~ The winner of the 2010 World Junior Championship will be decided on January 5th in Saskatoon but it will be hard to match the drama that unfolded the last time 'Toon Town' hosted the event. Back in the days when it was only a round robin tournament, Canada won their first gold medal on home soil thanks to a late third period goal from a most unlikely source.
Recently, The Pipeline Show spoke with the hero of the 1991 World Junior Championship.
There's no question that the now completed World Junior Championships had some amazing moments ranging from goals, saves, controversy, disappointments and utter joy. So many in fact that narrowing it down to 5 might be pretty tough to do but here's a list of memories that will last for me.
5. Jaroslav Janus VS USA
TSN's Pierre McGuire called it "Slovakia's 1980" comparing it to the Miracle on Ice from the Olympics where American college kids beat the juggernaut Soviet Red Army team. I wouldn't go that far, especially since Slovakia does have a World Hockey Championship to their credit, but the upset win over USA in this tournament was definitely memorable.
But let's be honest here; the only reason USA didn't crush the Slovaks was because of the unbelievable performance of netminder Jaroslav Janus. Tomas Tatar was fun to watch (not a big fan of the showboating but the skill is obvious) and Milan Kytnar represented the Oilers well but it was the Janus Show that got Slovakia past USA.
4. Dustin Tokarski VS Colin Wilson
At one point during the epic New Year's Eve match between Canada and USA the teams had scored on half of the shots they'd taken. It wasn't a very good game for either Dustin Tokarski or Thomas McCollum for the first 30 minutes. However, the difference in the contest, and arguably the tournament, is that Tokarski eventually found his game while McCollum never did.
The Spokane Chiefs rode 'Tick' to a WHL championship and a Memorial Cup title last year so the Saskatchewan kid had proven himself in big games. That's why he got the nod against the Americans and when he made this ridiculous steal against Colin Wilson you knew he'd be Pat Quinn's guy the rest of the way.
3. John Tavares VS USA
It was a wildly entertaining game between USA and Canada but it certainly got off to a rocky start for the home fans. Down 3-0 it wasn't looking good for Canada, especially because of how well the Americans had been playing in the tournament up to that point. Canada hadn't faced any adversity coming into the game and I made the prediction on TPS the night before that the Americans would win on New Year's Eve.
When John Tavares scored the first Canadian goal and the fans erupted you had to have gotten the sense that the game was far from over. What makes this next goal clip so key is that not only is the goal and absolute beauty but it came immediately on the heels of last one. Momentum immediately shifted completely in Canada's direction and with the added adrenaline thanks to the melee at the benches, it seemed like just a matter of time before Canada would even the score.
2. Mattias Tedenby VS Slovakia
He's tiny but he's as shifty and skilled as they come. The New Jersey Devils get heaps of praise for their record at the NHL draft, more than I think they deserve, but they had to have been smiling when they saw Tedenby deke his way through the entire Slovak team and the marching band on the field to set up this one. In the running for my Goal of the Tournament:
1. Jordan Eberle VS Russia
I don't think there is any doubt about it but the semi-final game between Canada and Russia will go down in history as one of the most memorable and entertaining ones in WJC history. It's definitely on par with the CAN/USA shootout in 2007 but I'm not sure if history will rank it above or below the CAN/RUS thriller of 1991.
A see-saw battle between traditional hockey rivals, Canada and Russia waged an exciting tug-of-war on ice that seemed to be over when Dmitri Klopov scored to put Russia ahead 5-4 with just over two minutes to play. What ensued was a frantic attempt by Canada to even ths score and a costly error by Russian forward Nikita Klyukin to go for the empty net that set up the last 30 seconds of the game...
Despite Pierre McGuire labelling the goal as "Tavares' Magical Play', I agree with my co-host Dean Millard who says that it was Ryan Ellis who deserves way more credit for his job in keeping in the clearing attempt of Nikita Filatov. The shootout would follow with goals by Tavares and Eberle but I'll remember the shootout for one other reason: The inexcusable decision by Russian head coach Sergei Nemchinov to not use his most talented player. We see it in the NHL all the time, coaches like Craig MacTavish waiting until the 3rd shooter to use their best player (Ales Hemsky) and in Nemchinov's case it came back to bite him in the ass.
This picture sums it all up for me as I try to imagine the thoughts going through Filatov's head as he lays on the ice. Is he thinking about his failed clearing attempt with 20 seconds to go? Is he wondering, like Gretzky in 1998, how he doesn't get a chance in the shootout? I wonder....
A fantastic WJC that set a new attendance record and captured the attention of the junior hockey world for 31 games. I'm already looking forward to Saskatoon and Regina next year!
As time ticked down World Junior Championship play by play man on the FAN radio network Dan Dunleavy put it as good as I've heard it....
"Turn around and give me 5" Dunleavy shouted across the airwaves heard across Canada including on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton. It was indeed a round of 5 Alive for every Canadian hockey fan, and here are some observations from a fantastic tournament. When will that bozo who hosts The Pipeline Show stop doubting Dustin Tokarski? That bozo would be me by the way. I didn't pick Tokarski (pictured courtesy Sportsnet.ca) to make the team, thought he struggled against the U.S.A and Russia and would have started Chet Pickard in the gold medal game. But really this kind of stuff isn't new for the Watson, Saskatchewan netminder. He wasn't drafted by a WHL team, yet has a AAA midget national championship, a Memorial Cup (for which he was named MVP) and now a WJC gold medal to his credit. He's a 5th round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008 who just signed a contract with the Bolts over the Christmas season and will head back to Spokane of the WHL with a little more jump in his step. Cody Hodgson and Jordan Eberle were drafted 12 spots apart last June, but both the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers appear to have a lot to look forward to with both players. Hodgson was Canada's best all around player, and seems to have few flaws in his game. Eberle has the nose for the net that the Oilers have been craving for years. The question is will both players be able to continue their brilliance at the next level? I'm betting yes, especially after Hodgson came close to making the Canucks this year.
