Patrick King

Patrice Cormier is rumoured to be one player that will head home to a new CHL team after the tournament.

There's no greater showcase for junior hockey players than the annual world junior tournament.

Since each player is thrust into the spotlight and followed under a microscope for just under two weeks, a strong showing can increase a player's value.

For many of players this tournament is the biggest stage on which they will audition. But the value isn't always in draft position or professional projections. It's more immediate than that, and Gabriel Bourque is the latest example.

When the tournament concludes and Bourque rejoins the Québec Major Junior Hockey League for the stretch run, he will be doing so with a new team.

The steady, two-way forward's club team rights were traded from Baie-Comeau to Moncton on Saturday.

The holiday season means much more to Canadian Hockey League teams than the loss of stars from its roster. With the regular season ending in mid-March, the holiday season is the frantic time when rosters are finalized through trade and the impact those trades make always spill over into the tournament.

Two years ago it was the rights of Canadian goaltender Steve Mason traded to the Kitchener Rangers. Mason learned of the trade prior to the semi-final against the Americans. Mason knew the trade was a distinct possibility, just as many others are aware each year.

Chris DiDomenico was sent to Drummondville from Saint John during last year's tournament. The only difference between the trades of DiDomenico and Mason was that DiDomenico's trade only became public knowledge after the tournament, despite having already been completed.

Since the tournament has yet to begin, there was no reason for the Wildcats to withhold from announcing Bourque's acquisition. Bourque is the first member of the Canadian team whose rights were traded, and as sources indicate, there could be more on the horizon.

Perhaps the biggest name on the list is goaltender Jake Allen. He is widely regarded as the top goaltender in the QMJHL, if not the CHL, and teams have been lining up all season to acquire his rights.

The Montreal Juniors, not considered a threat to win the championship, nor are they in a position to load up for a run at one, are said to be interested in expediting its rebuilding. Trading Allen makes sense for the Montreal franchise, but doing so after the tournament only helps raise Allen's already meteoric value.

Opposing teams know just how talented Allen is, but thriving in the tournament and winning a gold medal would only help fill the huge cart Montreal would surely acquire by trading him.

When teams negotiate trades, the seller always uses the player's achievements as a means to obtain more through trade. Anything from draft position to international success improves the sellers' footing when dealing a star.

Allen is the type of player that can win games their team otherwise should not win. By winning a gold medal as Canada's starter, Montreal is in its best position to gain the pieces needed to make a title run in the near future.

The next most likely other departures are teammates in Rimouski, Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron. As mentioned in a previous column, the Océanic are not being coy about their intentions -- Cormier and Caron will be playing for new teams, but only after competing in the tournament.

Rimouski must be thrilled with the fact both players were named to the team. Océanic general manager Yannick Dumais is like a stock broker, and he's about to make a killing by selling his stock at its highest point.

Not only do his players have valuable experience of playing in last year's Memorial Cup, but they can now add this tournament to their list of achievements. In Cormier's case, Rimouski is dealing a player who not only played in the tournament twice, but was captain the second time.

Simply put, the Océanic are going to clean up.

As one general manager pointed out, Cormier is the type of impact player a championship contender needs to achieve greatness. Therefore, he's worth the steep price the Océanic will inevitably demand.

As for Nazem Kadri, the first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, rumours have circulated all season whether the London Knights will make him available for trade. Despite being just two points back of the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League's Midwest Division, sources say the Knights are more inclined to rebuild quickly by trading Kadri than by adding pieces around him and loading up for a run.

And in each of these players' situations, the world junior showcase only helps increase their demand on the trade front in the CHL's busiest season.