WJC: 2022 Team Canada Roster Talk, Part II

[GermanSpitfire]

Last thread is at 1,000 posts.

TC announced their WJC roster after the games against Canada USports.

Here are the guys that will be on the roster. I believe that changes can be made if Sillinger or Jarvis are made available but heres what we have now:

Perfetti	Johnson	Guenther
Greig	Wright	Bourque
Neighbours	McTavish	Sourdif
Cuylle	Desnoyers	Bourgault
Stankoven	Bedard

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Power	O’Rourke
Guhle	Zellweger
Lambos	Cormier
Seeley	Sebrango

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Cossa

Brochu

Garand

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Guys that got cut:

Forwards:

Luke Evangelista
Josh Roy
William Dufour
Hendrix Lapierre
Zach Dean
Ryan Tverberg
Jack Finley

Defenders:

Daemon Hunt
Vincent Iorio
Jack Thompson

Its gold or nothing for Canada. Lets get the games going!!

Click to read more...

 

[GermanSpitfire]

The Lapierre omission suprises me. He has been one of Team Canada’s “guys” in his young career and is in his final year of eligibility.

 

[newfy]

The Lapierre omission suprises me. He has been one of Team Canada’s “guys” in his young career and is in his final year of eligibility.

Something is off with him. He didnt look good in the exhibition games and he also fell in his draft year considerably. Obviously he was hurt in his draft year but just smells like theres something off.

But just based on his play over the two exhibition games I dont think he played a game worthy of making the team. And you gotta remember in those games,only ~half the Canadian players actually made the squad. Hard to feel like Lapierre is a big omission for me. Hes not exactly lighting the Q on fire either

 

[iginlafan77]

Something is off with him. He didnt look good in the exhibition games and he also fell in his draft year considerably. Obviously he was hurt in his draft year but just smells like theres something off.

But just based on his play over the two exhibition games I dont think he played a game worthy of making the team. And you gotta remember in those games,only ~half the Canadian players actually made the squad. Hard to feel like Lapierre is a big omission for me. Hes not exactly lighting the Q on fire either

I believe that he's had some pretty serious concussion problems

 

[Bounces R Way]

Still think zero RHS dmen is a bit of a strange choice. Not really all that familiar with this year's crop yet so maybe just a quirk of the draft years.

Going to affect our transition game. Also much harder to keep a puck in at the blueline on your backhand.

 

[Dominance]

Still think zero RHS dmen is a bit of a strange choice. Not really all that familiar with this year's crop yet so maybe just a quirk of the draft years.

Going to effect our transition game. Also much harder to keep a puck in at the blueline on your backhand.

When your entire lineup is limited in this way, you best believe other coaches are planning to exploit it. Watch for the vast majority of zone clears against us to be executed up the right wall.

 

[Antiillafire]

So which day do all the teams enter the quarantine period?

 

[covfefe]

When your entire lineup is limited in this way, you best believe other coaches are planning to exploit it. Watch for the vast majority of zone clears against us to be executed up the right wall.

Not to mention dump-ins directed at guys on the right. Even the best players struggle to corral pucks on their backhand under pressure. It’s not a big leap to think this’ll be an issue.

 

[Dominance]

Not to mention dump-ins directed at guys on the right. Even the best players struggle to corral pucks on their backhand under pressure. It’s not a big leap to think this’ll be an issue.

Yep. One or even two pairings, it’s less of an issue. But other team’s can automatically exploit this weakness knowing it’s going to be constantly present.

 

[86Habs]

Putting aside the quality of the defencemen on the team and those passed over, cut, or unable to play (Clarke, Iorio, Thompson), this year's tournament should be an interesting case study in if/how handedness really matters when it comes to a team's performance. The game has gotten so fast, the players so skilled and the coaching so good that I can't see how seemingly small details like this don't come back to bite us in the ass.

 

[86Habs]

Not to mention dump-ins directed at guys on the right. Even the best players struggle to corral pucks on their backhand under pressure. It’s not a big leap to think this’ll be an issue.

There's nothing like hearing the footsteps of forecheckers coming in on you when you're digging pucks out of the corner on your backhand.

 

[JackSlater]

Still think zero RHS dmen is a bit of a strange choice. Not really all that familiar with this year's crop yet so maybe just a quirk of the draft years.

Going to affect our transition game. Also much harder to keep a puck in at the blueline on your backhand.

Canada actually has 6 RHD from the first two rounds of the last two drafts strangely. Drysdale is in the NHL, Schneider and Barron are each a month too old, Mailloux is indefinitely suspended for shittiness, and Hockey Canada just didn't invite Clarke or Ceulemans. RHD Jack Thompson getting a positive covid test last minute was also a bad break. Canada made a curious decision to not even invite Clarke and Ceulemans and see how they look.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Canada made a curious decision to not even invite Clarke and Ceulemans and see how they look.