John Tavares has pulled ahead of Victor Hedman in the race to the podium in Montreal this June, but Hedman was obviously not 100 per cent health wise, and could still edge Tavares as the #1 pick this summer, it all depends who's drafting. The kid I'm really excited about is the other Swede, Magnus Svensson Paajarvi. Speed to burn, a big body (who wears Peter Forsberg's #21) and the confidence to go with it. Jordan Schroeder of the United States, Evander Kane and Ryan Ellis of Canada also upped their draft stock big time with great tournaments. And if any team is in the market for a 19 year old undrafted goaltender who never gives up, Slovakian pipeman Jaroslav Janus is your man. Back to back 46 save outings led to a massive upset of the States and almost beating Sweden in the semi-final. Janus plays for Erie of the OHL and was the Otters MVP last season.
Will James Van Reimsdyk pull a Kyle Okposo and leave the University of New Hampshire for the NHL after this tournement? Okposo said good bye to the Minnesota Golden Gophers after last year's touranment and joined the New York Islanders. The 2nd overall pick from 2007 certainly looks ready to turn pro and after 3 WJC tournaments the Flyers might be tempted to throw them in their line up with all the injury problems they're having right now. He has spent the same amount of time in college that Okposo did before bolting. For all those dynasty haters out there who think it would have been better for the tournament if Canada hadn't won a 5th in a row. Give your head a shake. Yes Canada has won 5 straight for a 2nd time in tournament history, but it's not like it's been a cakewalk. 2 years ago they needed a shoot out win just to make the gold medal game, last year it was a golden goal from Matt Halischuk in overtime against Sweden, and of course we would be wrapping up this year's tournament very differently had Jordan Eberle waited 5.4 seconds before tying things against Russia in the semi-final this year. Let's not forget about the 7 year gold medal drought that Canada went through from 1998-2004.
Lastly, just a tip of the cap to Peter Loubardias of Rogers Sportsnet for making back to back impressive predictions. Last year the voice of the Flames on Sportsnet told TPS that Matt Halischuk would score a big goal for Canada. This year when pressed for another gaze into the future, Peter told us that Cody Hodgson would lead Canada in scoring. With Hodgson's empty net goal against Sweden, he ended up leading the entire Tournament in scoring. You can hear both predictions at our website here.
Everyone has been talking about all the blowouts happening at the World Junior Hockey Championship. The 2 most popular solutions so far have been scaling back the teams from 10 to 8, or limiting the goal differential to 5 or 7 max. I'm not a big fan of blow outs, but I'm not a huge fan of only scaling back the amount of games either. As for the goal differential solution, I think once a team gets up by the max, they start letting up, and that's when bad habits and injuries come into play.
One solution I hadn't heard until our show tonight was from Sam Cosentino of Rogers Sportsnet. Sam thinks maybe the big 4 nations should send more than one team. The way I understand it is, Canada, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.A would send an A and B team. The A team would play in the top pool with teams like Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia or Switzerland depending on the year. The 2nd pool would have the 4 B teams along with countries like Latvia, Kazakhstan, France etc. But to make this work, teams should have to play in November to try and qualify for the top pool, that way the team that qualifies is the team that participates, instead of qualifying the year before and losing most of the older and better players.
It's an idea I really like, but I'm not sure if the big 4 as they are will want to spend money to send 2 teams to the event, especially with the U-17 and U 18 tournaments going on as well.
One thing is for sure, something has to be worked out, because I don't see a ton of development for a country like Kazakhstan when they get outscored 36-0 in 3 games by Canada, U.S.A and Germany.
As we get set to watch possible classic match up between Canada and the U.S.A at the World Junior Championship, I thought I would share my top 5 favorite moments from one of the best events around.
5. John Tavares Goal vs. Finland 2009 We don't have to go very far to find this one.
Against Slovakia in pre tournament action this year, Tavares morphed into his Uncle John Tavares the lacrosse legend. It's simply amazing that Tavares not only had the sense to bat the puck after he missed on the first attempt, but that he batted it back in front so he could put it in. John Tavares will score a lot of goals as a pro as he's deadly 12 feet in, but there might not be a better goal off his stick than this one.
4. Canada Vs. Slovakia 1999 This game is on my list because it was the first and so far only Canadian game I have seen live, and the goalie in me loved it. Roberto Luongo started for Canada and an unknown Jan Lasak was opposite him for the Slovaks. Neither goaltender disappointed the sold out crowd at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. Time after time the pipemen made spectacular saves as the game ended 0-0. Of course Luongo has gone onto become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, while Lasak later that year in June was snagged by Nashville in the 2nd round. He would play only 6 NHL games before heading to the Czech Republic where he's been the main man for Pardubice HC for the last 5 seasons. But for one day in the land of Wheat Kings, Lasak was equal to the great Roberto Luongo and team Canada, and would eventually lead his country to a bronze medal.
3. 2007 Semi-Final Shoot Out Canada Vs. U.S.A, 3 years after the Americans upset Canada for gold in the final, the two countries met with a spot in the 2007 final on the line in Sweden. Nothing was settled in 60 minutes or overtime so a showdown was needed. But not just any showdown, one that was so filled with drama, they could make an opera out of it. The 3 stars of hte show were Peter Mueller of the States, Carey Price of Canada and Jonathan Toews, also wearing the Maple Leaf. Toews was selected to shoot 3 times, and incredibly was perfect each time. Mueller was also tapped 3 times. The then Everret Silvertip scored his first 2 times in on his WHL opponent Carey Price, but the Tri City tender stopped Mueller on his final shot to send Canada to the Gold Medal game where they knocked off Russia for their 4th straight championship. To relive the entire shoot out, click below.
2. Punch Up At Piestany 1987For your viewing pleasure, courtesy of you tube.
Canada needed to beat the Soviets to win gold. A win by less than 5 would earn them silver, and a loss still left them with bronze. The Canadians were up 4-2 in the second when all hell broke loose, as you can see on the video. In a conversation I had with Theoren Fleury one time he told me when the lights went out, everyone was swinging and hoping it was an opponent. Both teams were disqualified from a medal, however the next year, a Theoren Fleury led team won gold over the Soviets. This is my most vivid memory and I think when I started watching the tournament.
