For Canadian hockey fans, Boxing Day can only mean one thing: the start of the World Junior Championships. This year, Canada goes for their 5th straight Gold, and 11th straight medal, and the pressure is higher than ever for these teenagers from across the country to deliver.
Noodles and Henrik asked me to do a little preview of the team for all the non-Canadians, though I feel kind of bad for giving away my country’s secrets.
I’ll start with the forwards!
FIRST LINE: The most recent edition of this line has been
John Tavares with
Chris DiDomenico and
Angelo Esposito. It doesn’t look like this one will stick as they didn’t seem to click at even strength, and Team Canada desperately wants to be able to use John Tavares as an even strength threat as well as a powerplay threat.
Obviously, John Tavares is going to be huge for us. He had 4 goals in the pre-tournament tournament, all on the powerplay, including one incredible highlight-reel goal for his second against Slovakia (if you haven’t seen it, GO WATCH IT, right now!). He’s got some added responsibility this year, with the A on his chest, but I guarantee you this kid will prove why he deserves to go #1. In the three exhibition games, he’s already changed a lot of minds and is back on top with the majority of NHL scouts.
DiDomenico is kind of a feel-good story. From Woodbridge, Ontario (for Oilers fans: home of Andrew Cogliano) he went undrafted to the OHL but got the call from QMJHL team St. John Sea Dogs where he led them in points as a rookie. He managed to pick up points on a team that was hard-pressed to get any at all. Now he’s getting a look on the top line beside John Tavares.
The fourth time was the charm for Angelo Esposito as he avoided being the only player in Team Canada history to be cut from the junior team 4 times in a row. Members of Team Canada management are quite happy with how he’s come along though- they said that last year, he wasn’t even close to making the team. Goal scoring won’t be a big thing for Espostito, but that’s not really what he’s about.
SECOND LINE:Jordan Eberle,
Cody Hodgson, and
Zach Boychuk. This line has been incredible so far for Canada, and will almost certainly stick together for the rest of the tournament. The chemistry on this line is just jaw-dropping. You wouldn’t believe that they’ve only been together for a week.
Cody was so, so close to making the Canucks this year. I had the fortune of being able to see him play in a couple pre-season games with the ‘Nucks in September, and I can tell you, this kid is already a pro. He sees the ice so well and finished the pre-tourney with 3 points in each game. He is unreal. The one-two punch of Tavares and Hodgson will make Canada a dominant offensive force once more this year. You’ll see them play together on the first unit powerplay.
Edmonton drafted Jordan 22nd overall in the 2008 draft, so I’ve seen a little more of him this year than I would normally. He’s a little undersized but this kid is a scoring machine. I think he could have potted 50 goals this year in the Western Hockey League, which does not happen too often. I’ll be watching him real close this year.
Zach is one of four returning players on Team Canada (the others being PK Subban, Thomas Hickey, and John Tavares) and will provide two things that everyone will be happy about: scoring and leadership. This entire line will be dominant offensively and extremely fun to watch.
THIRD LINE:TSN recently called this the “Pest Line” and is often referred to as our Energy Line.
Patrice Cormier,
Stefan Della Rovere, and new addition
Evander Kane create an effective line for the team.
Cormier proved how dangerous he is in the last game with a short-handed goal off a perfect short-side top-corner shot. Stefan Della Rovere delivers some of the biggest hits I’ve seen in hockey- he nearly took a 6-foot-6 230lb giant of a Slovak out of the game with a huge open ice hit, and he’s only 5’11 200lbs. He plays a huge game and he’s already growing on me as one of my favourite players of the tournament (must be something about the Stefan’s.)
Kane was a player that many thought should have made the team right off the bat, but it took a season-ending injury to Dana Tyrell to bring him in. There is no doubt that if Canada had opted for 13 forwards and 7 defenseman that Kane would have made the team, but we, and he, I’m sure, will take whatever he can get. He’s a high scoring offensive guy that I imagine will get a look with John Tavares as well, and will definitely go top 10 in the ’09 draft.
FOURTH LINE:Jamie Benn,
Tyler Ennis, and
Brett Sonne. I find it almost insane that we could have players of this level playing on the fourth line. You can hardly even call it a fourth line.
Jamie Benn is a pure goalscorer and will probably get a look on the top line as someone to help finish some of Tavares’ incredible passing plays. He’s sitting 2nd in the WHL for goals, even after missing a handful of games. He missed 20 games last year and was still 14th in goalscoring (no one in the top 75 played less games.)
Tyler Ennis is very small, but very quick and is an excellent offensive talent, and is very durable, playing all 70 games in the WHL season last year. He’s an incredible skater and can pull off great plays at high speeds. I’m rooting for him because he’s the only Edmonton boy on the team.
Brett Sonne, even after missing the past couple of weeks for Team Canada, sits 2nd in WHL scoring with 23G 32A for 55 points in just 34 games. He’s aggressive and hard working and will be an impact role player for Canada this year.
I’ll be back with another post on Team Canada’s defense and goaltending.
Stay tuned.
-Macke
