WJC: 2025 Team Canada Roster Talk

[JackSlater]

Scott Wheeler is also at camp and had a few observations and quotes from Anholt.

Canada's lines from Masters



Wheeler says that the scrimmages were more skills contests than competitive. Not shocking since Canada takes a small number for camp. Also Beaudoin took a puck off the hand and went to the hospital, xrays came back negative so no beak.



Anholt on Sennecke:



Anholt on returnees, basically implying Cowan and Molendyk (sort of a returnee) are already on the team but the others may not be:



Cataford also a bit banged up:



All of this matches what McKenzie has said, starting with Nadeau already making the team.

He had Rehkopf and Wood not highlighted while Cowan was. He also basically said that Yager, Catton, Luchanko, and Cataford were the centres. Looking at the lines Masters posted you can easily see that Catton and Yager are playing with other locks (all players that McKenzie highlighted) and guys who the coaching staff can see them playing with in actual games. Luchanko is probably going to be the matchup centre so he'll probably cycle through wingers, and we don't knw about Cataford yet. He could get Woo and Rehkopf as wingers, or maybe Heidt is in a placeholder spot for him. Molendyk and Gibson are paired together and are both highlighted by McKenzie, Schaefer and Bonk are paired and both were highlighted by McKenzie, Dickinson and Mynio (both highlighted) try out one of the RHD options as a partner.

All that said, who the hell knows. The only thing we can really be sure of is that Canada will throw its combinations into a blender at some point.

 

[Statsy]

Call me crazy but I think this team isn’t as great as it’s hyped up to be. Too many guys that will just be meh playing against higher levels of competition. Too much over thinking the roster, not enough skill.

They have yet to actually create the roster. Several of these guys will be cut, and there are more than enough supremely skilled guys to make up the kind of roster we all want to see.

 

[ORRFForever]

yea the game vs finland on boxing day will say alot.. if they look bad then i am gonna be concerned about sweden or usa lol.

LOL. Come on. This team has talent to spare. Let's NOT start with being "concerned".

 

[mooseboy28]

Call me crazy but I think this team isn’t as great as it’s hyped up to be. Too many guys that will just be meh playing against higher levels of competition. Too much over thinking the roster, not enough skill.

I believe the team will do better than last year. The only thing that worries me is how the players will be utilized under Cameron though.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Call me crazy but I think this team isn’t as great as it’s hyped up to be. Too many guys that will just be meh playing against higher levels of competition. Too much over thinking the roster, not enough skill.

Lack of skill is not an issue with the players brought to camp. Not even a little bit.

 

[jefforteo]

Anybody have any links for todays game against the U-All Stars?

 

[hockey20000]

Anybody have any links for todays game against the U-All Stars?

it's on tsn plus i am glad i bought it for the 6$ a month can finally watch the stuff they dont put on there 5 channels which is usually a few things per week lol

 

[jefforteo]

it's on tsn plus i am glad i bought it for the 6$ a month can finally watch the stuff they dont put on there 5 channels which is usually a few things per week lol

Yes i see that i can register for $8 a month for one game lol...guess i'll keep searching. thanks anyways hockey2000. Hopefully some of the boys know some sites.

 

[jefforteo]

I forgot to add Shirley to the teams boys. If anybody remembers the Shirley thing I was the guy who thought Shirley wouldnt make it and made a huge deal about it lol. I think its still a thing. Just wanted to see if any of the originals or old timers remember that

p.s i love you guys and i have smartened up

 

[TheDoldrums]

these guys not playing today, already locks?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Howe being a lock is wild stuff. Just absolutely zero justification for it.

 

[kyle44]

these guys not playing today, already locks?

Historically, yes.

Yager, Ritchie, Molendyk and Bonk are locks for sure.

Cowan is a lock and is banged up, but he wouldn't play even if he was healthy. Cataford is also banged up but seems to be penciled in the 4th line centre role. Beaudoin took a shot off the hand yesterday and might not be good to go today.

I am surprised Schaefer is a lock at 17 over a guy like Dickinson without playing a U-sports game but he has been incredible this year.

Howe and Akey not having to play games would be shocking to me, but on par with McKenzie's list of frontrunners as some of us pointed out a few pages back.

The only think I can think of is that the roles are already solidified for these players (e.g., Howe as an energy guy, Schaefer as 7th D with potential to move up, Akey as a defense first guy), so they aren't really in competition for their spot with other players.

 

[JackSlater]

I'm surprised that Schaefer is a lock. Howe is more surprising though, probably the most surprising lock since Dudas was a lock for the 2020 team. McKenzie called it but still, it makes no sense on paper. To be fair to Dudas, while he won't be turning into an NHLer he was a useful player in that tournament. If anyone who has closely followed Regina or Calgary can indicate why Howe would be a lock for this team I'd be pretty interested, since I cannot think up a reason.

I forgot to add Shirley to the teams boys. If anybody remembers the Shirley thing I was the guy who thought Shirley wouldnt make it and made a huge deal about it lol. I think its still a thing. Just wanted to see if any of the originals or old timers remember that

p.s i love you guys and i have smartened up

There were calls for Shirley to make the camp roster but no one was sure whether he was a lock or his spot was up for grabs.

 

[wickedwitch]

Howe being a lock is wild stuff. Just absolutely zero justification for it.

