WJC: 2025 Team Canada Roster Talk

[Crosby2010]

Nothing is off the table yet. They haven't looked great, they should have pulled away from these weak teams though. That being said if they can win with defense then so be it. But the lack of goal scoring is troubling. I am not sure how it will work with the Americans though. Might be a more free wheeling type of game.

 

[Sticktape]

Did I just hear James Duthie say the team this year has scored the least amount of goals through 3 games of any Canadian team ever? I think I did.

 

[Fatass]

Did I just hear James Duthie say the team this year has scored the least amount of goals through 3 games of any Canadian team ever? I think I did.

And the schedule has been easy. Huge mistake not selecting Yakemchuk. Offence is enhanced by defence. And he definitely is the best junior D man Canada has to create offence.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

And the schedule has been easy. Huge mistake not selecting Yakemchuk. Offence is enhanced by defence. And he definitely is the best junior D man Canada has to create offence.

Dickinson is better then Yakemchuk. Yak easily could have been on this team....but Dickinson has been better this season.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

And the schedule has been easy. Huge mistake not selecting Yakemchuk. Offence is enhanced by defence. And he definitely is the best junior D man Canada has to create offence.

Disagree. Parekh & Dickenson both better at generating O

 

[biturbo19]

The offence is so disjointed. I'm growing tired of watching players try and go 1 on 3 or 1 on 4 over and over, only to fire a bad shot into a shin pad. They desperately need somebody to start making plays. I'd separate Cowan and Ritchie. Neither have been bad per se, but I don't think they work well off each other. Ritchie's made some bad passes trying to force pucks to Cowan and Cowan doesn't seem to want to do anything but take bad shots.

I do think the offense will be better against the Americans. Latvia, Germany and to a lesser extent Finland were all more than happy to just clog the middle and let Canada fire of 20+ low quality shots into the crowd. The US will push more for offense of their own.

This has kind of stood out to me a bit...in the sense that, a lot of the lines/combos don't seem to have a lot of chemistry. A lot of them don't even really make much sense on paper really. Too much of "shooters with shooters" and "passers with passes". Creates some really disjointed play for sure.

Not that Cowan/Ritchie for example can't make decent passes...but i don't really think of either as a "playmaker". It doesn't feel like a natural fit to me. And there's a lot of that throughout.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Mynio has 19 in 18 games this year (10 PP points) on the second worst team in the WHL. He is his team's leading scorer (in PPG) and doesn't play with a single forward scoring over a point per game. Seattle has scored 99 goals in 35 games (2.8 goals/game)

Parekh has 40 points in 30 games (17 PP points) on the second highest scoring team in the OHL with 151 in 35 games (4.3 goals/game). He plays with four forwards over PPG including the league's leading scorer (Misa).

Put Mynio in Saginaw for 30 games and his 1.06 PPG pace and 0.56 poweplay points per game pace in Seattle would be worth 49 points with 26 PP points. Yes, Parekh is responsible for some of his team's scoring prowess, so this isn't a perfect comparison, but there is a strong argument to be made that Mynio is the better offensive player right now, and no question that he is the better PP quarterback given that Parekh has also but up a 0.56 powerplay points per game pace on a much higher scoring Spirit team.

I can see the argument that Parekh is the better prospect given that he is 10 months younger than Mynio, but at this point Mynio is by far the stronger defensive player as well as very likely the more offensively productive player taking into account the quality of his team.

I have been attending Flames development camps for over a decade - Zayne Parekh is the most dynamic player I’ve seen since Johnny Gaudreau.

I don’t care how bad he allegedly is defensively - you take the clear cut best offensive blue liner in the country and let him run the power play.

Cut someone else.

 

[PaulD]

So does every other favorite. It looks like wide open this year. The thing about Canada is I think they have the capacity to lock down defensively and find another gear offensively. It wouldn't surprise me if after a middling start they end up winning gold.

Wouldn't surprise anyone

 

[Fatass]

Disagree. Parekh & Dickenson both better at generating O

Nope. Imo Yakemchuk is the superior driver of offence from D. Huge mistake by Canada leaving him off the club, and it’s proving so as the tournament progresses. Yak is Makar like, just in a larger frame. Canada could definitely use that kind of offensive push from the D.

 

[1989]

This has kind of stood out to me a bit...in the sense that, a lot of the lines/combos don't seem to have a lot of chemistry. A lot of them don't even really make much sense on paper really. Too much of "shooters with shooters" and "passers with passes". Creates some really disjointed play for sure.

Not that Cowan/Ritchie for example can't make decent passes...but i don't really think of either as a "playmaker". It doesn't feel like a natural fit to me. And there's a lot of that throughout.

It's a big downfall of not running a program similar to the USNTDP I think. The coaches and GMs don't see enough to formulate a strong game plan, the players don't get to play enough with each other to find chemistry when it's needed most on the international stages.

