WJC: 2016 — Canada Roster Talk

[JackSlater]

That's right. I forgot they had to consider big ice prep. I'd love to see it at Old Maple Leaf Gardens one of these years. perhaps next summer when prepping for 2017.

I believe they did practice at Maple Leaf Gardens this past year.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I believe they did practice at Maple Leaf Gardens this past year.

really? I missed that. I haven't been in the old barn since renovation. Would like to check it out the next time I'm in T.O.

 

[JackSlater]

really? I missed that. I haven't been in the old barn since renovation. Would like to check it out the next time I'm in T.O.

They played there against the CIS team during selection camp.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/canada-s-world-junior-roster-trimmed-to-25-players-1.2872926

 

[1Gold Standard]

They played there against the CIS team during selection camp.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/canada-s-world-junior-roster-trimmed-to-25-players-1.2872926

I guess I was caught up in the pre-Christmas hoopla and not paying attention. Still no idea though as to when this summer's camp will be held.

 

[wishywashy19]

something like this roster...

I'm undecided on Perlini, but I really think that 3rd line could be a monster line on big ice. And got to drop a d-man, one of the 97s.

This roster should contend for gold imo

M DAL COLLE R FABBRI B POINT
S BENNETT D STROME M MARNER
B PERLINI R CHARTIER J VERTANEN
L CROUSE J HARKINS J HAWRYLUK

N MERKLEY

T SANHEIM A CARRIER
J HICKETTS N MELOCHE
R PILON D MAYO
M VANDE SOMPEL J ROY

M MCDONALD
J BILLIA

I was looking for a team with Merkley and i found it here. Add Chartier too. That combination will be too good to pass up.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I was looking for a team with Merkley and i found it here. Add Chartier too. That combination will be too good to pass up.

Ya, I like those 2.

Not as high on Strome as I was 6 months ago. Hope he does nothing over the summer except work on his skating...but that's going to be a work in progress for years and unfortunately for him the WJHC is only 7 months away...but let's evaluate after the summer camp. I believe HC will follow the same format as last summer, i.e. exhibition games with the Russians and Czechs.

A lot hinges on Fabbri and Bennett being available. Bennett is highly doubtful, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[Get North]

It'll be a '97 team IMO. Dal Colle, Virtanen, Perlini, Sanheim, Fabbri aren't enough to carry this team to victory. I hope they can but those guys don't seem to have the ability to take over a game and become dominant especially at the WJCs. Maybe Marner, Barzal, Konecny can carry our team? The defence is sort of unknown, you can punch in Sanheim, Hicketts and Fleury but then you can go with '96s Pilon, Dermott, Dunn, Wood, McKeown, etc or skilled '97s like J.Roy, Chabot, Meloche, Juulsen, Vande Sompel, etc.

It'll be interesting to see who comes out and impresses at camp.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Don't know but I'm guessing somewhere with bigger ice. Belleville or Calgary?

you were right. end of July in Calgary...

I wonder if McDavid will be there/participate.

 

[86Habs]

This is the forward group I'm looking at right now (Sam Bennett intentionally omitted). Pretty good depth, but unfortunately no game-breakers like last year.

Dal Colle - Fabbri - Marner
Perlini - Barzal - Virtanen
Crouse - Strome - Konecny
Chartier - Point - Merkley
Lemieux (Beauvillier Hawryluk, Harkins)

Fabbri, should he not make the St. Louis roster, would center the top line with Dal Colle and Marner. Marner, who has substantial experience at RW with London, is a tremendous overall offensive threat and him and Fabbri should complement each other nicely on the international ice. Dal Colle is a big-bodied volume shooter who would act as the finisher on this line.

Barzal centers the 2nd line with Perlini and Virtanen. These three guys are great skaters and should be able to push the pace and work with a north-south mindset on the international ice. Barzal isn't a big guy but has elite vision and passing skills, and is flanked by two heavyweights in Perlini and Virtanen. Both Perlini and Virtanen get a lot of pucks on goal and have the ability to go the net strong.

Strome centers the 3rd line with Crouse at LW and Konecny at RW. This would be a strong possession line, with the two big guys, Strome and Crouse, working deep and Konecny finishing. Konecny would fit in anywhere in this lineup at any position, but his skating ability, tenacity, release, and IQ complement this line nicely. I'm somewhat hesitant to have Strome at center given his skating, but both Crouse and Konecny have good motors and defensive awareness to balance the line.

Returnee Point centers the 4th line with Kelowna teammates Merkley and Chartier. This is a good blend of offensive skill, and the Kelowna pairing should offer some good chemistry if they're able to carry it over to the larger ice surface.

Lemieux gets the nod as the 13th forward, as overall the forward group is on the smaller side. Beauvillier would be the higher-skilled option, while Hawryluk and Harkins are solid overall forwards.

 

[JackSlater]

This is the forward group I'm looking at right now (Sam Bennett intentionally omitted). Pretty good depth, but unfortunately no game-breakers like last year.

