U18: Team Canada 2017 U18 WJC Roster Talk.

[DiggerD]

I know Canada gets their top junior players only to world juniors and Ivan Hlinka tournaments.
What's happen in Canadian junior hockey last year Canada collapsed in Bronze game and lost 10-3 to USA.
Last time when Canada has won U18 WJC gold was 2013.

Canada wasn't top gold medal contender in IIHF men's worlds in 2010-2014.
But now they have won that tournament twice ( 2015 and 2016) and again this year Canada is gold medal contender in IIHF men's worlds ( look that offence it's loaded to NHL stars).

Is Canada's priorities changed in junior world championships especially in U18 WJC's or why Canada couldn't do better than that 4-1 record.
I know memorial cup playoffs are same time with U18 WJC's. And how much talent Canada has in 1999 born age group.

Example in Finland 1999 born age group is deep based on talent and some Finnish hockey insiders are talking to super age group ( yeah sounds biased and maybe it is.)
Yes losing Tolvanen,Heponiemi,Moilanen and Jokiharju hurt Finland's team but not so badly.

You have answered your own questions. Canada doesn't send its best to the U18, or the World Championships, they send the players who play on eliminated teams. You mentioned 2 likely first rounders missing from Finland, Canada was missing 6-7.
Canada is predicted to medal at the upcoming WC, but that team is hardly "Canada's best", It has Calvin Pickard and Eric Comrie in net, not Price and Holtby. Canada's defence at WC will be Michael Matheson, Jason Demers, Tyson Barrie, Calvin DeHann and Josh Morrisey, not Burns, Doughty, Muzzin, Vlassic, Weber, Subban, etc. The forwards will be missing McDavid, Crosby, Stamkos, Tavares, Toews, Couture, Bergeron, Getzlaf, Perry, Marchand..... That is why The U18 and Mens WC get little coverage or interest in Canada.

 

[wings5]

Once again Hockey Canada makes a headscratching decision and doesn't invite Danil Antropov to the u-18 Ivan Hlinka selection camp roster. I don't understand it at all, anyone else have thoughts? Hard for me to believe all those players are better than him, there must be something else going on.

https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/Under-18/2017-18/Selection-Camp/Roster

 

[1Gold Standard]

Once again Hockey Canada makes a headscratching decision and doesn't invite Danil Antropov to the u-18 Ivan Hlinka selection camp roster. I don't understand it at all, anyone else have thoughts? Hard for me to believe all those players are better than him, there must be something else going on.

https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/Under-18/2017-18/Selection-Camp/Roster

I don't see anything particularly egregious in Antropov not getting an invite. I've seen him play a bit, there are 4-5 players where it's a coin flip...and I don't see anything else going on other than he has a late late DoB. He's practically a 2001 player. And we all know how conservative Hockey Canada can be when it comes age, especially at that level.

 

[wings5]

I don't see anything particularly egregious in Antropov not getting an invite. I've seen him play a bit, there are 4-5 players where it's a coin flip...and I don't see anything else going on other than he has a late late DoB. He's practically a 2001 player. And we all know how conservative Hockey Canada can be when it comes age, especially at that level.

When it comes to two people in one age group, the one born later shouldn't be seen negatively. He's also probably still growing, likely more upside than alot of those forwards also, close as you can get NHL bloodlines and thus knows what it takes to be successful.