Five interesting storylines for Team Canada ahead of the World Juniors
With puck drop just days away, Team Canada is set to return to the national stage with one goal in mind: winning the gold.
Finishing first-place 18 times in tournament history – with its most recent coming in 2020 – Canada’s road to gold at the 2022 World Junior Championship begins Boxing Day against Czech Republic in what will mark the beginning of five interesting storylines set to unfold for the squad:
Bedard’s opportunity
Just the eighth 16-year-old to be named to the Canadian world junior roster, Regina Pats exceptional centre Connor Bedard is the first to do so since Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) in 2014, part of an exclusive group that also includes CHL graduates like Sidney Crosby (2004, Rimouski Oceanic), Eric Lindros (1990, Oshawa Generals), and Wayne Gretzky (1978, Soo Greyhounds).
Skating in his second season with the Pats, the native of North Vancouver, B.C., has continued to build on a dazzling freshmen campaign where despite being limited to 15 appearances in the shortened campaign he led all first years in all major offensive categories including goals (12), assists (16), and points (28), and was ultimately presented with the Jim Piggott Trophy as the WHL Rookie of the Year.
Not yet finished, Bedard then took his show to the national stage as part of Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship where he finished second in tournament scoring with 14 points counting seven goals and seven assists through seven appearances to help the Great White North claim its first gold medal since 2013.
Back with Regina, Bedard has continued to flash his offensive potential where entering the winter break he sits second in team scoring with 24 points in as many games, just four points back of 20-year-old defenceman and Seattle Kraken prospect Ryker Evans for top spot in Pats scoring.
Wright on track
A final cut following last year’s selection camp, it is a different tale this winter where Kingston Frontenacs centre Shane Wright is expected to garner plenty of time in the spotlight for the Red and White, with early projections showing him playing the pivot on the top line between Edmonton Oil Kings right-wing Dylan Guenther (Arizona Coyotes) and Saginaw Spirit graduate Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets).
One of just three players on the Canadian roster alongside Bedard and goaltender Brett Brochu (London Knights) yet to be called upon at the NHL Draft, the focus on Wright will undoubtedly continue to increase as draft day nears. The expected first-overall selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, Wright brings a mistake-free, two-way game that often draws comparisons to Acadie-Bathurst Titan graduate Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins while also backing it up offensively where this season he has impressed in putting up 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points through 22 contests.
Sidelined last season with the OHL shuttered, Wright made the most of his year in lacing up for Canada at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship where through just five showings he finished tied for the team scoring lead with nine goals and five assists for 14 points. In all, it marked the second time on the national stage for the Burlington, Ont., native who previously competed as part of Team Canada Black at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he paced his squad with seven points in five games.
Back with the Frontenacs, Wright is skating in his second full season with the club following a dominant freshman campaign in 2019-20 where he posted 66 points in 58 games, production that eclipsed Connor McDavid’s first-season performance with the Otters of 66 points in 63 games. For his efforts, Wright was ultimately recognized as the CHL Rookie of the Year.
Making the case in the crease
While bringing a roster with no shortage of offensive flash, one of the biggest coaching decisions comes in the blue paint where Team Canada also owns an abundance of riches. That is, between the trio of Brochu, Sebastian Cossa (Edmonton Oil Kings), and Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers), who will earn the starting duties is yet to be publicly announced.
Making the case for Brochu, the 19-year-old Knights netminder enters the break ranking amongst the OHL leaders with a .921 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average, while also having come away with the victory in all but six of his 22 appearances. A first-timer on the national stage, the native of Tilbury, Ont., made headlines in 2019-20 when he closed out the year with 32 wins to set a new league high-water mark for the most victories by a 16- or 17-year-old netminder.
For Cossa, the big-time goaltender brings modern size in the crease and plenty of net coverage. A first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in last year’s NHL Draft, Cossa has shined over part of three seasons with the Oil Kings, underscored by the 2020-21 campaign where he led his WHL brethren with a .941 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average through 19 appearances. The Fort McMurray, Alta., native is also no stranger to the national spotlight, having last suited up for Team Canada White as part of the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Lastly, Garand enters the World Juniors atop the charts in the WHL where his .932 save percentage ranks best league wide, while his 1.85 goals-against average is also in the conversation for top spot. A Victoria native, Garand made a lone appearance at last year’s World Juniors, though his resume is decorated with plenty of international experience including a four-game showing with Team Canada Red at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as well as a silver-medal finish at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Garand, 19, was selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Returning talents
Beyond Garand, the Canadian roster counts two other players who are set to make their return to the national stage in Perfetti as well as defenceman and Montreal Canadiens draftee Kaiden Guhle who will captain the squad.
For Perfetti, his season has seen him spend the majority of his playing time with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, though it also counted a two-game stint with the Jets. Back on the national stage, the Whitby, Ont., native surely has his sights set on turning the tables on a year ago where after running perfect through the round robin and outscoring its opponents by a plus-29 margin, Canada ultimately fell short in the championship final versus a top rival in the United States. A year ago, Perfetti provided solid secondary scoring with six points in seven games, while the ensuing months saw him once again represent the Great White North internationally as he helped Team Canada to a comeback gold-medal win at the 2021 World Championship. Perfetti will lean on that experience as he looks to provide invaluable guidance at this year’s World Juniors.
For Guhle, it has been a whirlwind month after shifting from the Prince Albert Raiders to the Edmonton Oil Kings in early December, where now he and three of his new teammates in Guenther, Cossa, and St. Louis Blues up-and-comer Jake Neighbours will join together as part of the Canadian world juniors. A three-time participant internationally, Guhle’s experience on the national stage beyond last year’s World Juniors counts the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he put up three points in six games as captain of Team Canada Red as well as a silver-medal finish at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Bringing no shortage of winning pedigree, Guhle’s resume is also highlighted by an Ed Chynoweth Cup win with Prince Albert in 2019, culminating a successful second season in the junior ranks where he led all Raiders rearguards with 40 points counting 11 goals and 29 assists across 64 contests. A well-rounded defenseman who plays with confidence and poise, Guhle was a natural choice to captain Team Canada.
First rounders throughout
A quick perusal of the Canadian roster reveals plenty of talent, even more so for those CHL players who have heard their names called in the opening round of the NHL Draft.
In all, the list reaches double digits that beyond the aforementioned Cossa, Guenther, Guhle, Neighbours, and Perfetti also counts Xavier Bourgault (Shawinigan Cataractes/Edmonton Oilers), Mavrik Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes/Dallas Stars), Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings/Ottawa Senators), Mason McTavish (Peterborough Petes/Anaheim Ducks), and Carson Lambos (Winnipeg ICE/Minnesota Wild).
Among the highlights, Bourgault enters the World Juniors among the leading point producers from the QMJHL with 42 points through 24 appearances and one of only five skaters to have already reached the 20-goal plateau, while also sure to draw attention from the opposition is McTavish, the third-overall selection from last summer’s NHL Draft who began the year in the pro ranks with the Ducks – where he netted his first NHL goal on his first shot in his first game – and now looks to again make noise on the national stage following his breakout performance at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship that saw him find quick chemistry with the team’s most talented offensive weapons to finish with five goals and six assists for 11 points in seven games, in addition to a gold medal at the tournament’s end.