

14 blue liners were invited and with Ryan Murphy suffering from a concussion HC has to make sure they have someone who can run the power play as effectively as Murphy in case he can't play. That could be Nathan Beaulieu from Saint John or Jerome Gauithier-Leduc of Rimouski who leads all blue liners in QMJHL scoring with 37 points and is second only to Dougie Hamilton across the CHL. Two 2012 draft eligible rearguards were invited as Cody Ceci and Matt Dumba will try out, and for me Ceci has the better chance at making the grade.

Having said that there are a couple of big boys on the back end. Hamilton is 6.04... Jamie Oleksiak is 6.6 and a half and Alex Petrovic is almost 6.04. For me Siemens does both well. He skates like the wind and dishes out big checks and I think people make to big of a deal about the play in his own end. He would be on my team. He also doesn't lack confidence which is important during the tough sledding medal round games of this tournament. There isn't a returning rear guard on the list, but Brandon Gormley would have made last year's team if he didn't get hurt, and should be on the top shut down pairing this time around.
As for the forward group, despite losing the services of Brett Connolly, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, Ryan Johansen and Devante Smith-Pelly to the NHL there is still more talent then last year's club in my opinion.

None of the highly touted underaged players made the grade as Hunter Shinkaruk in Medicine Hat, Sean Monahan in Ottawa and Nathan McKinnon of Halifax will have to wait for next year's tournament.
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