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OAKVILLE, Ont. — After four days, four practices, a scrimmage, and two games against a team of USports All-Stars, Team Canada has narrowed its world junior roster down from the 30 players who were invited to selection camp to the 22 who will travel to Sweden.
Here are my thoughts on the eight cuts (four forwards, three defencemen, and one goalie), my updated projected lines, and notes on every player who participated in camp.
The cuts
F Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers): Barkey’s a great story and should be proud of himself for working his way into the conversation, at his size, after not getting the summer meetings invite. He drew an assist on Canada’s first goal of their first game against USports, scored when a shot went off of his shin pad going to the front of the net for the 2-1 goal in that game, and played with his usual hustle and jump. I’d guess that if Canada does not get one of Matt Poitras and Zach Benson, like they’re hoping, that he’d be the one to get the call back.
GO DEEPER
The shared path of Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk
F Jagger Firkus (Seattle Kraken): My big takeaway on Firkus is that he looks like he has picked up a step. He has always been very nimble on cuts and dashes, but there’s some straight-line burst/acceleration. I would have liked to see him make choices a little quicker on the puck at times, though. His play was disconnected and ineffective in both USports games, and his decision-making and execution just seemed a touch off. He hit a post on the power play in Game 2, but that was about it. You could feel it slipping away from him.
F Paul Ludwinski (Blackhawks): Ludwinski’s speed was noticeable tracking pucks and applying pressure more off the puck than making plays on it. He did make some quick decisions with the puck inside the offensive zone. He also had a big block late in Game 1 in a 3-2 game. I liked him better in the opener than in the finale.
F Markus Vidicek (undrafted): Vidicek’s skating and pace were noticeable, particularly in the first game. But there wasn’t a lot that actually came from it and he was going to need to do more to make it.
D Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues): Buchinger really struggled, with one ugly turnover in each game that spoke to it. I thought he was moving it quicker and crisper to start Game 2, but then it got away from him and he got burned for a couple of goals against. I didn’t think he did enough.
D Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators): Donovan defended well one-on-one against the bigger, older players on USports. I thought he complemented Ty Nelson fairly well as well, letting Nelson play the busier style. But he was pretty sloppy with the puck and made a few too many bad passes.
D Ty Nelson (Seattle Kraken): Nelson pounded a one-timer in the red-white scrimmage. After an early turnover in the first USports game, he made some plays on exits and entries under pressure. He picked up an assist on Wood’s game-opening goal in the first game against USports as well. Throughout, he was active in and out of give-and-gos and off the line to involve himself in plays and present an option. He was vocal. He has some presence and swagger about him, for sure. His head was always up. He’s never lackadaisical defensively. Can tell he’s dialled in out there. He took a penalty late in the second period of the second game and had a couple of misreads one-on-one, but I thought he outplayed Warren, for sure, and while he’s short, he was the most physically advanced player at camp so I wouldn’t necessarily buy the size argument. He was the only surprise for me, though it was always going to be hard to make this Team Canada on the right side rather than the left.
G Domenic DiVincentiis (Winnipeg Jets): DiVincentiis struggled. He was leaky in practice. He was good in Game 1, stopping 12 of 13 (the goal he did give up was from a bad angle but perfectly placed by Wood). But he gave up three on 14 shots in Game 2, and he didn’t look set on two and went down early on the third.
The team
F Owen Allard (undrafted): The best story of camp. Allard works, has great speed, and has the size that this Team Canada lacks up front. He may not be a sexy name, but he hit a crossbar, got after it, was noticeable on the forecheck, and impressed in three-on-three overtime. Hockey Canada likes to bring a Zack Ostapchuk-type for the fourth line and Allard fits the bill.
F Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens): A stronger skater than most in camp, which was noticeable in the practices, the scrimmage and the lone game he played in. Beck was on pucks, had a big penalty kill shift and was responsible defensively, which is going to be his role on this team even though he’s the lone returnee.
F Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs): One of the first things I noticed at camp this week was just how much the hunch in Cowan’s stride impacts his game (both positively and negatively). On one hand, he’s always engaged and on his toes because he never straightens up his stance and comes to a standstill, and he’s agile on his first cut/change of direction (less so on his second because of the commitment required). On the other, when he really commits to a position into contact or a reach-in, it can put him off-balance and push him around at his size. He was better in the first game against USports, playing as the 13th forward, than he was in the second. He moved well in and out of give-and-gos and played with some jump offensively. He had some moments holding pucks around sticks. He showed good speed. But outside of a big block in the second game, he wasn’t as impactful as he needed to be.
F Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings): Danielson was quiet early in the week in practice sessions, but I thought he found his game slowly through the red-white scrimmage and the two USports games. He didn’t create much offensively, but his lines spent some time in the offensive zone and he and Allard seem to get after it on the forecheck together. He’s going to play a bottom-six role on this team, and likely on the wing (where they slotted him all week).
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 NHL Draft): Should come as no surprise that the first scoring chance of the first real scrimmage came off of a tic-tac-toe sequence that Celebrini started to linemate Easton Cowan (who feathered a puck through to Jordan Dumais). When he turns his back on defenders along the wall, it’s so hard for guys to take the puck off of him. Impressive ability to shield pucks in his feet and maintain a strong stance. Noticeable and making something happen shift-to-shift. Rewarded with a nice low-to-high primary assist on the 3-1 goal. Worked a give-and-go with Dumais on the first shift on Game 2., then scored two shifts later. Carried the most consistent speed through neutral ice on the team. On pucks. Stays on them. Protects it. Skill in tight. Speed. Physical. Always open.
F Jordan Dumais (Columbus Blue Jackets): Dumais impressed and made plays, as he almost always does. In the first scrimmage, Dumais’ first four touches on his first two shifts all created offensive looks for himself or his linemates. He reads the game so quickly that he knows where he wants to go with each touch. He’s always open in little pockets. He threaded the needle to Celebrini on the first shift of the second period of the first game for a really good look, picked up a secondary assist on the 3-1 goal, made another silky saucer pass in the third, and made a few more early in Game 2 before sitting out the second and third periods to protect a hip flexor issue he’s playing with.
F Conor Geekie (Arizona Coyotes): Geekie scored in the red-white scrimmage with a quick release on a partial break, and was noticeable throughout. He was also one of the six players who didn’t have to play in the first game against USports, which is always an early signal of who the locks are. On a roster that lacks size up front, I wasn’t surprised to see him as the third forward in that lock group (alongside the only two forwards who’ve played NHL games this season in Fraser Minten and Matt Savoie).
F Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs): The combination of his age, NHL experience (though he has played just four NHL games, that’s the most among the forwards in camp), size, and well-roundedness made Minten one of the locks up front in camp and, I expect, an important player for this team.
F Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken): Rehkopf is so, so dangerous as a shooter straight-up with goalies. That was evident in the practice sessions. He has this little feint that he does pre-release before he lets it go. It looks like as he settles into that feint, he’s comfortable getting rid of it at any time, too. He was forcing it a little in the opener and took a penalty reaching in, which I think meant that he had to play well on Wednesday to secure a spot, but he responded and showcased his skill in Game 2. He nearly set up Celebrini on the backdoor in the first period and then had a good shift on the cycle his next time over the boards. He showed creativity and was above pucks defensively, in front of the net on screens. He was winning pucks. There were still a couple of moments where he waited too long with the puck, but he looked way more like himself and Canada is going to need his talent to show up at some point. I could see him being the 13th forward if Canada gets an NHLer — and working his way into a top-six scoring role at some point.
F Matthew Savoie (Buffalo Sabres): When they started seriously working on PP/PK work in a game environment, it took Savoie one shift to create a breakaway look for himself short-handed. It’s so hard for defencemen to track him when he gets into twists and turns. When they practiced the shootout, Savoie practically didn’t miss (five-hole, deke, short-side, you name it), so I’d expect him to be a go-to if it comes to that. He didn’t play in either of the USports games so I’m looking forward to seeing where they slot him in pre-tournament given that he can play either centre or the wing (I’d expect him at 1RW most likely, though).
F Matthew Wood (Nashville Predators): I hadn’t noticed him much in camp until he went short-side under the bar with a perfectly placed shot from a bad angle for the first goal of the first game against USports. From there on out, he was consistently noticeable offensively and supported the play well. He created the second goal of that first game, too, picking up two primary points and a goal in the shootout (after he blocked a shot in OT). In Game 2, he was particularly noticeable showcasing his good hands and finding his way out of traffic with the puck and holding onto pucks past reaching sticks/in tight to his body. He needed to win a spot and was one of few who really grabbed it in a camp that was a bit of a mixed bag for most of the other players.
