Pre-Game Talk: World Juniors Summer 2022

[JackieDaytona]

Pffft. Notice that sillinger isn’t in that line up either??!1.

 

[Sweatred]

Imagine spending a 10th OVR pick on a player and he can't even make the Team USA inter-squad game

Who cares - White scored a bunch for the USA U20’s and he was useless. Greig got cut from Canada at the same age too and only made it the season after which Boucher projects for too.

 

[Bileur]

Those USA lineups are pretty stacked. Like to see Kleven with Faber. That looks like a pair that will get run time in the tourney.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Who cares - White scored a bunch for the USA U20’s and he was useless. Greig got cut from Canada at the same age too and only made it the season after which Boucher projects for too.

Greig got covid 2 years ago. (2021 WJC)

“I practiced the first day I got there and then again on the 23rd, but unfortunately we got shut down and I had to go into another 14-day quarantine in the hotel alone,” Greig said. “Quarantine ended on Tuesday and at that point there was new protocol announced. So, for me, I was really badly out of shape and so affected from COVID in my lungs that the doctors said it would be best to just go home and start recovering for the upcoming WHL season.”

Sent home for catching a cold, the Wheat Kings’ young athlete said that the virus really didn’t affect him much upon first exposure, however, his on-ice performance certainly was lacking following his time away from the game.

“To be honest, I think I’m still recovering now,” he said matter-of-factly. “When I had it, I didn’t really have any symptoms; I wasn’t coughing and I didn’t have a sore throat or anything like that. But moreso, it kind of came after, like a the post-COVID effect. My lungs were really weak. Never in my life have I felt like that, bent over breathing after every rep in practice. But I’m just going to try to slowly work my way back into shape, get back on the ice and get my skill and skating back to prepare for the season.”

 

[Sweatred]

Greig got covid 2 years ago. (2021 WJC)

He was never making that team as a young 18 year old - he was there to get experience to make it the following season as a 19 year old .. which he did.

Boucher is on the same timeline . Ridley is still 19 years old.

 

[Back in Black]

Anyone catch the score?


Friendly tonight

29.07.2022 21:00




Canada U18
-




Finland U18

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Anyone catch the score?


Friendly tonight

Game Summary

Hockey Canada offers you detailed game summaries of all Team Canada games at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship in Landshut and Kaufbeuren, Germany from April 21 to May 1, 2022.

www.hlinkagretzkycup.ca

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[BondraTime]

Roy and Kidney have both been notified they are on the 2022 team.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Apparently Zack Ostapchuk has been notified he will be playing too. Didn’t expect that.

 

[Sweatred]

Okay … so we’re glad Opsta didn’t play in the scrimmage and mad that Boucher didn’t play in his …

I wonder how much team USA would be worried about Boucher with EuroRefs… every hit could be a match penalty.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

 

[Senator Stanley]

Apparently Zack Ostapchuk has been notified he will be playing too. Didn’t expect that.

Where did you see this?

 

[Fixxer]

I wonder if the WJC goes ahead without team Canada at this point.

Like the russians at the last Olympics or so, they should create a non official Canadian team, away from the “Team Canada” name, which has been tarnished. At worst , Canada is excluded, so what, can’t hide everything under the carpet and pretend we are a clean nation. HC needed a reality check, as other countries improved while the gap with Canada is less every year. Accountability is still a thing.

 

[bert]

Like the russians at the last Olympics or so, they should create a non official Canadian team, away from the “Team Canada” name, which has been tarnished. At worst , Canada is excluded, so what, can’t hide everything under the carpet and pretend we are a clean nation. HC needed a reality check, as other countries improved while the gap with Canada is less every year. Accountability is still a thing.

What? This isn't the same thing on any level.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

 

[Senator Stanley]

Boucher cut from summer WJC team, as was expected.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

That’s dissapointing.

 

[Bileur]

They’ll regret it when things get rough and they realize they should have had some Ty-Bo on their 4th line.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Weird thought he was turning heads at the camp.

This season will be very telling. I want to believe the org that he is showing signs of life.

 

[mianjo]

CANADA 12 SWITZERLAND 0 IN 2ND PERIOD

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Weird thought he was turning heads at the camp.

This season will be very telling. I want to believe the org that he is showing signs of life.

Boucher was receiving praise from Rand Pecknold who is the head coach for Team USA 2023 WJC. The head coach for the 2022 Team USA WJC is Nate Leaman.

