I make no bones about my love of the World Junior Hockey Championship, privately and publicly. However, the only thing that bothers me about the WJHC is the fact that I have never been able to attend another great hockey event - the World Under-17 Challenge. At least, I hadn’t until this past Saturday and what a treat it was.
I witnessed two games on that day: Team USA vs Team Atlantic, followed by the game I really wanted to see, Team Ontario vs Team Pacific. What a show.
It never ceases to amaze me as to how well 16-year-olds can play my favourite game. The majority of the players from our country in this event can be found in a CHL arena near you. In those games they are matched against 19- and 20-year-olds and some nights that can be a very difficult challenge. What makes this event so neat for me is this: these youngsters have been the best players in their age groups their whole lives. Flat out. This is the first opportunity for them to see how they match up against the best players in the world that were born in the same year. In this setting you really get an idea of how special these kids really are.
No shortage of great bloodlines in this event. Landon Ferraro the son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro, is the captain of Team Pacific. Despite dealing with a rib injury, he is a delight to watch. Then there is Ryan Bourque. Yes, he’s the son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. He just happens to wear the C for Team USA. Uwe Krupp's son, Bjorn, also plays for the Americans.
Do yourself a favour if you are in the London area this week and watch the likes of Taylor Hall, Mathew Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, Jared Cowen, Tyson Barrie, Evander Kane, and Brayden Schenn, just to name a few budding superstars. Then tell me if this isn't one of hockey's best kept secrets.