think it’s more interesting to do a roster without NHL players personally.

 

[DJB]

Once again as usual Team Canada continues to make bone headed decisions on the lineup

 

[Boonk]

Guys like Barkey, Howe and Pinelli, Allen and Akey in over Iginla, Misa, Hage, Sennecke, Greentree, Yakemchuk and Parekh is a complete f***king joke. Ratzlaff and George in over Ravensbergen is also so dumb. Holy shit what a waste of selections.

 

[Mathieukferland]

 

[hockey20000]

if this team struggles to score after all the fire power left off it I hope hockey canada gets roasted by the public

 

[BondraTime]

if this team struggles to score after all the fire power left off it I hope hockey canada gets roasted by the public

And if they win, they still get roasted by the public next year.

Thus is the social media age

They could go 7-0 and still be getting flack for leaving xxx and xxx off.

 

[flin flon bombers]

I can't remember in 45+ years how many times I cursed the picks even though my knowledge was coming from the hockey news in the early days,or got upset that our western boys were left off,it ended up wrecking my enjoyment for the tournament, in last ten years I have excepted the team as picked and just tried to enjoyed the ride.now having the junior tv package I have had the pleasure to watch alot of the prospects and really feel this team has alot of compete without giving up much in offense, i would of liked to see Kevin he over cole,as for parekh and yaremchuck I can see them on the team but at the same time they have a touch of river boat gambler in them,and maybe the coaches don't want that creeping into the system they want to employ.but every year great juniors get left off and we have won.go canada

 

[novisor]

Every year:
Posters on this board chew on their fingernails for days leading up to the release of the camp roster
Hockey Canada releases their camp roster, which omits a few draft-eligible stars, one or two high-scoring talents and maybe a couple of guys who are in their last year of WJC eligibility
Posters on this board FREAK THE HELL OUT because of the omission of this guy or the inclusion of that
A few other guys say declare the team has no chance and could even miss the quarterfinal (TBF, that last one hasn't happened yet)

Don't think anyone is going to argue they could miss the QF. For that to happen, you'd need to have the stars align with a 1998-esque team in a stacked division that isn't possible with Russia excluded. You'd need to have 3 of Russia/Sweden/Finland/USA/Czech Rep. in a group with Canada for that to happen, and even then you'd have at least one weaker team in there too.

 

[RyCam]

Yakemchuk is the most interesting omission imo. One would think they would at least invite him to camp to throw a bone to the long-suffering Sens fans, who if nothing else would enjoy seeing their top prospect play on home ice.

To me, Parekh was a binary choice. Either he's in, as a core part of the team, or he's out. Turns out its the latter. Remember that he was suspended last year for spitting at/on another player. Perhaps questions about his character were the deciding factor there.

Misa and Sennecke are fairly inexcusable imho. I'm a 67s fan and watch Pinelli play most games, and he's in a lower tier of player than both of the omitted players. What Pinelli does have is a lot of bite to his game for a smaller player (and one helluva shot), which may be an indication of where Canada is heading with some of the depth pieces.

Yakemchuk omission almost feels like an attempt by Cameron to be petty and take a shot at the Sens org and fans lol

 

[hockey20000]

And if they win, they still get roasted by the public next year.

Thus is the social media age

They could go 7-0 and still be getting flack for leaving xxx and xxx off

highly doubt they go 7-0 but sure if they do i will eat my words

 

[BondraTime]

highly doubt they go 7-0 but sure if they do i will eat my words

I'm not saying they are going to go 7-0, I'm saying it didn't matter if they did because they would still be given shit online

Win or lose, before or after, there are always people complaining as loud as possible, it's inevitable

 

[novisor]

Ranking omissions from most inexcusable to least:
1. Misa - leads OHL in points, consensus top 3 pick (if not #1) next year. Literally 0 sense here.
2. Yakemchuk - could be #1 given he's an 05' birth year. Really doesn't make sense. Big point producing dman who can impose his will on opponents.
3. Sennecke - I get he's an 06', but #3 overall in the draft who's having a great year and is a natural winger on a team with a lot of centremen... don't get this one either.
4. Parekh - this one I can at least agree with. He'll be here next year. As others have said it's an "all or nothing" for him. Either he's a top pairing guy, or don't bring him. Surprised not at least an invite though.
5. Iginla - didn't expect him to make this team, next year will be his time to shine. Not having an amazing year by expectations for him.