Dal Colle - Fabbri - Marner
Perlini - Barzal - Virtanen
Crouse - Strome - Konecny
Chartier - Point - Merkley
Lemieux (Beauvillier Hawryluk, Harkins)

Fabbri, should he not make the St. Louis roster, would center the top line with Dal Colle and Marner. Marner, who has substantial experience at RW with London, is a tremendous overall offensive threat and him and Fabbri should complement each other nicely on the international ice. Dal Colle is a big-bodied volume shooter who would act as the finisher on this line.

Barzal centers the 2nd line with Perlini and Virtanen. These three guys are great skaters and should be able to push the pace and work with a north-south mindset on the international ice. Barzal isn't a big guy but has elite vision and passing skills, and is flanked by two heavyweights in Perlini and Virtanen. Both Perlini and Virtanen get a lot of pucks on goal and have the ability to go the net strong.

Strome centers the 3rd line with Crouse at LW and Konecny at RW. This would be a strong possession line, with the two big guys, Strome and Crouse, working deep and Konecny finishing. Konecny would fit in anywhere in this lineup at any position, but his skating ability, tenacity, release, and IQ complement this line nicely. I'm somewhat hesitant to have Strome at center given his skating, but both Crouse and Konecny have good motors and defensive awareness to balance the line.

Returnee Point centers the 4th line with Kelowna teammates Merkley and Chartier. This is a good blend of offensive skill, and the Kelowna pairing should offer some good chemistry if they're able to carry it over to the larger ice surface.

Lemieux gets the nod as the 13th forward, as overall the forward group is on the smaller side. Beauvillier would be the higher-skilled option, while Hawryluk and Harkins are solid overall forwards.

From a few viewings and what I've read, McCann seems like a good type to add to the forward group as a defensive player (who can still keep up offensively).

 

[Mickey the mouse]

Have they announced coach yet ?

If no, when will they ?

 

[1Gold Standard]

Have they announced coach yet ?

If no, when will they ?

Dave Lowry coach of the Victoria Royals. was an assistant on the 2015 team. His assistants in Helsinki will be Dominique Ducharme, Martin Raymond and D.J. Smith.

 

[Mickey the mouse]

Thanks !

 

[86Habs]

From a few viewings and what I've read, McCann seems like a good type to add to the forward group as a defensive player (who can still keep up offensively).

Agreed re: McCann. Not sure where exactly he would fit into the lineup, but if I were to slot him in I'd probably replace Merkley and move Point over to the wing on the 4th line. While Point is a natural center, he played wing exclusively at the WJs last winter, IIRC so shouldn't be out of place. We don't have the biggest group of forwards this year, that's for sure. However, it should be a group that is well-suited to the international ice surface.

Putting a roster together at this point is a bit of a guessing game, but I would hazard to guess that all of the forwards in my proposed lineup will be available to us in December 2015. Fabbri is the biggest risk, but even if he makes St. Louis out of camp it would presumably be in a limited role and he would therefore be made available to us. I could honestly see the rest of the forwards spend the entire year in the CHL (less their 9 games, in some instances).

 

[1Gold Standard]

Agreed re: McCann. Not sure where exactly he would fit into the lineup, but if I were to slot him in I'd probably replace Merkley and move Point over to the wing on the 4th line. While Point is a natural center, he played wing exclusively at the WJs last winter, IIRC so shouldn't be out of place. We don't have the biggest group of forwards this year, that's for sure. However, it should be a group that is well-suited to the international ice surface.

Putting a roster together at this point is a bit of a guessing game, but I would hazard to guess that all of the forwards in my proposed lineup will be available to us in December 2015. Fabbri is the biggest risk, but even if he makes St. Louis out of camp it would presumably be in a limited role and he would therefore be made available to us. I could honestly see the rest of the forwards spend the entire year in the CHL (less their 9 games, in some instances).

With Hitch only getting a 1 year extension he hasn't got the rope to play rookies. Hitch needs to deliver now. I don't anticipate Fabbri being in St. Louis beyond the 9 games to open the season. Looking forward to him suiting up Christmas time in Helsinki.

 

[JackSlater]

Putting a roster together at this point is a bit of a guessing game, but I would hazard to guess that all of the forwards in my proposed lineup will be available to us in December 2015. Fabbri is the biggest risk, but even if he makes St. Louis out of camp it would presumably be in a limited role and he would therefore be made available to us. I could honestly see the rest of the forwards spend the entire year in the CHL (less their 9 games, in some instances).

I can see the more physical guys getting a shot. Marner is probably the best forward of those listed, but he's likely too small to make it right away. Crouse is already big and competent defensively... I could see him making the NHL early for those reasons. Virtanen similarly plays a pretty physical game (he isn't that big yet though) that could work on lower lines if Vancouver wants him. Just to be clear before the the warriors converge on me, Virtanen and Crouse aren't the best forwards or anything, but they do strike me as guys who have potential to make the NHL.