I genuinely don't understand what's going on with this. What exactly is the argument for Howe being on the roster, let alone a lock? What do the coaches think he will bring to the team?

 

[Statsy]

I did catch an interview with Peter Anholt and he was VERY high on Schaefer. I definitely feel like he’s a guy they are excited to unleash.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Tanner Howe is a Dave Cameron player. Makes sense to me on paper. I'll need to watch him more over the coming weeks, but the little I know of him he's a player that will go up and down his wing, gets in fast and hard on the forecheck, his role will be puck retrieval and doing the dirty work for the scorers on this team. 19 years old. Doubt he'll score many points at this tournament, or have much of a visible impact one way or another. I guess the fact that he was able to play with a massive talent like Bedard is a point in his favour too.

Are we really surprised that a player like Howe will make this team? Players like him are selected every year.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Tanner Howe is a Dave Cameron player. Makes sense to me on paper. I'll need to watch him more over the coming weeks, but the little I know of him he's a player that will go up and down his wing, gets in fast and hard on the forecheck, his role will be puck retrieval and doing the dirty work for the scorers on this team. 19 years old. Doubt he'll score many points at this tournament, or have much of a visible impact one way or another. I guess the fact that he was able to play with a massive talent like Bedard is a point in his favour too.

Are we really surprised that a player like Howe will make this team? Players like him are selected every year.

He should have to earn his spot. Him being a lock is just crazy

 

[NordiquesForeva]

He should have to earn his spot. Him being a lock is just crazy

That is true. But I suspect that Anholdt/Cameron went into this camp with a really good idea of who they wanted on the eventual roster, with maybe 2-4 spots open for players who really impress at the camp; even that may be generous. Hearing McKenzie's views on him, I suspect Howe was always a lock to make the team.

 

[Castle8130]

If you look at Team Canada's center group, there really isn't a ton of size down the middle. I think the 13th forward they bring is going to be a center. If you have the luxury to bring an extra center when your undersized up the middle, it's best to do so.

As far as high level skill players go, you ideally want to bring at least 4 of those on the wing. You have the following;

WINGS

Skill

Mckenna
Nadeau
Ritchie
Martone (The addition of Martone is nice because he is pretty versatile so you can probably add another one)

Other options;


Rehkopf: Plays at a high level and has chemistry with Martone. Was on team Canada last year. It helps that he is big too


Sennecke: I think he is a great option here because he is the most skilled player of the rest (maybe Cristall has him beat). He also gives Canada a size element.

Wood: Also very talented and gives the team another player with size.

Cristall: Maybe the most skilled of the rest, but when you factor in that you already have Nadeau, Cristall, Catton, and other undersized centers, you have to wonder if he has a role. Maybe keep him as the 13th forward?

Energy/Role players

Cowan: I don't know who exactly gets the center roles, but I'd bet Cowan plays wing. Probably the best energy winger of the group

Gauthier

Howe

Then you probably want a couple energy/high compete centers playing on the 4th line wing for versatility/shake-up reasons

 

[ORRFForever]

Tanner Howe is a Dave Cameron player. Makes sense to me on paper. I'll need to watch him more over the coming weeks, but the little I know of him he's a player that will go up and down his wing, gets in fast and hard on the forecheck, his role will be puck retrieval and doing the dirty work for the scorers on this team. 19 years old. Doubt he'll score many points at this tournament, or have much of a visible impact one way or another. I guess the fact that he was able to play with a massive talent like Bedard is a point in his favour too.

Are we really surprised that a player like Howe will make this team? Players like him are selected every year.

I thought he'd have no chance. Shows you how little I know.

 

[Statsy]

I thought he'd have no chance. Shows you how little I know.

I'll say this; Tanner Howe put up decent numbers when he was playing with Bedard and now his production has declined. However, even Bedard could barely keep that Pats team above water, and now that he's gone, they are dreadful. So perhaps Howe is a guy that can play with good players, but just doesn't have much talent around him right now (Not unlike the situation Bedard finds himself in with Chicago). Hopefully if they do, in fact, put him on Team Canada, there will be some skill that he can play effectively with.

 

[landy92mack29]

I don't think he should be on the team but there's a familiarity between him and Yager as they grew up in Prince Albert together until Yager moved away around 13. But so does Heidt who played with Yager once he moved and is way better than Howe...

The one thing with Howe is although not overly big he plays a aggressive style and can play in any role asked of him

 

[Digital Dog]

I'll say this; Tanner Howe put up decent numbers when he was playing with Bedard and now his production has declined. However, even Bedard could barely keep that Pats team above water, and now that he's gone, they are dreadful. So perhaps Howe is a guy that can play with good players, but just doesn't have much talent around him right now (Not unlike the situation Bedard finds himself in with Chicago). Hopefully if they do, in fact, put him on Team Canada, there will be some skill that he can play effectively with.

There is some truth in this i think. He was recently traded to the Calgary Hitmen and his production is instantly up because the team is better than the Pats.

7pts in 10 games for Pats...
9 pts in 6 games since his trade to the Hitmen (and that without time to build chemistry)

 

[hockey20000]

will denver barkley make the team or he gonna be one of the cuts?

 

[jefforteo]

Cristall: Maybe keep him as the 13th forward?

I could see that