WJC: Canada 2018 Roster Talk

[JackSlater]

This is what McKenzie projected on the show. Bolded are his locks, the other players are frontrunners.

Dube McLeod Raddysh
Gadjovich Steel Kyrou
Katchouk Thomas Steenbergen
Formenton ________ Batherson

Clague Fabro
Bean Makar
_________ Timmins

Hart
DiPietro

I like a lot of the projections in this thread better, but McKenzie knows what Hockey Canada is thinking better than any of us do. I'm very hopeful that Hockey Canada is open to cutting returnees if they don't perform well in camp.

 

[Digital Dog]

This is what McKenzie projected on the show. Bolded are his locks, the other players are frontrunners.

Dube McLeod Raddysh
Gadjovich Steel Kyrou
Katchouk Thomas Steenbergen
Formenton ________ Batherson

Clague Fabro
Bean Makar
_________ Timmins

Hart
DiPietro

I like a lot of the projections in this thread better, but McKenzie knows what Hockey Canada is thinking better than any of us do. I'm very hopeful that Hockey Canada is open to cutting returnees if they don't perform well in camp.

I could live with that group if it turns out hes bang on.

I'd slot Glass and Mete in to the gaps and add Lind and Foote as the extra forward and D man.

Also...interesting he doesn't have Tippett anywhere here. I actually agree with that move but I know plenty won't.

 

[Dodospice]

I could live with that group if it turns out hes bang on.

I'd slot Glass and Mete in to the gaps and add Lind and Foote as the extra forward and D man.

Also...interesting he doesn't have Tippett anywhere here. I actually agree with that move but I know plenty won't.

I consider bringing Tippett because he has some goal scoring ability that a lot of guys on the team don’t IMO. He’s pretty one dimensional in that aspect but there isn’t many guys that can shoot and score like him that are available to Canada.

 

[Mark Edwards]

Steenbergen - Steel - Kyrou
Katchouk - McLeod - Tippett
Howden - Glass - Raddysh
Dube - Suzuki - Lind
Thomas

Clague - Fabbro
Bean - Makar
Cholowski - Foote
Timmins

Hart
DiPietro
Point

Take Tippett out. Doubt he even gets an invite to camp.

There’s zero chance that Robert Thomas doesn’t make this team, unless he gets hurt and is out for the tournament between now and when the roster is picked.

Agree 100%

Anyone have a handle on how dante fabbro is progressing?

Can't seem to find too much info about him, he's a returning guy so will be pretty important on the back end so I am wondering how his game is coming along. Last year he looked solid if not spectacular, pretty good at everything but not great at anything. I hope his game is maturing and we can get more out of him this go around.

He's been good. Told Cholowski has been very good of late as well.

Got a link? I've now seen today, tomorrow and now Wednesday?? Most have said today, including TSN and Sportsnet...maybe something has changed last minute?

Wednesday.

Forget points, Thomas is a better hockey player than Frost period.

Won't be shocked if Frost isn't a camp invite.

I could live with that group if it turns out hes bang on.

I'd slot Glass and Mete in to the gaps and add Lind and Foote as the extra forward and D man.

Also...interesting he doesn't have Tippett anywhere here. I actually agree with that move but I know plenty won't.

I heard over the weekend that the Habs won't be sending Mete. Same for Jost. We shall see soon enough.

I consider bringing Tippett because he has some goal scoring ability that a lot of guys on the team don’t IMO. He’s pretty one dimensional in that aspect but there isn’t many guys that can shoot and score like him that are available to Canada.

Tippett is lazy. Watch Blainville play, Joël Bouchard likes hard working players. See my comment above.

Cliff Pu is in the same boat. I've personally never been a fan and he may find himself on the outside looking in as in no invite to camp.

Should be 1998's on defence. Some NCAA names will be in camp this year which is a very nice change IMO, Mario Ferraro is a 98 I liked last year plus the well known guys like Fabbro, Cholowski etc

 

[tfantasy]

I knew Formenton would make it. He has the wheels

 

[tfantasy]

Suzuki will be on this team

 

[LeafChief]

Does anyone know what it was being presented in the media that the camp roster would be released today and then all of the sudden it was changed to Wednesday?

 

[Alberta tough]

Take Tippett out. Doubt he even gets an invite to camp.



Agree 100%



He's been good. Told Cholowski has been very good of late as well.



Wednesday.



Won't be shocked if Frost isn't a camp invite.



I heard over the weekend that the Habs won't be sending Mete. Same for Jost. We shall see soon enough.



Tippett is lazy. Watch Blainville play, Joël Bouchard likes hard working players. See my comment above.

Cliff Pu is in the same boat. I've personally never been a fan and he may find himself on the outside looking in as in no invite to camp.