The potential for surprises like O'Reilly always exists too.

 

[86Habs]

With Hitch only getting a 1 year extension he hasn't got the rope to play rookies. Hitch needs to deliver now. I don't anticipate Fabbri being in St. Louis beyond the 9 games to open the season. Looking forward to him suiting up Christmas time in Helsinki.

Great point.

I can see the more physical guys getting a shot. Marner is probably the best forward of those listed, but he's likely too small to make it right away. Crouse is already big and competent defensively... I could see him making the NHL early for those reasons. Virtanen similarly plays a pretty physical game (he isn't that big yet though) that could work on lower lines if Vancouver wants him. Just to be clear before the the warriors converge on me, Virtanen and Crouse aren't the best forwards or anything, but they do strike me as guys who have potential to make the NHL.

The potential for surprises like O'Reilly always exists too.

I thought about Crouse too, and physically he probably belongs in the NHL. As a rule of thumb I personally don't like these very recently-drafted kids playing 4th line duty in the NHL instead of honing their skills in the CHL and suiting up for Team Canada at the WJ's, but I realize there are exceptions. I'd love to see Crouse play for us again this December, but he does seem to have a pro-style game and the maturity level to stick. I guess we'll see. As far as Virtanen goes, my opinion is that he has quite a bit to work on at the junior level next year, and his game (as it stands right now) may not translate quite as well to the NHL and some further development is needed. He's apparently still running over people in the AHL playoffs, so that's promising if you're a Vancouver fan.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Great point.



I thought about Crouse too, and physically he probably belongs in the NHL. As a rule of thumb I personally don't like these very recently-drafted kids playing 4th line duty in the NHL instead of honing their skills in the CHL and suiting up for Team Canada at the WJ's, but I realize there are exceptions. I'd love to see Crouse play for us again this December, but he does seem to have a pro-style game and the maturity level to stick. I guess we'll see. As far as Virtanen goes, my opinion is that he has quite a bit to work on at the junior level next year, and his game (as it stands right now) may not translate quite as well to the NHL and some further development is needed. He's apparently still running over people in the AHL playoffs, so that's promising if you're a Vancouver fan.

Of course Fabbri could force his way on to that team though...I wouldn't give him great odds considering what's at stake for the team and more specially for the coach... but I wouldn't be shocked if he did. I'm a believer. I'm just of the opinion that the vast majority of junior age players (99.95%) belong in junior. The Connor McDavid types being the .05% exception to the rule.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

If Fabbri sticks with the Blues it will be a shocker. I think he will be available for the team.

I don't think that Crouse is NHL ready, either.

When is the list of summer camp invites being released? It's usually around this time, no?

 

[1Gold Standard]

If Fabbri sticks with the Blues it will be a shocker. I think he will be available for the team.

I don't think that Crouse is NHL ready, either.

When is the list of summer camp invites being released? It's usually around this time, no?

I don't remember it ever being released this early. Camp is at the end of July/beginning of August.

For a lot of NHL GMs, ready or not ready is often not the deciding factor. Cheap ELC. But of course I'll give NHL GMs more credit than the hordes of HF pseudo experts who like to play fantasy GM and micromanage a prospect's career from their keyboards, complete with workout routine and suggestions on diet. That's always hilarious. Frustrating...but hilarious.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I don't remember it ever being released this early. Camp is at the end of July/beginning of August.

For a lot of NHL GMs, ready or not ready is often not the deciding factor. Cheap ELC. But of course I'll give NHL GMs more credit than the hordes of HF pseudo experts who like to play fantasy GM and micromanage a prospect's career from their keyboards, complete with workout routine and suggestions on diet. That's always hilarious. Frustrating...but hilarious.

Yeah, but the list of invitees is usually announced in June.

edit - last year it was announced June 23, so imagine it will be similar timing this year.

Has HC announced what sort of tournament they plan on having?

 

[1Gold Standard]

Yeah, but the list of invitees is usually announced in June.

edit - last year it was announced June 23, so imagine it will be similar timing this year.

Has HC announced what sort of tournament they plan on having?

iirc late June last year it was announced. but of course my memory is failing me in advanced years ) hahaha.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I'm curious to see if the final roster will have a significant number of 18 year old players. 97s > 96s.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I'm curious to see if the final roster will have a significant number of 18 year old players. 97s > 96s.

I would expect so - particularly amongst the forwards. The 96s aren't that great and the best ones are/will be in the NHL.

Of course, HC often makes questionable roster decisions, so who knows...

 

[leafsfuture]

I would expect so - particularly amongst the forwards. The 96s aren't that great and the best ones are/will be in the NHL.

Of course, HC often makes questionable roster decisions, so who knows...

2 years ago they went heavy on 95s as the 94 class was pretty weak up front. I expect something similar this year. 96 is certain > 94s, but then I would also say thew 97 forward class (including McDavid) is best since 1990 which has Stamkos, Tavares, Eberle, Hodgson