Tij Iginla had a great U18 tourny didnt he? Weird one as Hockey Canada usually love guys who have come through and performed in the system, this one surprised me most

He did (to be fair I only watched the final). But he's an 06', so next year.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Apparently Bob McKenzie considers Tanner Howe a lock to make the team. How he’s even being considered over Sennecke, Iginla, Misa, Hage, Greentree, and probably half a dozen other guys is mind-boggling.

So many frustrating decisions. As an Oilers fan, inviting Beau Akey over Yak/Parekh is indefensible. Not to mention the Cam Allen invite lol.

The roster is still strong and should be the clear favourite for gold, but that doesn’t justify some of these decisions.

 

[Sinbad]

highly doubt they go 7-0 but sure if they do i will eat my words

Highly doubt it, guys like you scream and yell when your teams top prospect doesn’t get selected and then when Canada goes out and wins its crickets.

 

[novisor]

I will say, I was shocked to see last year the reaction when the US won. How it's their game, Canada is doomed, etc. After Canada went back to back in 2022 and 2023. US has won six times (04, 10, 13, 17, 21, 24) - since their first Canada has won 10 times. Excluding the five peat (2010 - onwards) it's 5 golds each.

If the US wins this year and goes back to back for the first time, expect a lot of doom and gloom.

 

[Sinbad]

Yakemchuk omission almost feels like an attempt by Cameron to be petty and take a shot at the Sens org and fans lol

ya that’s it!

I mean it’s not like there isn’t an endless supply of other things you could point to if you want to take a shot at the Sens… unbelievable.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Every year they bring guys who are slightly better players in the CHL because they are slightly more refined. Only to realize most of the guys don’t have the skill to make an impact at the higher level of play.

Parekh won D man of the year in the CHL and won a Mem Cup.
Yak looked great in NHL camp.
Iginla is such a good player and compliments high skill guys.
Misa has a two way game and skill.
Sennecke has size, speed and skill and would be great in a checking role.

Mynio, Barkey, Brunicke, Gibson, Allen, Gauthier, Howe, Pinelli over these guys. Give me a break.

The forwards are somewhat understandable because they are stacked this year. But like many years, last years included, I feel they will struggle to be elite offensively because they lack the poise and skill on the blueline.

 

[wickedwitch]

So there are two players invited to camp from Quebec. The question is now: does Canada end up with more players from Quebec on their roster than the US will have on its roster (1)?

 

[hockey20000]

no yakemchuk in a torunament in ottawa in his final year he can play is a big slap in the face if i was him i would remember this if he turns into a good career and hockey canada come calling for the worlds in a few years in may... might be petty but my answer would be no especially considering theres like 2 or 3 d man on the camp roster better then him or equal to his skills max

 

[Eye of Ra]

Once again as usual Team Canada continues to make bone headed decisions on the lineup

And yet they keep winning. Hc staff have proven to know what they are doing. They dont pick an allstar team, they pick a TEAM.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

no yakemchuk in a torunament in ottawa in his final year he can play is a big slap in the face if i was him i would remember this if he turns into a good career and hockey canada come calling for the worlds in a few years in may... might be petty but my answer would be no especially considering theres like 2 or 3 d man on the camp roster better then him or equal to his skills max

I guarantee his answer will not be no if he gets asked again. I think he should have been at camp but where the tournament being held is completely irrelevant to the team selection.