Canadian WJ Selection Camp Roster Predictions

[crosby_87]

I just don't understand how people say Esposito has a chance but they don't even mention Toews. They both played on the same Shattuck-St. Mary's team last year and Toews had almost double the points of esposito. Unless Esposito has drastically improved, I don't see how he can be mentioned without Toews.

 

[FLYLine27*]

He is on an awful team. From what I hear he runs around the ice trying to do too much, which might contribute as well. From Canucks camp and the summer WJ camp, he is somewhat erratic defensively, but for the most part effective. He throws some huge hits, but he also takes himself out of the play doing it sometimes. He's quite good 1 on 1 and stands guys up at the blueline well, but he also can lose track of his man and run around in his own zone a bit at times. Overall, in the context of the WJs and with a good partner and team, he should be good defensively.

Thanks for the good info.

 

[Sebastien Centomo]

There is something you are not understanding about an nhl draft. When 1 guy is picked before another one, it doesnt mean the other 29 gms had the same order as the 1 who picked the first of the 2.

Your sentence should be readed:

''According to 1 GM, Staal is better.''

We have no way to know about the opinion of the 29 others...

It still doesn't make sense that way.

According to one GM, Bourdon is better.

Vancouver took Bourdon over Staal, so not only does the original comment assume that all GM's think alike, but it's also factually wrong- Bourdon was selected before Staal.

 

[LaLaLaprise]

Quick question...i'm really not try to start a big bashing fest between drafted defensman, but..does Bourdon play any defense at all? I know hes an offensive defensman and all but he is a -59 in 164 games. He could be on a horrible team for all i know, just would like some info. Thanks

Again not trying to be disrespectful, not comparing him with any other drafted player considering I havn't see any of them yet on the TV.

Exactly why +/- doesnt mean very much.

 

[RangerBoy]

It still doesn't make sense that way.

According to one GM, Bourdon is better.

Vancouver took Bourdon over Staal, so not only does the original comment assume that all GM's think alike, but it's also factually wrong- Bourdon was selected before Staal.

Two picks before Staal

Carolina debated whether or not they should take Staal or Jack Johnson at #3

The Flyers wanted to trade up to select Staal and the Flyers know the OHL very well(Justin Williams,Jeff Carter,Mike Richards and Steve Downie)

 

[Slot 3]

How are Luc Bourdon's chances to make the team?

I think they're pretty high. Go Bourdon!

 

[littleD]

Something that was brought up about Esposito on another board, just wondering if this is indeed the case.

From a Bob McKenzie article back in October...

Esposito is too young to be considered for Canada's National Junior Team - there is a policy that says young players must play in the Under-18 program before the World Juniors - but if he's available in April he'll get that Under-18 opportunity.

TSN

 

[Greg7]

Has TSN done anything predicting who they think will be invited tomorrow other than that little article from the CP on their website? I seem to remember that they usually go over the likely candidates to be invited and classify them as locks, likely, on the bubble etc. Maybe on tonight's SportsCentre or something?

 

[Verbal Kint*]

Anybody want to give a quick analysis of Pogge's chances to make the team?

 

[Greg7]

Anybody want to give a quick analysis of Pogge's chances to make the team?

I really think goalie is one of the toughest positions to pick. My personal order is Price Dubnyk Ellis Pogge, but I definitely believe the staff could have any permutation of those 4 as their order. I've only seen Pogge a few times since his not quite so good days in PG, so I'm having a hard time buying into his improvements being a great deal more than the team in front of him (obviously some is him, but I question how much), but it's hard to say without having seen a lot of him in a while, and none this season. Ultimately I think that's the toughest position to choose, and the toughest to predict who Mackasey and Sutter will choose. Maybe they have their guys in mind already, or maybe they're going to base it mostly on camp, who knows. In either case, I don't know who to give the edge to, I can only say that my own personal opinion is that Price is the best goaltender of the four (and I don't mean best prospect, although he is certainly also that, I mean best now).

