The CIBC Canada-Russia series gets underway on Monday, Nov. 5 from Kamloops, B.C. This series provides a stage for both Canada and Russia to evaluate players whom they think may represent their respective countries at the world juniors.
The pace is frenetic, the travel gruelling, and the games are tight. With two stops in each of the three CHL member-leagues, there are plenty of storylines that develop over the course of the event.
Here are 10 burning questions to ponder before Monday.
10. Alex the Great Part I: As it stands right now, 10 Russian-born players in the CHL will have an opportunity to audition for world junior head coach Valery Bragin. Of that group the most intriguing is Alexander Alexeyev of the Red Deer Rebels.
Selected by Washington with the last pick of the first round in the 2018 NHL Draft, Alexeyev is off to a wonderful start, operating at over a point per game pace. The challenge for Alexeyev will be doing enough to impress the Russian brass and prove he deserves a spot on their world junior team. Bragin leans heavily towards older players, especially on defence, where Alexeyev plays. Is he the next Mikhail Sergachev or Ivan Provorov?
9. Merks in the Mix: Without question the most polarizing figure to come out of the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft was Guelph’s Ryan Merkley. The offensively gifted defenceman was taken with the 21st pick by the San Jose Sharks, but with questionable character the pick surprised many in the scouting world.
It’s no secret that Merkley is a magician with the puck. He makes plays few other defencemen can, especially on the power play. He’s amongst the top point getters in OHL defencemen scoring, and he’s produced half of his points on the power play — but on a first place team he’s still a minus-3. Can Merkley keep it on the rails and be so effective, especially on the man advantage, that he can’t be overlooked for at least an invite?
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8. Alexander Khovanov: Khovanov wasn’t selected to represent his country for the World U-18 Championship, but has done so previously. Rumours were rampant that he, Andrei Svechnikov and Grigori Denisenko were excluded from the team because of politics. Having said that, the Minnesota Wild prospect is far enough removed from last season’s bout with hepatitis and is producing at slightly more than a point per game pace for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.
Nine of his 19 points have come on the power play, which has long been an issue for Russia in this series. Can he have an impact during the ‘Q’ portion of the series, and does he ultimately have a shot at making Russia’s world junior team?
7. Travel Log: A few years ago it was decided the Russians would start the series in the west and work their way back to the east before returning home. Ultimately this decision was made to ease the travel fatigue through the series. This year the travel will be tedious in the early going and ease as the series moves east.
The Russians will land in Calgary and hope to practice before boarding a bus to Kamloops late Friday night. They are expected to skate twice on Saturday, again on Sunday and be ready to open the series Monday. After Monday’s game, the team will board a bus to Langley for Tuesday’s game then, on the off-day, get on a plane to Toronto, bus to Sarnia and play Thursday night. It eases significantly after that. But will the WHL and the OHL team in Sarnia be able to take advantage of Russia’s travel-weary legs?
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6. Alex The Great Part II: Alexis Lafreniere has not disappointed this season, following up on his 42-goal, 80-point CHL Rookie of the Year effort in 2018. He captained Canada to a gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and while his goal total is down, he’s lighting it up with Rimouski once again.
Underaged players are hard to come by at the world juniors, as it is traditionally thought of as a 19-year old event. But there are times when the door is cracked open and a youngster kicks it in to cement his place on the team. Lafreniere’s vision, strength and ability to make those around him better should all play well in the CIBC Canada-Russia series. But will they play well enough to earn him a shot to represent Canada at Christmas?
5. Selection Camp Size: In recent years, Canada’s selection camps have been relatively small. The scouting group does its due diligence, while the coaching staff gets a live look at the Summer Showcase, watches video and gets regular updates on player progress throughout the season leading up to the CIBC Canada-Russia series and, ultimately, the Selection Camp.
Two of the three players eligible to return from last year’s gold medal-winning team are in the NHL right now. Max Comtois has already played 10 games with Anaheim, but is on injured reserve. Robert Thomas has dressed in just six of St. Louis’ first 10 games. Alex Formenton was recently activated from injured reserve, scored his first NHL goal Tuesday night, but was sent back to the London Knights on Thursday. Even if the other two were returned to junior, it’s wide open as to who fills out the rest of the roster. Will such circumstances force Hockey Canada into extending its selection camp roster?
4. Brett Leason: Leason has lead the WHL scoring period pretty much since Day 1 of the season. He’s an interesting study in that he was a mid-season acquisition last year and performed well, but without doubt, he’s been the league’s biggest surprise to date.
Other than representing Alberta in the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Leason has not been a part of Canada’s Program of Excellence. Oftentimes such players are overlooked, but his numbers are too good to ignore. It’s rare for a player who hasn’t been in the program to get chosen for the selection camp, but if ever there’s been a player to do that, it’s the 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-shot right winger. Will he be able to apply his regular season success against the Russians?
3. Who’s After Mikey?: Hockey Canada thought ahead when it named Windsor goalie Michael DiPietro to its World Championship squad last April. Knowing he was unlikely to play, Hockey Canada felt getting DiPietro exposure to pro players in a pro environment would serve him well, and had this year’s world juniors in mind. The Spits’ all-time winningest goalie is a lock to make Canada’s WJC team, but of all the others in the series, who will earn an invite?
Toronto prospect Ian Scott has a leg up on the competition as he’s the elder statesman of the eight goalies who will play in the Canada-Russia series. He’s off to an incredible start for the CHL’s top team in Prince Albert (.943 SP, 1.57 GAA). Of the remaining six goalies, two are undrafted (Matthew Welsh, Luke Richardson), two have never participated in the Program of Excellence (David Tendeck, Matthew Villalta), one isn’t eligible until June (Hunter Jones) and the other, Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville) is probably still a year away.
2. Owen Owed: By all accounts, Mississauga Steelheads sniper Owen Tippett is playing a more well-rounded game. Last year, he got into seven NHL games with the Florida Panthers before being sent back with the thought he’d play at the WJC. It wasn’t fair that his first game back in junior was in this series, but then again, sometimes life isn’t fair. Having played in the NHL, Tippett looked to be a lock for Canada’s team last year, but he didn’t even make it to the selection camp. Tippett will not only have to continue to score goals, but has to show he can play enough of a complete game to make Canada’s team this year.
1. Percentages Play: If you’re a fan of the world juniors, this series is a must watch. Predictably, Canada and Russia will both go into the WJC as contenders. In terms of Canada’s WJC team last year, 19 of the 22 players saw action in this series. As for Russia, 18 of their 22-man roster played in the 2017 CIBC Canada-Russia series.
Add to that the intrigue of some dynamite draft-eligible players, and scouts will be as dialled-in to the series as fans. Over the past 10 WJC tournaments, these two countries have combined for four gold medals, six silver medals and five bronze medals. Which country will take home what hardware on January 6?