1. John Slaney Game WinnerThe 1991 tournament was held in Saskatoon and there was no shortage of star power. Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure and Doug Weight represented their countries, but it was John Slaney from St. John's Newfoundland who played the role of hero. Canada needed to beat the Soviets in their final game to win it's second straight gold. The Soviets just needed a tie to claim gold. Skip to the 3rd, the game was tied at 2, when Slaney, a 1st round pick of the Washington Capitals, send a shot from the point that somehow found it's way home and Canada won on home soil for the first time. they have since won 2 more times in Canada, with hopes of another this year in Ottawa. I'm thinking Slaney should be the honourary chairmen for next year's event when it heads back to Saskatoon.
We all love this event, so what is your top 5 moments?
Well that was interesting wasn't it. Canada demolished the Czech Republic in their tournament opener. The official game sheet can be found here.
An 8-1 thrashing against a country that should be a threat to stand on the podium makes me scared for Kazakhstan on Sunday. While Canada looked out of sorts and nervous for the first half of the first period, a fantastic shift from Patrice Cormier, where he hit everything in sight, turned the tide in favor of the host country and they never looked back. John Tavares, Ryan Ellis and Jordan Eberle were Canada's 3 best offensive players in my opinion, as they were all buzzing, but even still, Canada could be better if NHL teams would have lent a few players to the squad. What's better, struggling on a bad team in the NHL or boosting confidence while winning against your peers? With that here my 5 players in no particular order that should be wearing the maple leaf in our nation's capital. 5. Josh Bailey-New York Islanders Is it because Islanders G.M. Garth Snow is American and he didn't want to help team Canada? Conspiracy theorists can chew on that all day, but there's no chance Snow is that kind of person. But I do wonder why he decided to keep Bailey on the sinking Island. As of Friday, New York was dead last in the entire league. Sending Bailey to Ottawa might have given Snow a chance to see him play with the man he might get to draft first overall in June, John Tavares. Instead he's hanging out with aging vets and just tonight found his his first NHL goal in 22 games. He is playing more than 15 minutes a night, but is -5 and could probably return from the World Juniors with more confidence than he probably has right now. 4. Kyle Turris-Phoenix Kyle Turris told me this week he hadn't heard any rumors of him being loaned to Team Canada. I find it a little hard to believe but they are in the desert where hockey barely has a pulse so you never know. Turris has just 6 points in his last 14 games, and is -4 over that stretch. On Tuesday he played was out for just 12 shifts and played less than 10 minutes. I know the ex-Jets are currently in a playoff position right now, but do those numbers make you think Turris is a big part of the club right now? 3. Brandon Sutter-Carolina He would likely be the captain for team Canada, how could that be bad for his development. Yes the Canes like the Coyotes are in a playoff position right now, but Sutter is averaging 10 minutes a night, and 15 times in his last 20 games has played less than 10. Since returning from a concussion, Sutter has just 1 point in 20 games. Sure he's not going to be an 80 point guy, but one point, you're telling me lighting up a few international rivals with big hits, and big goals wouldn't make Sutter a different player in the second half of the season? 2. Colton Gillies-Minnesota Unlike some of the guys on this list, Colton Gillies has a point in his last 5 games, unfortunately those 5 games have come in a span of 25 days meaning Gillies is spending a lot of time on pop corn duty as a healthy scratch in Minnesota. He can't play in the AHL because of his age, but he could play as a 19 year old for Canada and he should be, instead of watching the Wild and averaging 8:37 per game when he does see the ice. 1. Steven Stamkos-Tampa BayYes he was the first overall pick, and yes the Lightning promoted him like a presidential candidate with their "Seen Stamkos" campaign, but they only thing outsiders are seeing is a young kid in a bad situation with the bolts. From their early season struggles (2nd last in the league as of Friday) to Barry Melrose getting fired and publicly commenting that he isn't ready to play in the NHL. It's hard to argue with Melrose when you see Stamkos' numbers. 13 points in 34 games and a -11 rating. 2 games ago he played less than 8 minutes on only 10 shifts, the 2nd lowest of the season. What does Tampa need him for right now? Again like the Islanders it might give them a chance to see his chemistry with Tavares as they prepare for this June's draft in Montreal.
More and more in the NHL young players are being rushed because of the cap. I think in some cases it's okay, even with some of the players above, but what's wrong with giving them a 3 week vacation from depressionville and allow them to experience winning with their country. Some teams have done that as the Blue Jackets allowed Nikita Filatov to play for Russia and the Kings did the same with Oscar Moller for team Sweden, we'll see how these players respond when they return to the NHL. If it benefits them, then maybe some other clubs will take notice.
The 2009 World Junior Championship gets underway today with 4 games, unfortunately not all are televised and those that are may or may not be available to YOU depending on where you live. I know the USA games are being carried by the NHL Network south of the border but up here at the same time we get to watch documetaries instead of actual games. Go figure.
Anyway, I decided to throw together a list of players who I have an interest in following in this year's tournament. Some on the list will be players you've heard of, some won't be. I've seen several lists from the mainstream media this week proclaiming John Tavares and Victor Hedman as "players of note" to which I say "Um... gee, thanks?"
Dean and I were proclaiming those two as players to watch LAST YEAR. It doesn't take a genius to point out that the top two rated players for 2009 are "players of note".
With that said, here's who I'm watching for this year.
Andrej Nestrasil (CZE) - He's playing in Victoriaville (QMJHL) and leads his team in scoring with 30 points in 36 games. He's only got 10 goals so far but still, he's a 6'2 195 lb 17-year-old that is enjoying a lot of success in North America already. Central Scouting and ISS consider him one of the top 2 or 3 draft eligible players from the Q but I haven't seen anyone listing him in the top 20 yet... and I'm wondering why not.
Tomas Vincour (CZE) - I see him a lot here in Edmonton but like Robin Figren last year, the Oil Kings aren't exactly top heavy when it comes to skill. I want to see what Vincour does when he's surrounded by it at the WJC. He was considered a first rounder in the summer but now seems to be appearing in the second round on most lists I've seen. A strong tournament might turn that around for him. (photo courtesy Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings)
Juha Metsola (FIN) - Frankly I'm surprised that he's not property of a NHL team already and that he was passed over twice in the NHL draft. I can understand it in his draft year because he barely played but last year he was very good for Lethbridge especially in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. He's not big but he's capable of making those spectacular athletic saves like he did against Canada in their exhibition tune up game last week. (not sure if this link will work but try here).