 

[bert]

I cant believe how nobody wants Blunden on this team. He has great chemistry and he has been better than Omarra this year he is huge physical can skate and hit I dont know what more you want then that. I will take him over Chucko any day of the week.

 

[xtra]

Two picks before Staal

Carolina debated whether or not they should take Staal or Jack Johnson at #3

The Flyers wanted to trade up to select Staal and the Flyers know the OHL very well(Justin Williams,Jeff Carter,Mike Richards and Steve Downie)

Now i don't know where your getting your information from what i heard from tsn watching their draft day show was this:

Crosby was going #1 - no doubt about that

Now if Johnson went 2 they were thinking wether or not to grab Stall at 3 or swap with some teams below them (one of them Vancouver who would grab BRULE) and hope that Stall falls to #10. But when Johnson fell to Carolina at 3 (burke ) they went straight ahead and grabbed him without a second thought.

Also i heard that Philly wanted to move up and grab Bobby Ryan i didn't hear anything about Philly moving up to get Stall.


P.S. Bourdon got top dman at the U-18's last year did Stall ?

don't flip out i don't even know if Stall was there so CALM DOWN

 

[MomentsofSanity]

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2005/12/05/1338042-sun.html

Well here's a few suprises... from the article...

The pugnacious Steve Downie will be among the Ontario Hockey League players invited, but talented skaters Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion and Evan McGrath of the Kitchener Rangers will not, sources said last night.

CAMP ROSTER

A total of 32 players are expected today to be invited to Canada's selection camp for the 2006 world junior tournament. Here's a look at how the roster might shape up:

GOALIES (4)

Justin Pogge, Calgary, WHL; Devan Dubnyk, Kamloops, WHL; Carey Price, Tri-City, WHL; Julien Ellis-Plante, Shawinigan, QMJHL

DEFENCEMEN (10)

Cam Barker, M. Hat, WHL; Kris Russell, Medicine Hat, WHL; Luc Bourdon, Val D'Or, QMJHL; Marc Staal, Sudbury, OHL; Ryan Parent, Guelph, OHL; Kris Letang, Val D'Or, QMJHL; Mark Fistric, Vanc., WHL; Michael Funk, Portland, WHL; Andy Rogers, P. George, WHL; L. Stevenson, Tri-City, WHL

FORWARDS (18)

Michael Blunden, Erie, OHL; David Bolland, London, OHL; Steve Downie, Peterborugh, OHL; Ryan O'Marra, Erie, OHL; Tom Pyatt, Saginaw, OHL; Benoit Pouliot, Sudbury, OHL; Bryan Little, Barrie, OHL; Alex Bourret, Lewiston, QMJHL; Dustin Boyd, Moose Jaw, WHL; Kyle Chipchura, Prince Albert, WHL; Andrew Cogliano, Michigan NCAA; Blake Comeau, Kelowna, WHL; Angelo Esposito, Quebec, QMJHL; Guillaume Latendresse, Drummondville, QMJHL; Devin Setoguchi, Saskatoon, WHL; Jonathan Toews, North Dakota, NCAA; Kris Chucko, Minnesota, NCAA; Kenndal McArdle, Moose Jaw, WHL

If correct it would be interesting to learn why Wolski and McGrath were excluded... not that those attending aren't worthy in their own right's but...

 

[RangerBoy]

Now i don't know where your getting your information from what i heard from tsn watching their draft day show was this:

Crosby was going #1 - no doubt about that

Now if Johnson went 2 they were thinking wether or not to grab Stall at 3 or swap with some teams below them (one of them Vancouver who would grab BRULE) and hope that Stall falls to #10. But when Johnson fell to Carolina at 3 (burke ) they went straight ahead and grabbed him without a second thought.

Also i heard that Philly wanted to move up and grab Bobby Ryan i didn't hear anything about Philly moving up to get Stall.


P.S. Bourdon got top dman at the U-18's last year did Stall ?

don't flip out i don't even know if Stall was there so CALM DOWN

Calm down?Was my response disrespectful?