The US program took a different approach to the Canadian program. Team Canada ran an evaluation camp for their 2023 roster and kept every player who will be part of the 2022 summer WJC tournament out of any of the summer evaluation activities.

Team USA decided to run a 2022 WJC and 2023 WJC roster evaluation camp at the same time and actually have the groups play each other. The vast majority of the 2022 WJC team was already set. It was the same roster that was used in the December tournament that got delayed. There were only a few spots open.

It is highly likely that Nate Leaman and his staff had a short list of players coming into this evaluation camp as potential candidates to round out their roster. If a player wasn't part of that short list, they would have had to perform exceptionally well to get serious consideration.

Boucher was primarily being evaluated for the 2023 roster but there was at least some opportunity to make the 2022 summer team. Considering that Nate Leaman didn't pick him for the roster in December, it isn't all that surprising that he didn't pick him again here.

Another important factor is that recent performance is influential in determining which players make these rosters. Boucher's recent statistical performance has not been very strong. Even if he had an excellent camp and demonstrated a lot of positive things, he would still be judged by his lack of point production in this last season. The question of "what have you done recently?" plays a pretty big role. There is nothing Boucher can do about that.

But on a positive note, there is a different coach for the 2023 WJC team, and this coach appears to have been impressed with Boucher's performance in camp. Boucher now has plenty of time to prepare for a strong start to next season and to have the kind of statistical performance to really solidify his spot in the next tournament.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

How did that praise come about? Was he specifically asked about Boucher before that quote came out or did he go out of his way to praise him?

A top 10 pick not making the WJC team 12 months after the draft is pretty disappointing no matter what way you look at it.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

How did that praise come about? Was he specifically asked about Boucher before that quote came out or did he go out of his way to praise him?

A top 10 pick not making the WJC team 12 months after the draft is pretty disappointing no matter what way you look at it.

There has been very little information released on the camp so there isn't a way to answer that question.

To your second point, it is worth noting that Tom Wilson never made the WJC roster for Canada. There are meaningful differences between Boucher and Wilson but there are also some comparable traits. Both players were drafted high based on having impressive athletic builds with incredibly high athletic potential, both players were mean and nasty, and had a reputation for violent play, and their ability to consistently throw massive hits both open ice and along the boards. Both players played a very pro game, had a lot of raw tools and skill but with underwhelming production.

If you look at Wilson's career it took him 6 seasons after being drafted to have decent production and 7 before he was a 40 point player. Boucher quite possibly will follow a similar trajectory to Wilson, which would mean that we will be looking for him be hitting 40+ points (20G, 20A) after he is 24 years old. Wilson's production has actually been steadily improving after that age. If Boucher can bring the same level of violence and intimidation to the NHL and hit similar numbers at a similar age to Wilson then he will end up being an excellent pick.

 

[Oscar The Grouch]

Boucher was receiving praise from Rand Pecknold who is the head coach for Team USA 2023 WJC. The head coach for the 2022 Team USA WJC is Nate Leaman.

The US program took a different approach to the Canadian program. Team Canada ran an evaluation camp for their 2023 roster and kept every player who will be part of the 2022 summer WJC tournament out of any of the summer evaluation activities.

Team USA decided to run a 2022 WJC and 2023 WJC roster evaluation camp at the same time and actually have the groups play each other. The vast majority of the 2022 WJC team was already set. It was the same roster that was used in the December tournament that got delayed. There were only a few spots open.

It is highly likely that Nate Leaman and his staff had a short list of players coming into this evaluation camp as potential candidates to round out their roster. If a player wasn't part of that short list, they would have had to perform exceptionally well to get serious consideration.

Boucher was primarily being evaluated for the 2023 roster but there was at least some opportunity to make the 2022 summer team. Considering that Nate Leaman didn't pick him for the roster in December, it isn't all that surprising that he didn't pick him again here.

Another important factor is that recent performance is influential in determining which players make these rosters. Boucher's recent statistical performance has not been very strong. Even if he had an excellent camp and demonstrated a lot of positive things, he would still be judged by his lack of point production in this last season. The question of "what have you done recently?" plays a pretty big role. There is nothing Boucher can do about that.

But on a positive note, there is a different coach for the 2023 WJC team, and this coach appears to have been impressed with Boucher's performance in camp. Boucher now has plenty of time to prepare for a strong start to next season and to have the kind of statistical performance to really solidify his spot in the next tournament.

A lot of words to say that another opportunity to prove himself has passed him by.

We should lower our expectations but also expect him to become Tom Wilson. Something doesn't add up.