Harri Sateri (FIN) - If Metsola doesn't start then I assume that job will fall to the San Jose Sharks prospect. Sateri is the anti-Metsola... much bigger and more of the stereotypical technical goalie. For some reason he dropped all the way to the 4th round last year. Maybe there is a reason or maybe it was good fortune for San Jose?
Teemu Hartikainen (FIN) - "Poor man's Thomas Holmstrom", that's how Oiler scouts described him to me after the draft. That's setting the bar pretty high though so it will be interesting to see if that comparison makes any sense after watching Hartikainen play with the best in the world in his age group. He's having a decent year in the top finnish league though.
Vitaly Karamnov (RUS) - He was considered a 1st round talent in 2007 but was passed over by NHL teams because he apparently had no interest in playing in North America. Oddly enough, two months later he was skating for the Everett Silvertips. Karamnov didn't get drafted again though in 2008, one NHL exec told me that "there was no progress in his development" during his WHL season. Karamnov went back to Russia and is now playing a small role with Moscow Dynamo in the KHL. (photo courtesy Everett Silvertips)
Sweden (SWE) - Honestly... with so many 2009 eligible players on the team as well as already drafted guys like Jacob Markstrom, Erik Karlsson and Mikael Backlund to check out, Sweden's games will be Must-See-TV.
Danny Kristo (USA) - He's the second youngest American in the tournament (and Schroeder is an obvious viewing target too) but his play at the 2008 WJAC in Camrose has me wanting to see Kristo on this bigger stage. He's already drafted (MTL, 2nd Round in 2008) and will head to North Dakota next year but, like with Vincour, I want to see him perform when he's surrounded by players who are as good or better than him.
The rest of the USA squad and Canadian team are packed full of intriguing players but most of them have already received the appropriate level of hype so I'll pass on adding to it.
One thing Dean pointed out to me about the USA team that I find really interesting: When was the last time that both goalies and the team captain were CHL players? With Thomas McCollum(Guelph) and Josh Unice(Kitchener) in net and Jonathon Blum (Vancouver) wearing the C... it's hard to make an argument this year that CHL players were victims of conspiracy. There are a total of 8 CHL players on the team compared to one NCAA player on the Canadian side (Cody Goloubef).
Goalies I'm watching for: Metsola/Sateri (FIN), Timo Pielmeier (GER), Jacob Markstrom (SWE). The team that wins the gold usually receives the best goaltending but although I've predicted Canada to place on top and I'm on record saying Dustin Tokarski and Chet Pickard are stellar goalies... I won't be suprised if one of the above gets some press over the next few weeks.
Hockey Canada released its final roster for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship this morning and all I can say is that there is more on the line now for the selection group than simply winning a gold medal.
Every year there are surprises both in who does and doesn't make the team. This time around there aren't just one or two names that jump off the sheet at me but several.
1) The first name that caught my eye as I read the release (which you can see here) is Keith Aulie. Not a guy who appeared on any prediction list I saw and was not considered a legit candidate to some knowledgeable people we spoke with either like Peter Loubardias last week on the show. I can only assume that his 6'6 frame is a large reason, pardon the pun, for his inclusion on this roster but everyone I've talked to about him has described Aulie as a big guy who plays like he's 6'. He's apparently a really nice guy though.
2) Cody Goloubefis an interesting addition and not that he's not deserving but both Dean and I thoguht that Brendan Smith and Patrick Wiercioch had better chances. The Wisconsin Badger that made the team (Goloubef and Smith are teammates) is smaller, younger and has less points than the one that was cut so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out. I certainly had Smith ahead of Goloubef on my list and I believe Dean did too. Wiercioch is scoring at a point-per-game pace...
3) Hockey Canada's choice to go with 8 defencemen is very interesting too. It's the first time ever that Canada has veered away from the 13-7-2 format and I'm a bit surprised that they've done it here. By doing so they run a huge risk should a forward get injured during the tournament plus, simply having an extra blueliner meant cutting a forward at the expense of a young but potentially offensive catalyst like Taylor Hall, Matt Duchene or Brayden Schenn. Apparently this was a decision centering around the wish to limit Ryan Ellis(pictured left)to a power play role and to protect the youngster from being exposed should an injury come to the top 6 on the back end. Apparently injuries up front aren't much of a concern. Both Dean and I had Ellis on our projected teams last week so we're not arguing his inclusion but rather the decision to go with 8 defenders raised our eyebrows a bit.
4) I theorized last week that this year's entry might be void of players from the QMJHL. To my suprise, all three forwards who were invited actually made the final team (although goalie Jake Allenand defender Kevin Marshall were sacked). Patrice Cormier, Chris Didomenicoand even Angelo Espositoall make the grade and while I thought one might make it (I picked Didomenico) I as surprised all three are here. It sounds like Esposito's shootout skills helped his cause and really, even though all reports suggest he fully eanred his way onto the team, you know people will speculate Hockey Canada simply didn't want to cut a guy for the 4th year in a row.
5) The fact that there are 3 Q-League players on the team is a suprise (for me at least) and comes at the expense of the NCAA players who were trying out. I completely expected the number of collegians to exceed the QMJHLers but with only Goloubef making the squad... wrong again! Riley Nash (pictured) had 3 points in the exhibition games but that wasn't enough. I expected a talented center with size who could play a 2-way role would be something Hockey Canada would desire considering their general lack of forward size. Nash will be a guest on The Pipeline Show on Tuesday night and we'll find out what he was told after getting the bad news.
6) Lastly, the list of talented forwards who didn't make the team is a pretty impressive array of names. It's true that every year Canada could send two medal contending teams to the WJC so it's not a shock that talented players were cut. Still, to see names like Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Brayden Schenn, Riley Nash and Nazem Kadrion the outside looking in... it's a little suprising. Working against those players (outside of Nash) must be their age; all will still be eligible for the 2010 and 2011 WJC tournaments and should be considered as shoe-ins for them.
So with the final roster set all that is left to speculate on are possible line combinations. Dean and I scibbled down some thoughts as to what our forward lines would look like and, although not perfect in the bottom six we think our top 6 is dynamite.