It'll bite Hockey Canada in the ass sooner than later I think.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Nope. Imo Yakemchuk is the superior driver of offence from D. Huge mistake by Canada leaving him off the club, and it’s proving so as the tournament progresses. Yak is Makar like, just in a larger frame. Canada could definitely use that kind of offensive push from the D.

You just confirmed you have no idea about Yak, lol

 

[1440]

I have been attending Flames development camps for over a decade - Zayne Parekh is the most dynamic player I’ve seen since Johnny Gaudreau.

I don’t care how bad he allegedly is defensively - you take the clear cut best offensive blue liner in the country and let him run the power play.

Cut someone else.

Did you not read my post? The whole point was making an argument that Mynio is better offensively. Moreover, Dickinson is on the team and is also better than Parekh. The issue is not who they selected, even Canada's 20th best PP quarterback should be good enough to trounce the teams they have played, it is just that they are shooting 6.7% when most teams are double that or more. Just bad luck and a small sample size.

 

[Fatass]

You just confirmed you have no idea about Yak, lol

Your opinion is yours. I disagree. And the lack of offence from Canada is proving my view to be correct. Yaks is what Canada is missing.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Disagree. Parekh & Dickenson both better at generating O

They should all be there.

Like, it’s the Canadian national junior team - the plan should be “take the best 23 guys in the country and win the tournament”.

Don’t overthink it.

I just need someone to explain how it makes any strategic sense to take whoever you consider the 13th forward or 7th D on this roster and deprive yourself of being able to put Quinn Hughes on the ice if you really find yourself backed into a corner.

Why wouldn’t you want that option?

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Did you not read my post? The whole point was making an argument that Mynio is better offensively. Moreover, Dickinson is on the team and is also better than Parekh. The issue is not who they selected, even Canada's 20th best PP quarterback should be good enough to trounce the teams they have played, it is just that they are shooting 6.7% when most teams are double that or more. Just bad luck and a small sample size.

How can Mynio be better offensively than Zayne Parekh.

He's a year older and he’s barely over a PPG.

For this year.

Parekh is a year younger and is on pace to have his second straight 30 goal 90 point season.

Because he’s spectacular.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Nope. Imo Yakemchuk is the superior driver of offence from D. Huge mistake by Canada leaving him off the club, and it’s proving so as the tournament progresses. Yak is Makar like, just in a larger frame. Canada could definitely use that kind of offensive push from the D.

Makar lite is a wild comment lol for point of reference Yak has 30 points in 27 games this year. Dickinson has 46 points in 26 games and more assists then Yak has points.

 

[darthwispy]

Not that Cowan/Ritchie for example can't make decent passes...but i don't really think of either as a "playmaker". It doesn't feel like a natural fit to me. And there's a lot of that throughout.

2023-24 OHL Coaches Poll Results - Ontario Hockey League

Rolling out results from the 2023-24 OHL Coaches Poll, highlighting winners from across the League.

chl.ca

Ritchie was voted by coaches as the best playmaker in the OHL if you go off vote amounts. Ritchie's playstyle is literally playmaker. Just no chemistry between them for whatever reason.

 

[StlBigFly]

Imma be the plainest toast ever

I think it’s right to credit other nations for some advantages they’ve built which would seem to help out in a tournament like this.

 

[Crosby2010]

Did I just hear James Duthie say the team this year has scored the least amount of goals through 3 games of any Canadian team ever? I think I did.

So I immediately thought of 1998, and in the first three games we scored 7 goals and went 1-2. So Duthie is not correct. Or more likely the statistician whispering in his ear gave him faulty information. This year's team has not scored much, but they did score 9 in three games. Not like pumping your chest over something you did better than the 1998 team who finished 8th place is anything special. But they did score two more goals through three games

 

[JackSlater]

2023-24 OHL Coaches Poll Results - Ontario Hockey League

Rolling out results from the 2023-24 OHL Coaches Poll, highlighting winners from across the League.

chl.ca

Ritchie was voted by coaches as the best playmaker in the OHL if you go off vote amounts. Ritchie's playstyle is literally playmaker. Just no chemistry between them for whatever reason.

Canada hasn't consistently produced players with a big shot for a while, relative to pretty much any other attribute. Plenty of playmakers, all around players, two way players, elite skaters etc. Don't really know why. Regardless, the guy with the most votes for best shot is on the team, he just tends to be scratched or plays the fewest minutes of all forwards.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Canada hasn't consistently produced players with a big shot for a while, relative to pretty much any other attribute. Plenty of playmakers, all around players, two way players, elite skaters etc. Don't really know why. Regardless, the guy with the most votes for best shot is on the team, he just tends to be scratched or plays the fewest minutes of all forwards.

Because they don’t coach kids on their shots the way they should.

 

[Juxtaposer]

My favorite part of these retroactive rosters is the assumption that, despite the talent that is on the roster and isn't scoring, the similar-level talent that isn't on the roster definitely would be scoring.