This is why you shouldn't just rely on TSN

The Flyers tried to get Anaheim's second pick so they could select Cherry Hill winger Bobby Ryan. Then they tried to get Sudbury defenseman Marc Staal, younger brother of Eric Staal, a center for the Carolina Hurricanes

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/12268121.htm

Carolina debated whether or not they should select Staal or Jack Johnson.You must have missed that part on the TSN broadcast

 

[RangerBoy]

Tom Pyatt

The hockey analyst Pierre McGuire, a former coach for the Hartford Whalers who is now with the Canadian sports cable channel TSN, said the Rangers' fourth-round pick, 18-year-old Tom Pyatt, could become known as the steal of the draft

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/sports/hockey/31nhl.html?ex=1133845200&en=1e4d99e125dce961&ei=5070

 

[CharlieGirl]

According to the Toronto Sun, Wolski and McGrath won't be invited!

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2005/12/05/1338042-sun.html

Hard-nosed hockey is Brent Sutter's way, and that philosophy will have a direct effect on the 32-player roster that will be named today for Canada's world junior selection camp.

The pugnacious Steve Downie will be among the Ontario Hockey League players invited, but talented skaters Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion and Evan McGrath of the Kitchener Rangers will not, sources said last night.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

According to the Toronto Sun, Wolski and McGrath won't be invited!

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2005/12/05/1338042-sun.html

Hard-nosed hockey is Brent Sutter's way, and that philosophy will have a direct effect on the 32-player roster that will be named today for Canada's world junior selection camp.

The pugnacious Steve Downie will be among the Ontario Hockey League players invited, but talented skaters Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion and Evan McGrath of the Kitchener Rangers will not, sources said last night.

It's funny how they mention Steve Downie as "pugnacious", but they fail to mention that he is also gifted offensively. He currently has 21 points in 11 games. It works out to something like 1.91 PPG. Evan McGrath has 54 points in 26 games, something like 2.07 points a game. If Downie played in 26 games, his season totals based on his PPG would be 49 points, a five point difference. Not much in the face of things. Add to it that Downie is a better skater, an agitator, and isn't afraid to play very physical, it's easy to see why he is invited to Sutter's camp.

People are going to mention that he shouldn't make the team because of what happened in Windsor, but you go with your best players. If Downie is playing great hockey, then there's no reason to not invite him. I hope Steve makes the WJC team and I hope he has one hell of a good tourney. If he turns out to be a Tootoo, but with an offensive game to boot, I don't think anyone on here will complain.

 

[Sticky*]

Now i don't know where your getting your information from what i heard from tsn watching their draft day show was this:

Crosby was going #1 - no doubt about that

Now if Johnson went 2 they were thinking wether or not to grab Stall at 3 or swap with some teams below them (one of them Vancouver who would grab BRULE) and hope that Stall falls to #10. But when Johnson fell to Carolina at 3 (burke ) they went straight ahead and grabbed him without a second thought.

Also i heard that Philly wanted to move up and grab Bobby Ryan i didn't hear anything about Philly moving up to get Stall.


P.S. Bourdon got top dman at the U-18's last year did Stall ?

don't flip out i don't even know if Stall was there so CALM DOWN

I dont know why your shaking your head about Burke selecting Bobby Ryan 2nd. Obvisouly Jack JOhnson would have been a great pick there also, but Ryan is incredible. Absolute best player in the OHL this year, incredible hands and vision, and his skating isnt as bad as people make it out to be. Think Bertuzzi with heart.

 

[Twist and Shout]

Think Bertuzzi with heart.

I must have missed Bertuzzi losing the heart.

 

[Brock]

According to the Toronto Sun, Wolski and McGrath won't be invited!

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2005/12/05/1338042-sun.html

Hard-nosed hockey is Brent Sutter's way, and that philosophy will have a direct effect on the 32-player roster that will be named today for Canada's world junior selection camp.