Team Canada forward lines according to TPS:
Jamie Benn - John Tavares - Brett Sonne Zack Boychuk - Cody Hodgson - Jordan Eberle Patrice Cormier - Angelo Esposito - Stefan Della Rovere Dana Tyrell - Chris Didomenico - Tyler Ennis
I thought about playing the 3 QMJHL guys together but as Dean pointed out, that would leave a very small 4th line. Perhaps having Cormier centering Tyrell and Della Rovere would make for an interesting bang & crash line...
EDIT: Thanks to some comments from readers, here's another crack at potential line combos...
Jamie Benn - John Tavares - Chris Didomenico Zack Boychuk - Cody Hodgson - Jordan Eberle Dana Tyrell - Patrice Cormier - Stefan Della Rovere Brett Sonne - Angelo Esposito - Tyler Ennis
Lots of potential with this line up even though it's much different than the ones that Dean and I proposed last week.
Dean and I have assembled our pre-selection camp rosters for the Canadian entry at the 2009 World Junior Championships and after going through plenty of erasers sheets of paper, we're ready to reveal our predictions.
First off, 2 caveats: no injuries and no help from the NHL... so if Colton Gillies does indeed get loaned to the cause by the Minnesota Wild, well you'll have to excuse us for not taking that into account for now. We made our picks based on the 38 names invited by Hockey Canada to try out for the team and that's it.
Millard's Team Canada and Flaming's Team Canada
Goalies Starter: Pickard - Tokarski Back Up: Allen - Pickard
All in all, Dean and I have pretty similar teams; in hindsight I like his choices on the blueline better than mine. I had a hard time cutting both Teubert and Wiercioch but I think the latter will have his time next year and with the big bruising Pats rearguard... it might sound hypocritical coming from a guy who wanted Kyle Beach on the team but Teubert's 72 PIM's were a concern for me.
Up front I chose Didomenico over Della Rovere but can't say I'd be surprised if I was wrong. I took young Taylor Hall over Brett Sonne, the leading scorer in the WHL which looks really odd to me now. However, Hall is the OHL leading scorer so it's a trade off for me. Hall has the experience with Hockey Canada and for me, starts the tournaemnt much like Sam Gagner in 2007... as the extra.
Step up and "Pipe Up!"... put your 20 skaters and 2 goalies in the comments and we'll see how smart everybody is.
Thanks to the weather in Edmonton yesterday, it might have been the smallest crowd at an Oil Kings game I've seen since thier re-birth. It was announced at 3382 but if there were more than 1000 people there I'd be surprised.
Small crowd for the Oil kings but it was definitely the biggest crowd The Pipeline Show has ever had as Dean and I were on location for the first time in our 4 season run.
Hitting the air from the bowels of Rexall Place enabled us to get some postgame interviews so we took advantage of that bu grabbing injured forward Tomas Vincour. We spoke with the Czech forward about his current season, the upcoming NHL draft and also the 2009 World Junior Championship for which he's likely to play a key role on his national team.
Forward Jeff Leehad the Gordie Howe hat-trick last night and was named first star. We spoke with him about the Oil Kings season, the playoff hunt, his transition from the NCAA to the WHL and a lot more.
Head coach Steve Pleaualso stopped by and we had a pretty good discussion about his team and their growth from last year, some key players and where he sees the club in a couple of eyars from now.
From there we changed gears and dove into our World Junior coverage as December is largely WJC Month on TPS.
We wanted to take a closer look at the American entry so called up one of our key NCAA contributors, Jim Connollyfrom USCHO.com and he gave us the rundown on Team USA. We spoke about the omissions of guys like John Carlson, Nick Petreckiand Colin Longbut also on the list of players who did make the cut.
Jim also spoke at length about Air Forceand the bum rap they've gotten in the National Polls this season. Conference realignment also came up.
Of course we played Bad Ass Trivia as well. Finally it was an extended 2-part interview with one of our favorite guests. Peter Loubardias from Rogers Sportsnet helped us dissect Team Canada's 38-player tryout roster starting with those who didn't get an invite; Kyle Beach, Jared Cowan, MikeMurphy and Logan Couture. We ended the program with WJC podium predictions from Dean, Peter and myself.
All of those interviews are available via podcast/RSS feed so if you missed it live, click our archive.
In the next day or so Dean and I will post our 22-man Canadian rosters.
One other item... TPS told you back on November 7th that J.F. Jacques was about "6 weeks away". Yesterday, Dean updated everyone again with the news that Jacques was skating on the weekend and that the Oilers are looking expecting he'll be ready to go in January. "He's looking good" an Oiler source told Dean yesterday.
Now that the rosters or camp lists for several of the international WJC teams have been released we can see that Edmonton will be well represented in Ottawa.
Canada's 38-name camp includes Oiler prospects Riley Nash(1st round, 2007) and Jordan Eberle(1st round, 2008). Eberle leads the Regina Pats in scoring with 20 goals and 39 points in 31 games while Nash's season is only 8 games he has managed 5 points. Both have realistic chances to make the squad considering Eberle's previous successes with Hockey Canada and his past chemistry with players like Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene. Nash had a solid summer camp once he was moved from the wing to his more familiar centerman role and could make for a strong 2-way pivot. Beyond those two players are a couple of WHL stars that originate from around here in Tyler Ennis(BUF 1st round, 2008) and defenceman Jared Spurgeon(NYI 6th round, 2008). Ennis is the top scorer with the Medicine Hat Tigers and despite his tiny frame, doesn't have any trouble producing at the junior level. Spurgeon, the younger brother of Oilers prospect Tyler Spurgeon, is a small two-way defenceman who might be considered a longshot to make this year's Canadian entry.
The U.S. team has no direct ties to Edmonton although one name on the roster might ring a bell with local fans. Danny Kristo(MTL 2nd round, 2008) was a standout for the Americans at the recent 2008 World Junior A Challenge held in Camrose in early November. He was to the U.S. squad in that tournament what Ales Hemsky is to the Oilers - the playmaker who will do laps in the offensive zone, sifting through defenders with the puck on a string until he can either make a dazzling assist or snipe a goal himself. He's young and might not get much playing time in 2009 but he'll be one to watch for all the same.
Although the Oilers were expecting to see their eligible Swedish prospect Johan Motinat the WJC, he didn't make the final roster. However, Slovakia has included Milan Kytnar(5th round, 2007) on their camp roster which will be held in Ottawa in mid December. Kytnar (pictured left) was red-hot to start the year, cooled down significantly for a stretch but currently has 24 points in 30 games with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. He managed only 22 points in Kelowna last year in 62 games.