Being a little too kind I think. Myopic, short sighted, or completely braindead would be my evaluation. Especially in regards to snubbing Brandt Clarke.

Guess we'll just see how it goes. Like the forward group a lot, maybe not quite as much as last year but a lot of good 2way players. Cossa is also legit.

 

[cupcrazyman]

Imagine getting beat out by a 16 year old.

 

[novisor]

Imagine getting beat out by a 16 year old.

*Imagine getting beat out by a generational talent who is near-lock to go first overall in his draft and is in a situation that only 6 others his age have been in before with names like Gretzky, Crosby, McDavid, and Lindros amongst his own. Fixed it for you.

 

[Statsy]

Imagine getting beat out by a 16 year old.

I wonder if back in 1978 some guy we probably never heard of thought to himself “I can’t believe they gave my spot to that 16 year old brat, Wayne Gretzky!”

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I wonder what the leadership group looks like?

Power, Perfetti, Greig, Johnson, Neighbours, Guhle seem like the obvious front runners for letters.


Me personally I would have Power dawn the ‘C’ with Perfetti, Greig and Guhle be the assistant’s.

 

[Statsy]

If anyone was hoping for a last minute Seth Jarvis drop-in, it was just announced that he has entered Covid protocol with Sebastian Aho. So that's that.

 

[kyle44]

If anyone was hoping for a last minute Seth Jarvis drop-in, it was just announced that he has entered Covid protocol with Sebastian Aho. So that's that.

I thought of the two Sillinger was more likely. He’s still playing well, but his production has dropped off and Columbus has Laine coming back. They’re also playing in Alberta the next few days so timing and logistics would be perfect.

 

[landy92mack29]

Guhle without a doubt should have the C only other potential challenger is Neighbours. My picks would be

C Guhle
A Neighbours
A McTavish
A Power

 

[newfy]

I wonder what the leadership group looks like?

Power, Perfetti, Greig, Johnson, Neighbours, Guhle seem like the obvious front runners for letters.


Me personally I would have Power dawn the ‘C’ with Perfetti, Greig and Guhle be the assistant’s.

Letters will go to returning players and guys who have played pro most likely. Guhle probably gets the C and I think Power will get an A even if he isnt a returnee or pro. After that theres a bunch of guys with pro experience. I'm not saying it wont happen but I would probablybet money on Greig, Johnson and Neighbours not getting letters over getting them if I had a gun to my head. I would expect McTavish and Perfetti to have letters the most and would give an outside shot at Sebrango and O'Rourke just because of pro experience and play style if I had to bet

 

[cmcneil02]

I don't think people know enough about Elliot Desnoyers other then he's a 2020 5th round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers, this kid is not some unskilled player. He was the 2nd best in the faceoff circle last year in the Q, He has three career four goal games, speed, clean physical, high IQ, friendly. He has a more overall game than Hendrix Lapierre.

I think Desnoyers should be the 4th line center.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Letters will go to returning players and guys who have played pro most likely. Guhle probably gets the C and I think Power will get an A even if he isnt a returnee or pro. After that theres a bunch of guys with pro experience. I'm not saying it wont happen but I would probablybet money on Greig, Johnson and Neighbours not getting letters over getting them if I had a gun to my head. I would expect McTavish and Perfetti to have letters the most and would give an outside shot at Sebrango and O'Rourke just because of pro experience and play style if I had to bet

Power is in his last year of eligibility - was a first overall pick and would have made last year’s team if he was allowed to play. The last time a first overall pick played for TC at the WJC was RNH? And IIRC, he wore the C for Canada.
I think there is a good chance Power dawns it this year.

 

[Spic Bud]

I know nothing about his leadership abilities but I struggle to see Guhle getting the C. Love the player but I see Power or even Perfetti getting it over him. Could also see Wright in the mix for an A as well.

 

[BadgerBruce]

There's nothing like hearing the footsteps of forecheckers coming in on you when you're digging pucks out of the corner on your backhand.

Agreed.

To me, handedness is extremely important for defencemen, and several posters have listed the obvious puck handling challenges of playing the off-side.

But to me, a defenceman’s play without the puck is even more negatively impacted when he plays the off-side, usually in ways most people do not even recognize.

Example: imagine you are a right-handed defenceman playing your natural side, skating backwards and maintaining tight gap control while defending the rush through the neutral zone. Where’s your stick? It’s in your left hand, protecting open ice (your body protects against anything wall-side).

Now, imagine you are doing the same thing but you’re switched to the left side (your off side). Where’s your stick? It’s still in your left hand — but now it’s board side. Your ability to protect the middle of the ice is severely compromised simply by the geometry.

Canada is going to ask every single D playing the right side to deal with this. There aren’t many Doug Harveys or Bobby Orrs — two masters at playing their off side — on Canada’s WJC roster.

I’m anything but a dinosaur, but handedness bloody well matters.