The pugnacious Steve Downie will be among the Ontario Hockey League players invited, but talented skaters Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion and Evan McGrath of the Kitchener Rangers will not, sources said last night.

That would be interesting to say the least. I'm not a huge Wolski fan, but you can't argue how well the guy has played this year, making the Avs and all. So what if he didn't have a great summer camp. He certainly had a good NHL camp. Why can't Sutter give him another look.

We are looking at two of the best offensive talents in the CHL being left off here. If they come to the selection camp and suck it up, fine cut them. But I have a serious problem with fully leaving these guys off. The Americans are going to have such a fantastic team (especially offensively) this year, we are going to need all the firepower we can get.

The thing that's really bugged me about the Canadian selection process for the past little while is our obsession with simply choosing "checkers" for the sake of filling the role of shutdown third line. But we choose just as many candidates for that line as we do our scoring lines. It's rediculous. Why can't we just bring the best players this country has to offer at the junior level, and let them fill in roles. Offensive stars like Alex Bourret or Ryan O Marra or Kris Chucko, the list goes on, are also capable of playing on a defensive checking line, while being able to supply just as much offense as the other lines.

In the end it's pretty trivial because either way we are going to end up with a pretty solid team. And if we win, it's because they picked the perfect team. If we lose it's because we can't score because we leave players like Wolski or Mcgrath off, or its because we don't have big name goaltender. If you lose, there can always be excuses to be made up by the media and us.

But to contradict myself a tiny bit, I still believe that if we do truly leave Wolski or Mcgrath off it will be a mistake.

 

[Mess]

Any comments on these forward lines for Team Canada?

Pouliot - Cogliano - Latendresse
Wolski - Bolland - McGrath
McArdle - Chipchura - Setoguchi
Chucko - O'Marra - Comeau

Your 2nd line looks to be in jeopardy

McKenzie: Wolski won't be invited to camp
Bob McKenzie, TSN.ca Staff
12/5/2005 9:50:34 AM

When Hockey Canada announces today the 34 players who have been invited to the final evaluation camp for this year's national junior team, there are going to be some surprises.

Sources say that Colorado Avalanche 2004 first-round pick Wojtek Wolski, who scored two goals and six points in nine games with the Avalanche this season before being returned to Brampton of the OHL, will not be among the 18 forwards who will be in Vancouver when Team Canada takes to the ice for the final camp a week from today.

Sources suggest another notable omission is Kitchener Ranger forward Evan McGrath, a Detroit Red Wing draft pick who is amongst the OHL scoring leaders with 19 goals and 54 points in 26 games.

As with any edition of Team Canada, who’s not invited or named to the team is usually bigger news than those who are included.

http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/news_story.asp?ID=145812&hubName=world_jrs

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

P.S. Bourdon got top dman at the U-18's last year did Stall ?

don't flip out i don't even know if Stall was there so CALM DOWN

He wasn't just to be correct.

I am very surprised Wolski did not even get invited. Poor impression on Sutter at the summer camp?

 

[Shane]

Carolina debated whether or not they should select Staal or Jack Johnson.You must have missed that part on the TSN broadcast

I think the only reason they even considered taking Marc Staal over Jack Johnson is because of Eric Staal. If Eric played for some other team, there wouldn't have been consideration at all.

Even if Jack Johnson is better than Staal (he is), if the two are as close in talent as you would have us believe, if you're Carolina you take Marc for sure. But they didn't, so it obviously wasn't that close.

 

[nl player]

I am from Newfoundland but I can't believe that Daniel Ryder was left off the list. He's playing great.

 

[Towelie*]

I think the only reason they even considered taking Marc Staal over Jack Johnson is because of Eric Staal. If Eric played for some other team, there wouldn't have been consideration at all.

Even if Jack Johnson is better than Staal (he is), if the two are as close in talent as you would have us believe, if you're Carolina you take Marc for sure. But they didn't, so it obviously wasn't that close.

Exactly. There is no truth to Carolina debate over Staal VS Johnson.