Even the Czech Republic will have a familiar name to Edmonton hockey fans as Tomas Vincour has been invited to the week-long camp that country is having in Brampton, Ontario later this month. Vincour started the year slowly but the 2009 eligible winger has been a force for the Oil Kings over the last month or so and should be a lock to make the Czech squad. Vincour will join Dean Millard and myself on this coming Tuesday's edition of The Pipeline Show to talk about the opportunnity to play for his homeland at the WJC.
Lastly, I haven't yet seen an official list released from Finland but all indications I've gotten on the subject suggest that Oilers prospect Teemu Hartikainen (6th round, 2008) will be in Ottawa as well. The power forward has been playing in the top Finnish men's league all season and has managed to collect 5 goals and 6 points in 26 games for KalPa Kuopio. An Oiler source suggested to TPS after the draft that Hartikainen was a Tomas Holmstrom type of player; a big body who likes to battle in front of the net, get tip in goals are collected rebounds. Going by the photo below taken in August at Lake Placid, I'd say the desciption seems to fit.
Compared to some years when the tournament has been void of either Oiler prospects or players from this area, the 2009 event should be much more interesting for fans to watch. The addition of the Edmonton Oil Kings will only add to that from now on and perhaps there will be some benefit to tickets sales post-WJC for the local WHL club too. Once Tomas Vincour gets on the world stage, it will be interesting to see if local fans take more interest in the second year franchise realizing exactly what has been available to them for the past 18 months.
It's the second year in a row that the Oil Kings will be represented after forward Robin Figren (NYI) turned heads in Prague last year.
Plus one can only speculate but perhaps an 2009 draft eligible player in the tournament will hear his name called out be the Oilers this June in Montreal.
(photo credits: the WHL, the Saskatoon Blades, the Edmonton Journal, Getty Images)
Hockey Canada revealed the 38-name list of players who will be trying out for the 2009 World Junior squad that seeks the nation's 5th consecutive gold medal. You can find the official release here.
Dean and I discussed the list earlier today, each of us seeing a couple of areas where players we would have invited were not and also a couple of interesting additions that caught us a bit by surprise.
The four goalies invited are the same four who were involved in the summer sessions - Dustin Tokarski, Chet Pickard, Jake Allen and Tyson Sexsmith. Hard to say that any of the four don't deserve the recognition to be invited but my first thought was that Mike Murphy probably deserved to be there too. You can only invite four but Murphy has the best stats in the entire OHL with a .944 save percentage and as of this minute, with a 1.98 GAA he's one of only three starting goalies in the CHL with a sub-2.00 GAA (Interesting to note that the other two also didn't get an invite).
Murphy would have been on my invite list, probably at the expense of Tyson Sexsmith, but right now Tokarski and Pickard are my two goalies so in the end it doesn;t change the final roster for me. On the blueline it was Millard that pointed out right away that 2009 eligible Jared Cowen, a consensus top-4 pick, is not on the list. Ryan Ellis is thanks to a blazing hot offensive start to the season, but the top North American defensive defenceman in the draft didn't even garner an invite to camp. Cowen's Spokane teammate Jared Spurgeon got a nod but at 5'8 he's not a defensive force and with just 12 points it's not like Spurgeon is racking up the numbers. I would have taken Cowen (pictured) ahead of Spurgeon but I assume that with Keith Aulie, Tyler Myers, Colten Teubert and Patrik Wiercioch all filling the rough-and-tough job description, Hockey Canada felt they had it covered. Cowen is only 17 so you know his time will come very soon.
I am a fan of the choice to invite Denver Pioneers rearguard Patrick Wiercioch who has 13 points in 13 NCAA games this year. He was drafted by Ottawa in the 2nd round last June but I get the impression that everyone is very much pleasantly surprised at how far he's developed in a very short time. It will be interesting to see how he matches up at the short camp - a darkhorse for now but an interesting one to watch for.
Up front the first name both Dean and I looked for we couldn't find and both of us just snickered a bit that once again, Kyle Beach doesn't rate an invite from Hockey Canada. I guess the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge isn't as big of a deal as most thought because clearly his game winning marker in game 6 didn't help his cause and more than his 22 points in 22 WHL games this year.
The Pipeline Show officially gives Hockey Canada two thumbs down for not inviting Beach to the tryout camp (not that you have to put him on the final roster, but just an invite). Had Dean been writing this blog entry, it may have not have been thumbs that were used to signify our opinion. Suffice to say, Millard's going to rant about this one on Tuesday's show!
Dean, a well known Brandon Wheat Kings supporter, said he found it a bit interesting that both Matt Calvert and Brayden Schenn were invited yet Scott Glennie was not despite having outperformed his two teammates for most of the year. Glennie leads the Wheaties with 32 points, a slight lead over Schenn.
All eyes on Angelo Esposito who is back for yet another kick at the can; is this finally the year he makes the team? It's his last chance but Dean and I differ on our prediction here - Millard votes 'Yay' but I can't see who he beats out so it's a 'Nay' for me.
Patrice Cormier gets a ticket to camp yet might not even be the best player on his team - Oiler prospect Philippe Cornet leads Rimouski in scoring by a fair margin while Cormier is in third. Obviously being here in Edmonton The Pipeline Show is pleased to see both Jordan Eberle (pictured) and Riley Nash on the list. Back on November 23rd Jim Matheson wrote in the Edmonton Journal:
"Word is Oilers first-round draft Jordan Eberle, even if he has 18 goals with the Regina Pats, will need two strong games in the Western Hockey League vs. Russia Selects series this week to ensure an invite to the national junior camp. Riley Nash, who has played almost no games at Cornell University, will be scouted against U of North Dakota shortly. If he doesn't light it up, he probably won't get an invite."
Eberle did shine against the Russians and Nash also played well against North Dakota. I tend to think both can be solid additions in different roles - Eberle as a scoring winger and Nash as a 3rd line center who could play more of a defensive role than he is asked to at Cornell.
The name that jumped out at me from the list that did make it was Stefan Della Rovere, a winger with the Barrie Colts with stats that don't blow you away but appears to be in the mold of a Jordan Tootoo (Dean's suggestion) as someone the team has invited to play a specific checking role.