F Brayden Yager (Pittsburgh Penguins): I liked Yager’s work rate off the puck. He played with some pace and jump. He drew a penalty. He was better as the game went on in both games. But he wasn’t at his best offensively and things didn’t click. His pedigree and strong past with Hockey Canada were likely the tiebreaker.
D Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers): Bonk’s outlets were clean, as usual. He kept the chain going at the point, too. He drew a penalty breaking the puck out in Game 2. He did get danced at three-on-three but all told I thought he handled himself well. A nice nod as an 18-year-old.
D Jake Furlong (San Jose Sharks): Furlong let a nice shot go on the 3-1 goal in the first USports game and then scored into the empty net for his second of the game. He was tidy on outlets. I thought he looked composed and sure of himself with the puck. A little less so without (he got caught out of position a couple of times in key moments) but he makes sense as a No. 6/7 D with this group.
D Maveric Lamoureux (Arizona Coyotes): Was impressed, as always, by how good his edges are for his size. He’s comfortable on the inside and outside, even when his towering frame is bent out laterally on sharp angles. I expect Tristan Luneau to be the No. 1 D on this team in terms of ice time, but it looks like Denton Mateychuk and Lamoureux will be the No. 2-3 (in whatever order) and play big roles as well. Those three D were treated differently throughout camp and it was no surprise that they sat both USports games.
D Tristan Luneau (Anaheim Ducks): Luneau looked a cut above all week in practice and in the red-white scrimmage. It was impressive. His skating looks so comfortable, flexible and smoothed out and it’s nice to see that his knee no longer appears to bother him. In battle drills and small-area competitions, he was pushing past opposing players with ease and controlling play. He’s going to be a horse for this team and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him push 25-30 minutes when the games matter.
D Denton Mateychuk (Columbus Blue Jackets): Mateychuk didn’t play in either USports game but looked his usual three-zone self in the skates and the way Hockey Canada spoke about him it feels like he’s going to wear a letter for this team and maybe even the ‘C’ (which he has worn before with this age group, and with Columbus’ rookie team).
D Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators): Molendyk took a bump in a game against Red Deer with Saskatoon on Dec. 8, just two days before the start of camp. He didn’t skate on Day 1, skated twice on Day 2 (first in the morning without gear and then with gear, both by himself), joined the scratches for their morning skate on Day 3, and then finally played on Day 4 in the second game against USports. He played quick and led some entries and exits with his feet and quick passes under the first layer. His poise under pressure was immediately noticeable. Molendyk looked like you’d expect him to look and checked the boxes he needed to. A clear choice if he was good to go, even as the youngest defenceman invited to camp.
D Noah Warren (Anaheim Ducks): It was nice to see Warren look to involve himself in the play offensively with his skating off the puck. Even when the puck doesn’t come to him, when he activates and drives the middle lane it draws a lot of attention. He had a couple of good chances low in the offensive zone. But he struggled more defensively than anyone else in camp for my money, and they need that to be his bread and butter. He was repeatedly caught out of position and got exposed a couple of times, eventually leading to a couple of goals against that he was directly involved in. He got walked one-on-one twice. He looked a cut below his peers for me. They clearly covet the length/size/skating down the depth chart, though.
G Scott Ratzlaff (Buffalo Sabres): I thought Ratzlaff, the only 18-year-old goalie in camp, actually looked the most comfortable to me throughout. He was the only goalie who didn’t get caught spinning or napping, and stopped 28 of 30.
G Mathis Rousseau (undrafted): Rousseau gave up the only two goals in the red-white scrimmage, and he’d probably like to have both back. But he was going to have the longest leash as the goalie who has played the best this year, and he played really well in the two USports games, combining to stop 30/31 in the two halves he played. He got scrambled after making the initial save on the first goal against in the first game against USports, and I expect that Hockey Canada brass started to get a little nervous because that made it the first three goals against of camp being on him. But he was the best goalie from there on out and good when tested in the finale. He’s noticeably small, but he has the best numbers of the group in the CHL over the last couple of years and had the best numbers in the USports games in the end.
G Samuel St. Hilaire (undrafted): St. Hilaire made a couple of the better saves in camp, showcasing good tracking and athleticism. He finished 23 of 26. Good story. Has never been involved with Hockey Canada, until now. Wasn’t even in the QMJHL until he was 18.
Lineup projection
(Top photo courtesy of Hockey Canada)