Should be 1998's on defence. Some NCAA names will be in camp this year which is a very nice change IMO, Mario Ferraro is a 98 I liked last year plus the well known guys like Fabbro, Cholowski etc

Cholowski now plays for Prince George in the WHL

 

[Statsy]

Does anyone know what it was being presented in the media that the camp roster would be released today and then all of the sudden it was changed to Wednesday?

Go back a page. Plenty of speculation as to why that decision was made.

 

[Mark Edwards]

Cholowski now plays for Prince George in the WHL

Yes, but he was an "NCAA route" guy tho...my point (which I did a poor job of making) was more that it will be nice to see some of 'those guys' involved in Canada camps. He was not invited to the U18.

Mike Matheson didn't get invited to camp. I remember one night in Kitchener about 10 NHL scouts losing their minds about that. Many thought he may have been the best D available that year.

 

[Mark Edwards]

Interesting to see some of the guys Bob McKenzie thinks are front runners for the team. The one that’s maybe most surprising to me is Drake Batherson, I thought prior to his injury that he was a lock for a camp invite and a chance to play his way onto the team with a strong camp. After his injury, I assumed that HC would take him off their radar and not invite him, it would be easy to do as a 4th round pick and not having any prior experience with HC, if Bob thinks he’s a front runner than I have to think he likely still gets invited.

If he comes back from his injury and doesn’t show any ill effects, there’s a real good chance he could be on this team.

I saw him in Moncton vs Russia and then in Halifax the next night. Myself and two Dir's of Scouting for a NHL teams all expected him to be an absolute lock to make the team. He got hurt a night later, but it's his pinky finger and I heard on the weekend he's almost ready to return.

IMO, he's an absolute lock as an invite and if I was picking, a lock for the team as well (barring his pinky giving him trouble).

 

[newfy]

I saw him in Moncton vs Russia and then in Halifax the next night. Myself and two Dir's of Scouting for a NHL teams all expected him to be an absolute lock to make the team. He got hurt a night later, but it's his pinky finger and I heard on the weekend he's almost ready to return.

IMO, he's an absolute lock as an invite and if I was picking, a lock for the team as well (barring his pinky giving him trouble).

Him being one of the few potential QMJHL players in the running this year will help his case as well probably. It shouldn't but it will.

What do you think Rasmussens chances are of grabbing the fourth line center or 13th forward spot are?

 

[Mark Edwards]

Him being one of the few potential QMJHL players in the running this year will help his case as well probably. It shouldn't but it will.

What do you think Rasmussens chances are of grabbing the fourth line center or 13th forward spot are?

Take it for what it's worth, but I heard talk over the weekend that he won't get a camp invite, so I'll say his chances of 4th line C/13th forward are slim. lol

Heard they like Kaspick a lot, so guessing he gets to camp at minimum.

Was told over a month ago that goalies has been a done deal for quite a while, Hart and DiPietro obviously. Probably only decision is to bring 2 goalies or 4 to camp to push them.

 

[landy92mack29]

If HC takes a team similar to what bob is speculating they'd be making a lot of stupid moves. Foote, Glass, Tippett+Rasmussen should be locks for the team

 

[Dodospice]

I saw him in Moncton vs Russia and then in Halifax the next night. Myself and two Dir's of Scouting for a NHL teams all expected him to be an absolute lock to make the team. He got hurt a night later, but it's his pinky finger and I heard on the weekend he's almost ready to return.

IMO, he's an absolute lock as an invite and if I was picking, a lock for the team as well (barring his pinky giving him trouble).

Yeah I heard he’s getting close to a return, I expect he garners a camp invite and if he comes back, can play to the level he was and show that the pinky isn’t an issue then I fully expect him to make the team. The strides he’s made in the last 2 years are phenomenal. Watching his progression from bantam to Midget to Jr. A and finally the Q is a story you really couldn’t create if you tried.

 

[Dodospice]

If HC takes a team similar to what bob is speculating they'd be making a lot of stupid moves. Foote, Glass, Tippett+Rasmussen should be locks for the team

Rasmussen isn’t good enough, there’s a lot of guys that can do what he does and are older. You can’t forget that the majority of teams that win are older teams. Young guys can really succeed in the tournament but they have to be really good or fit a defined role. I personally don’t see that with Rasmussen.

HC generally seems to take somewhere between 6-8 guys that aren’t considered 19 year olds. I think that number is going to be closer to 5 or 6 or less this year since the Canada born group of 99’s isn’t exactly that strong. I see 5, 99 born forwards pushing for a spot, no defence and DiPietro in net.

I think this year is going to be a fairly 98 born heavy team and I’m not sure camp is going to be as wide open as a lot are expecting but I definitely think there is a chance for guys to play their way onto the team.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Seems strange when you consider in recent years the camp has started on almost identical dates, including this year. With the rosters being announced as early as the November 27 and as late as December 1st...why go with the 6th this year? They just decided to give everyone a whole week's less notice?..Odd.