Camp gets underway on December 11th and concludes on the 15th. Join us on December 9th and the 16th for our pre and post-camp coverage. (photos courtesy: Spokane Chiefs, the WHL, Regina Pats, the NHL, TSN, CP)
On Monday afternoon Sweden released their 21-player roster for the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa and with that in mind here are 5 players I'll be watching with varying degrees of interest.
5. Victor Hedman (D) 6'6, 220 lbs - Modo (SEL) He's ranked #1 by both ISS and Redline Report for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He's 17-years-old and is already in his second season with Modo in Sweden's top men's league. Pundits and publications are saying he's the next Chris Pronger; a guaranteed franchise player. So why is he 5th on my list?
It's certainly not because I think he's any less than the budding superstar that those in the know have been envisioning for the last couple of years. I will be watching him for sure, but how much debate can there be on a player so roundly applauded? I have yet to have a single scout tell me that they have any concerns about him. Not one.
I'll be watching but I don't think there's much left to discover with Hedman - he's already the next big blueliner.
4. Erik Karlsson (D) 5.11, 163 lbs - Frölunda (SEL)
He's not big but he garnered so much hype in the weeks leading up to the draft (post U18) that quite frankly, I want to see if he lives up to the billing he was given. He's in the SEL but his stats suggest he's either struggling or not playing much of a role (3 points in 22 games) but the Senators drafted him 15th overall in 2008 because of his supposed offensive upside. He did have 7 points in 6 games at last year's WJC in Prague but I'm interested in seeing if he can rediscover that offensive flair after being held off the scoresheet so much with the men. I bet he can.
3. Jacob Markström (G) 6'4, 185 lbs - Brynäs (SEL) I'm really intrigued by this goalie. He's got terrific size, his 2.37 GAA and .918 save percentage in 19 Elite League games this year suggest an 18-year-old worth paying a great deal of attention to. The Florida Panthers drafted him 31st overall in 2008 and I know for a fact that the Edmonton Oilers had him ranked much higher than that on their list.
On a strictly immature and personal level... I drafted him in my fantasy league with the 31st pick as well so call this a scouting mission of my own.
2. Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi (LW) 6'1, 198 lbs - Timrå (SEL)
He's the second highest rated Swede for the 2009 NHL Draft but I think there is some debate about how high he will end up in the rankings. Most I've spoken with so far consider Hedman-Tavares then Cowan-Duchene the almost automatic top 4 but others suggest that a strong performance in Ottawa could get MSP some attention.
Like Hedman, Svensson-Pääjärvi was a 16-year-old playing in the U20 WJC for Sweden in Prague. He only had a couple of points there but he also had three in the SEL (as a 16-year-old) last year as well. How's he doing? Let's just say that dude has some skills. Here's a clip from this past September:
1. Mikael Backlund (F) 6', 198 lbs - Västerås (SEL) He got a long look from the Calgary Flames at training camp but didn't do enough in pre-season to stick with the NHL club. Back in Sweden, Backlund plays for Västerås in the Allsvenskan, the league below the SEL where his club team was relegated to a couple of years ago. There he has 7 points in 14 games, slightly ahead of the pace he set last year when he scored 13 points in 37 games at the same level.
The Oilers took some flak for taking Riley Nash when they traded up in 2007, some of that criticism at the time was from me; I'm 3 for 4 with Oiler 1st round picks in the last couple of years during the TEAM 1260's draft coverage... but I predicted Backlund when the Oilers made their move up in 2007. Since then I've kept waiting for Backlund to prove me right and the Oilers wrong but frankly his stats don't scream 'NHL stud' like yoou would expect a player of his hype to have.
He had 7 points in Prague at the 2008 WJC and he should be Sweden's top guy in Ottawa this time around. He turns 20 next March and if Västerås appears headed for another Allsvenskan seeding in 2009-10, I would assume this is a player that the Flames would like to add to their organization at either the NHL or AHL level. I'm looking at this tournament as a way to gauge whether he should be Calgary bound or headed to Quad City.
The Swedes will have a strong team, there is little doubt of that. Peter Loubardias, a good friend of The Pipeline Show, suggested to me that Sweden will be exceptional in Ottawa but perhaps even better in 2010. Aside from the five names I have already mentioned, the 2009 roster is packed with players of interest; Mattias Tedenby (NYR), Simon Hjalmarsson (STL), David Ullstrom (NYI) and Joakim Andersson (DET) included. Canadians are proud of our hockey history and tradition but sometimes I think we get a little caught up with being the dominant nation on the planet when it comes to sticks and pucks. Sweden has a pretty established record of its own with some individual hi-lights that still stand the test of time today; MarkusNaslundstill holds the record for most goals scored by a single player in the tournament with 13 back in 1993 while Peter Forsbergis the king when it comes to most assists (24) and points (31) done that same year. Defenceman Peter Anderssonholds the record for defensive scoring in a single tournament with 14, set in 1985.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Swedes will be worth watching as they look to get revenge on Canada for the result of the 2008 Final game.
Final Note: It eluded me when I looked over the roster last night but... Oilers prospect Johan Motin is not on the list. He's in his 3rd year in the SEL but apparently isn't good enough for the WJC. That's not a good thing.
Washington 1st rounder, Anton Gustafsson is also a noticeable absentee. He was taken 21st overall in 2008 but has 4 points in 10 games in the Allsvenskan league. I assume he's either hurt or just really, really struggling.
The winner of the 2010 World Junior Championship will be decided on January 5th in Saskatoon but it will be hard to match the drama that unfolded the last time 'Toon Town' hosted the event. Back in the days when it was only a round robin tournament, Canada won their first gold medal on home soil thanks to a late third period goal from a most unlikely source.
This picture sums it all up for me as I try to imagine the thoughts going through Filatov's head as he lays on the ice. Is he thinking about his failed clearing attempt with 20 seconds to go? Is he wondering, like Gretzky in 1998, how he doesn't get a chance in the shootout? I wonder....
The question is will both players be able to continue their brilliance at the next level? I'm betting yes, especially after Hodgson came close to making the Canucks this year.
