International Hockey
Team Canada: Post Selection Camp Edition
Dec
Last Wednesday I took an early look at the Team Canada World Jr. Camp and gave some thoughts on who might be bubble players/cuts for the team. I attended Friday practice and the game on Saturday and although it’s just a small sample size, I will update my thoughts on bubble boys. I watched the action and listened to Sutter in the media scrums.
I named Josh Anderson as a possible cut last week. If you read what I wrote after naming him as a potential cut, or were one of the people I spoke to over the last few days (or the last two years for that matter) you would know that I really like Anderson. I would not cut him and he did his best on Saturday to play himself out of being a bubble boy. The whole line was good. Rychel, Gauthier and Anderson. The three players are big, they played smart and played aggressive. I had Rychel beating out Anderson for a spot, now they are shining on a line together.
As opposed to Anderson who helped himself this weekend, I thought Anthony Mantha struggled in the game Saturday. I included Mantha as one of my ‘locks’ last week because he has an obscene number of goals this season (35). Mantha has struggled many times when I have seen him play, but all this kid does is score. Mantha was on a line with Curtis Lazar and Charles Hudon. I feel pretty confident that Lazar is going to make the team. In my blurb last week I mentioned that Hudon could play P.K minutes. I’m interested if he can still make the team if a player like Josh Anderson makes the squad. As I mentioned last week, Josh is very good on the penalty kill.
I spoke to Taylor Leier after the game yesterday. He knows his game and his line with Scott Laughton and Felix Girard looks like it has the makings of being a very effective checking line that can chip in with seconday scoring. As Leier said to me, “We know who we are and what are role is, I thought we did a good job doing what we are supposed to do today.” I agree with Taylor.
What about that kid named McDavid? Maybe I’m crazy but I always saw him as being a lock. Nothing has changed for me. He was great on Saturday. I just don’t seem him being cut and I think he will get his share of ice time.
I said last week that I thought Team Canada could decide to go with 8 Dmen. They have won gold previously doing that and with Reinhart under suspension and Josh Morrissey banged up, I didn’t think it was a crazy idea. Having said that, everything I heard all weekend adds up to 7 D and 13 forwards. So with that said, who gets cut?
I said last week my guess would be Chris Bigras. He was my guess and not the player I would cut if if it were up to me. My cut would be Damon Severson. We ranked Damon 59th in the 2012 NHL Draft and the Devils selected him 60th overall. I thought Damon had the poorest showing on Saturday and that coupled along with my viewings of him in the past have him as my cut.
I think it’s between Severson and Bigras for Hockey Canada’s bubble boys as well. Since I stated Bigras last week as my guess at the player cut, I will stick to it. It probably warrants paying attention to the Morrissey health situation this week.
I named Hunter Shinkaruk as my 3rd forward to be a cut last week if Team Canada decided to go with 8 defencmen. I still think he is a bubble boy. Here are my updated four forward bubble boys: Shinkaruk, Mantha, Leirer and Hudon. Two of those four players would need to be cut along with the one Dman.
I see it as two battles, Shinkaruk vs Mantha and Leier vs Hudon. I’m listing Hudon (probably shocking many readers) on the assumption that Josh Anderson, along with his line impressed enough to stay intact. I will go with the WHL player Leier (who’s line looked great) beating out Hudon for one spot. In the other spot, I will stick with Shinkaruk as a cut losing out to Mantha.
So in summary…
My Predicted Team Canada Cuts
Shinkaruk
Bigras
Hudon.
My Full Bubble Boys List
Shinkaruk
Hudon
Leier
Mantha
Severson
Bigras
If I made the cuts
Shinkaruk
Hudon
Severson
As I mentioned last week, Canada has some time to make the cuts and Sutter made it clear on Saturday that everyone is heading to Europe. It’s always difficult the make the cut selections for this team and this year is proving to be no different. The team plays pre-tourney games starting this week.