I really hope this is nothing to do with the Olympic team trying to snipe some of these juniors...I don't think it is - but maybe...

They have to already know, the French media was pretty much reporting last week Joseph and Harvey got invited.

 

[1Gold Standard]

This is what McKenzie projected on the show. Bolded are his locks, the other players are frontrunners.

Dube McLeod Raddysh
Gadjovich Steel Kyrou
Katchouk Thomas Steenbergen
Formenton ________ Batherson

Clague Fabro
Bean Makar
_________ Timmins

Hart
DiPietro

I like a lot of the projections in this thread better, but McKenzie knows what Hockey Canada is thinking better than any of us do. I'm very hopeful that Hockey Canada is open to cutting returnees if they don't perform well in camp.

If that's the nonsense Hockey Canada is feeding Farmer Bob, then I don't give this team much of a chance unless Carter Hart is tournament MVP. If he's just average, then getting beyond a 1/4 final game will be tough. Looks as though the new HC chief scout boss is the same as the two previous morons who had the gig.

I was planning on catching up on Bob's show during the day, but I'll just ignore it now.

 

[Adonis Creed]

Batherson will be useless if he's not top 6...not physical, not good in his own end.

They prolly gonna pick Comtois becuz he's a decent forechecker with no offensive instincts.

 

[Statsy]

Batherson will be useless if he's not top 6...not physical, not good in his own end.

They prolly gonna pick Comtois becuz he's a decent forechecker with no offensive instincts.

I've never bought into the "top six" thing when talking about team Canada. NHL teams may only have enough depth for a couple lines, but not elite level national teams. If we wanted to, we could stack the team with four scoring lines, though you do need a least one line of guys for PK or shutdown purposes (ie. Comtois). If Batherson ends up on the third line, you might just end up with one hell of a third line!

 

[86Habs]

I've never bought into the "top six" thing when talking about team Canada. NHL teams may only have enough depth for a couple lines, but not elite level national teams. If we wanted to, we could stack the team with four scoring lines, though you do need a least one line of guys for PK or shutdown purposes (ie. Comtois). If Batherson ends up on the third line, you might just end up with one hell of a third line!

The "top six, bottom six" thing is a relic of the 1990s and early 2000s. Ideally we'd have three offensive lines, and a line that can maintain possession and be relied on defensively (the Gauthier, Crouse, Ritchie line would be a prime example of this). There should be six forwards who can effectively rotate through the PK, and ideally a strong faceoff man on each side for critical draws (acknowledging that this may not exist every year at the junior level). Sometimes, like last year, our fourth line actually becomes our best line (Cirelli, Stephens, Dube) and earns more ice time as the tournament progresses.

 

[JackSlater]

If that's the nonsense Hockey Canada is feeding Farmer Bob, then I don't give this team much of a chance unless Carter Hart is tournament MVP. If he's just average, then getting beyond a 1/4 final game will be tough. Looks as though the new HC chief scout boss is the same as the two previous morons who had the gig.

I was planning on catching up on Bob's show during the day, but I'll just ignore it now.

I don't really like it, but who knows. If they added Glass and Suzuki to McKenzie's phantom roster it wouldn't be so bad. Just make sure that Bean slides down the depth chart.

I've never bought into the "top six" thing when talking about team Canada. NHL teams may only have enough depth for a couple lines, but not elite level national teams. If we wanted to, we could stack the team with four scoring lines, though you do need a least one line of guys for PK or shutdown purposes (ie. Comtois). If Batherson ends up on the third line, you might just end up with one hell of a third line!

Yes the idea of a top six and bottom six stems from league play where there is inevitably a shortage of talent. Canada usually has one more defensive line and three scoring lines, and that is the right approach.

 

[Wadd]

Dube-McCleod-Raddysh
Gadjovich-Steel-Kyrou
Suzuki-Thomas-Steenbergen
Formenton-Comtois-Batherson
Ang

Clague-Fabro
Bean-Makar
Foote-Timmins
Mahura

Hart
DiPietro

 

[Boonk]

Dube-McCleod-Raddysh
Gadjovich-Steel-Kyrou
Suzuki-Thomas-Steenbergen
Formenton-Comtois-Batherson
Ang

Clague-Fabro
Bean-Makar
Foote-Timmins
Mahura

Hart
DiPietro

No way comtois makes it over guys like glass or howden.

 

[Dodospice]

Dube-McCleod-Raddysh
Gadjovich-Steel-Kyrou
Suzuki-Thomas-Steenbergen
Formenton-Comtois-Batherson
Ang

Clague-Fabro
Bean-Makar
Foote-Timmins
Mahura

Hart
DiPietro

I’d be surprised if Comtois and Ang even get invited to the selection camp. Neither are good enough.