Last year the voice of the Flames on Sportsnet told TPS that Matt Halischuk would score a big goal for Canada. This year when pressed for another gaze into the future, Peter told us that Cody Hodgson would lead Canada in scoring. With Hodgson's empty net goal against Sweden, he ended up leading the entire Tournament in scoring. You can hear both predictions at our website here.
Jan Lasak was opposite him for the Slovaks. Neither goaltender disappointed the sold out crowd at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. Time after time the pipemen made spectacular saves as the game ended 0-0. Of course Luongo has gone onto become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, while Lasak later that year in June was snagged by Nashville in the 2nd round. He would play only 6 NHL games before heading to the Czech Republic where he's been the main man for Pardubice HC for the last 5 seasons. But for one day in the land of Wheat Kings, Lasak was equal to the great Roberto Luongo and team Canada, and would eventually lead his country to a bronze medal.
Canada needed to beat the Soviets in their final game to win it's second straight gold. The Soviets just needed a tie to claim gold. Skip to the 3rd, the game was tied at 2, when Slaney, a 1st round pick of the Washington Capitals, send a shot from the point that somehow found it's way home and Canada won on home soil for the first time. they have since won 2 more times in Canada, with hopes of another this year in Ottawa. I'm thinking Slaney should be the honourary chairmen for next year's event when it heads back to Saskatoon.
The 2009 World Junior Championship gets underway today with 4 games, unfortunately not all are televised and those that are may or may not be available to YOU depending on where you live. I know the USA games are being carried by the NHL Network south of the border but up here at the same time we get to watch documetaries instead of actual games. Go figure.
Juha Metsola (FIN) - Frankly I'm surprised that he's not property of a NHL team already and that he was passed over twice in the NHL draft. I can understand it in his draft year because he barely played but last year he was very good for Lethbridge especially in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. He's not big but he's capable of making those spectacular athletic saves like he did against Canada in their exhibition tune up game last week. (not sure if this link will work but try here).
Vitaly Karamnov (RUS) - He was considered a 1st round talent in 2007 but was passed over by NHL teams because he apparently had no interest in playing in North America. Oddly enough, two months later he was skating for the Everett Silvertips. Karamnov didn't get drafted again though in 2008, one NHL exec told me that "there was no progress in his development" during his WHL season. Karamnov went back to Russia and is now playing a small role with Moscow Dynamo in the KHL. (photo courtesy Everett Silvertips)
One thing Dean pointed out to me about the USA team that I find really interesting: When was the last time that both goalies and the team captain were CHL players? With Thomas McCollum (Guelph) and Josh Unice (Kitchener) in net and Jonathon Blum (Vancouver) wearing the C... it's hard to make an argument this year that CHL players were victims of conspiracy. There are a total of 8 CHL players on the team compared to one NCAA player on the Canadian side (Cody Goloubef).
3) Hockey Canada's choice to go with 8 defencemen is very interesting too. It's the first time ever that Canada has veered away from the 13-7-2 format and I'm a bit surprised that they've done it here. By doing so they run a huge risk should a forward get injured during the tournament plus, simply having an extra blueliner meant cutting a forward at the expense of a young but potentially offensive catalyst like Taylor Hall, Matt Duchene or Brayden Schenn. Apparently this was a decision centering around the wish to limit Ryan Ellis (pictured left)to a power play role and to protect the youngster from being exposed should an injury come to the top 6 on the back end. Apparently injuries up front aren't much of a concern. Both Dean and I had Ellis on our projected teams last week so we're not arguing his inclusion but rather the decision to go with 8 defenders raised our eyebrows a bit.
6) Lastly, the list of talented forwards who didn't make the team is a pretty impressive array of names. It's true that every year Canada could send two medal contending teams to the WJC so it's not a shock that talented players were cut. Still, to see names like Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Brayden Schenn, Riley Nash and Nazem Kadri on the outside looking in... it's a little suprising. Working against those players (outside of Nash) must be their age; all will still be eligible for the 2010 and 2011 WJC tournaments and should be considered as shoe-ins for them.
I thought about playing the 3 QMJHL guys together but as Dean pointed out, that would leave a very small 4th line. Perhaps having Cormier centering Tyrell and Della Rovere would make for an interesting bang & crash line...
We wanted to take a closer look at the American entry so called up one of our key NCAA contributors, Jim Connolly from USCHO.com and he gave us the rundown on Team USA. We spoke about the omissions of guys like John Carlson, Nick Petrecki and Colin Long but also on the list of players who did make the cut.
One other item... TPS told you back on November 7th that J.F. Jacques was about "6 weeks away". Yesterday, Dean updated everyone again with the news that Jacques was skating on the weekend and that the Oilers are looking expecting he'll be ready to go in January. "He's looking good" an Oiler source told Dean yesterday.
Even the Czech Republic will have a familiar name to Edmonton hockey fans as Tomas Vincour has been invited to the week-long camp that country is having in Brampton, Ontario later this month. Vincour started the year slowly but the 2009 eligible winger has been a force for the Oil Kings over the last month or so and should be a lock to make the Czech squad. Vincour will join Dean Millard and myself on this coming Tuesday's edition of The Pipeline Show to talk about the opportunnity to play for his homeland at the WJC.
Hockey Canada revealed the 38-name list of players who will be trying out for the 2009 World Junior squad that seeks the nation's 5th consecutive gold medal. You can find the official release here.
The Pipeline Show officially gives Hockey Canada two thumbs down for not inviting Beach to the tryout camp (not that you have to put him on the final roster, but just an invite). Had Dean been writing this blog entry, it may have not have been thumbs that were used to signify our opinion. Suffice to say, Millard's going to rant about this one on Tuesday's show!
On Monday afternoon Sweden released their 21-player roster for the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa and with that in mind here are 5 players I'll be watching with varying degrees of interest.
He's ranked #1 by both ISS and Redline Report for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He's 17-years-old and is already in his second season with Modo in Sweden's top men's league. Pundits and publications are saying he's the next Chris Pronger; a guaranteed franchise player. So why is he 5th on my list?
He got a long look from the Calgary Flames at training camp but didn't do enough in pre-season to stick with the NHL club. Back in Sweden, Backlund plays for Västerås in the Allsvenskan, the league below the SEL where his club team was relegated to a couple of years ago. There he has 7 points in 14 games, slightly ahead of the pace he set last year when he scored 13 points in 37 games at the same level.