Carson Rehkopf isn't getting prime minutes or scoring, but Beckett Sennecke, who had the same PPG in the OHL as Rehkopf, definitely would be.

Carter Yakemchuk, who is barely putting up a PPG in the WHL as a 19 year old offensive defenseman, would definitely be outplaying Caden Price, who has a better WHL PPG than him while also being much better defensively.

Zayne Parekh, who is being handily out-produced by Sam Dickinson, would definitely be given prime PP minutes and not be throttled and reigned in the way Dickinson has been.

Michael Misa, who has an identical PPG as Porter Martone, definitely wouldn't be the 13th forward, jerked around and playing 7 minutes a game.

And of course, Andrew Cristall, who has a similar PPG in the WHL as Gavin McKenna, would definitely be lighting up the score sheet.

That isn't to excuse the poor roster decisions that people are complaining about or to absolve the players from their sub-par tournament thus far, but rather to emphasize that the number 1 issue by far with this team is coaching. You can bring all the high-scoring CHL talent you want, but it wouldn't matter be because the talent that is here is being suppressed, played out of position, told to completely change their style of play. I doubt the results would be any different than we've seen so far.

 

[wetcoast]

I added a few more names.

They’re not all at the top of my head.

A lot of WJC guys don’t end up as stars, and European hockey where you earn a good salary and they pay for your rent is a really good deal.

What I like about the Spengler is that Team Canada does have the advantage of drawing from many teams (except for those already in the Spengler) but they have to gel very quickly against the much more established competition.

Sure I get all of that but the original inference was that this current team would be the 2034 or something team and a few players out of the 150ish still playing hockey over the years is still an extremely small amount.

 

[Static]

My favorite part of these retroactive rosters is the assumption that, despite the talent that is on the roster and isn't scoring, the similar-level talent that isn't on the roster definitely would be scoring.

Carson Rehkopf isn't getting prime minutes or scoring, but Beckett Sennecke, who had the same PPG in the OHL as Rehkopf, definitely would be.

Carter Yakemchuk, who is barely putting up a PPG in the WHL as a 19 year old offensive defenseman, would definitely be outplaying Caden Price, who has a better WHL PPG than him while also being much better defensively.

Zayne Parekh, who is being handily out-produced by Sam Dickinson, would definitely be given prime PP minutes and not be throttled and reigned in the way Dickinson has been.

Michael Misa, who has an identical PPG as Porter Martone, definitely wouldn't be the 13th forward, jerked around and playing 7 minutes a game.

And of course, Andrew Cristall, who has a similar PPG in the WHL as Gavin McKenna, would definitely be lighting up the score sheet.

That isn't to excuse the poor roster decisions that people are complaining about or to absolve the players from their sub-par tournament thus far, but rather to emphasize that the number 1 issue by far with this team is coaching. You can bring all the high-scoring CHL talent you want, but it wouldn't matter be because the talent that is here is being suppressed, played out of position, told to completely change their style of play. I doubt the results would be any different than we've seen so far.

People aren't advocating replacing the best skilled players on the team with similarly skilled players. The most skilled players on the team should have been surrounded by similarly skilled players who were left off entirely.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

My favorite part of these retroactive rosters is the assumption that, despite the talent that is on the roster and isn't scoring, the similar-level talent that isn't on the roster definitely would be scoring.

Carson Rehkopf isn't getting prime minutes or scoring, but Beckett Sennecke, who had the same PPG in the OHL as Rehkopf, definitely would be.

Carter Yakemchuk, who is barely putting up a PPG in the WHL as a 19 year old offensive defenseman, would definitely be outplaying Caden Price, who has a better WHL PPG than him while also being much better defensively.

Zayne Parekh, who is being handily out-produced by Sam Dickinson, would definitely be given prime PP minutes and not be throttled and reigned in the way Dickinson has been.

Michael Misa, who has an identical PPG as Porter Martone, definitely wouldn't be the 13th forward, jerked around and playing 7 minutes a game.

And of course, Andrew Cristall, who has a similar PPG in the WHL as Gavin McKenna, would definitely be lighting up the score sheet.

That isn't to excuse the poor roster decisions that people are complaining about or to absolve the players from their sub-par tournament thus far, but rather to emphasize that the number 1 issue by far with this team is coaching. You can bring all the high-scoring CHL talent you want, but it wouldn't matter be because the talent that is here is being suppressed, played out of position, told to completely change their style of play. I doubt the results would be any different than we've seen so far.

Dickinson is on the Knights (an overwhelming favorite to repeat as champion) while Parekh is on the rebuilding Spirit. Of Course hes being out produced lol. Look at the stats when both of them are on a contender and Parekh has much better numbers.

Besides, why is it one or the other? Imagine having Dickinson on one PP and Parekh on the other. Wouldn't that be much better than what Canada has now? same could be said for forwards. Having a fourth line of Sennecke, Cristall and some other PPG player is much more dangerous than having grinders who are there to "play the game the right way"