World junior selection camp roster named

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — There will be no Jonathan Toews, John Tavares or Jordan Eberle. Canada’s path back to gold at the world junior championship will instead be travelled with tenacity and grit.

"There’s no superstars on the team," Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast said Monday. "It’s going to be a blue-collar team. Knowing the way Dave (Cameron) coaches, it’s a team that’s going to win on working hard and outworking teams.

"There’s no Crosbys or any of those kind of players on this team."

The list of 39 players who will compete for a spot on the squad during next month’s selection camp includes just three returnees from the one that settled for silver in Saskatoon. An overtime loss to the Americans in the final there ended Canada’s run of five straight gold medals at the event.

Cameron seems like the ideal coach to lead this group in its quest to get back on top. After all, his Mississauga-St. Michael’s Majors currently sport the best record in the Ontario Hockey League despite not having one player inside the top-20 in league scoring.

The coach will be counting on everyone to contribute in Buffalo.

"You don’t win this tournament without depth," said Cameron. "Each year, because of the way the dynamic guys are going to the National Hockey League (and staying), there’s no surprises. We don’t dwell on that. … The strength of our program is depth.

"We honestly believe we can roll 13 forwards and seven (defencemen) — if we go that way — with good goaltending, and we can go at teams."

It’s a path the program has successfully travelled in the past — using a balanced offensive attack to win gold in 2006 and 2008.

The team’s strength will likely be on the blue-line, where Ryan Ellis, Jared Cowan and Calvin de Haan are returning. Cameron is familiar with all three players after serving as an assistant coach the last two years and expects to rely heavily on them.

"Certainly I think experience helps," said Cameron. "The thing I’ve found in this tournament is that one year can make a huge difference."

The serious work begins when the players gather in Toronto for the Dec. 12-15 selection camp. Once the final roster is set, the team will play three exhibition games before opening the tournament with a game against Russia on Dec. 26.

Among the 39 players invited to the selection camp, 18 are already first-round draft picks by NHL teams. Forwards Sean Couturier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels also received invites. They’re considered front-runners to be selected first overall in 2011.

The youngest player in camp will be Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray, who turned 17 in September and won’t be eligible until the 2012 NHL draft.

While the final makeup of the roster is still to be decided, Cameron delivered a clear vision for the group during the summer camp in St. John’s, N.L.

"We’re going to be a hard-working team, I know that for a fact," said de Haan. "We’re just going to follow (Cameron’s) system and I have faith in his system. Obviously, he’s doing a very good job in Mississauga right now."

The 19-year-old defenceman won’t have to look far for motivation. Losing to the Americans in the gold-medal final remains a sore point several months later.

"I want to make this team more than anything right now," said de Haan. "I want to get a gold medal around my neck and bring gold back to Canada."

Added forward Casey Cizikas: "I don’t think you could paint a prettier picture, if that happens."

A number of eligible players won’t participate because they’re playing in the NHL, including Edmonton’s Taylor Hall, Boston’s Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche.

Hockey Canada is still holding out hope that the Los Angeles Kings might allow forward Brayden Schenn to take part. He’s appeared in just eight games for the NHL team this season and would be a welcome addition.

"We’ll proceed as if he’s not coming," said Prendergast. "If he comes, it’s like getting an early Christmas present."

Invitations to the selection camp were sent to 23 forwards, 12 defencemen and four goaltenders — although numbers could change depending on availability.

For instance, Moncton Wildcats defenceman Brandon Gormley was among those included on Monday’s list despite suffering a knee injury over the weekend. He’s unlikely to be back to full health in time, but Hockey Canada is still awaiting official word from doctors.

One of the most important voices in the dressing room will belong to Ellis, a two-time Memorial Cup champion with the Windsor Spitfires and a member of the last two world junior team.

"He’s the only guy that’s won a gold medal," said Prendergast. "We certainly know that he’s the captain of his team (in the OHL) and he’s going to be one of the leaders in the dressing room. He knows exactly what it feels like to win and to lose, and not many of these kids have had that experience.

"We’ll be leaning on him a lot for leadership."

Otherwise, the heavy lifting will be left to an inexperienced group.

Even with a blue-collar roster, Hockey Canada expects to compete for a gold medal.

"There’ll be players that come to the forefront and it’ll be interesting to see," said Prendergast. "There’s a lot of good hockey players. …

"A lot of people are going (to say): ‘We don’t know a lot of these players.’ I think by the end of the tournament a lot of people will know a lot of them."