Roster for Team Canada at the U18 IIHF World Championship

HabLover

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Goaltenders

Bernier, Jonathan L/G 5'11 180 08/07/88 Laval, QC Lewiston (QMJHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Lazaruk, Kris L/G 6'1 165 06/06/88 Edmonton, AB Kootenay (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.

Defence

Bartley, Victor L/G 6'0 197 02/17/88 Maple Ridge, BC Kamloops (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Corrente, Matthew R/D 6'0 196 03/17/88 Mississauga, ON Saginaw (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Ellerby, Keaton L/G 6'3 182 11/05/88 Okotoks, AB Kamloops (WHL) 2007 Dft/Rep.
Pyett, Logan R/D 5'10 199 05/26/88 Milestone, SK Regina (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Schira, Craig R/D 5'10.5 190 04/21/88 Saskatoon, SK Regina (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Shutron, Ben R/D 6'1 185 06/14/88 Orleans, ON Kingston (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Wishart, Ty L/G 6'4.5 214 05/19/88 Comox, BC Prince George (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.

Forwards

Azevedo, Justin R/D 5'6.5 168 04/01/88 London, ON Kitchener (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Beleskey, Matt L/G 6'0 195 06/07/88 Midhurst, ON Belleville (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Bouchard, François L/G 6'0 180 04/26/88 Sherbrooke, QC Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Carpentier, Hugo L/G 6'1.5 200 03/17/88 Hull, QC Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Chaput, Stéfan L/G 6'2 190 03/11/88 Montreal, QC Lewiston (QMJHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Emmerton, Cory L/G 6'0 190 06/01/88 St.Thomas, ON Kingston (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Matthias, Shawn L/G 6'3 211 02/19/88 Mississauga, ON Belleville (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Maxwell, Ben L/G 6'0 175 03/30/88 North Vancouver, BC Kootenay (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
McDonough, Ryan L/G 5'9 183 01/02/88 Toronto, ON Saginaw (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
McGinn, Jamie L/G 6'0.5 183 08/05/88 Fergus, ON Ottawa (OHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Nelson, Levi L/G 6'0 168 04/28/88 Calgary, AB Swift Current (WHL) 2006 Dft/Rep.
Sutter, Brandon R/D 6'2 171 02/14/89 Red Deer, AB Red Deer (WHL) 2007 Dft/Rep.
Tavares, John L/G 6'0 183 09/20/90 Oakville, ON Oshawa (OHL) 2009 Dft/Rep.

Very suprised to see a guy like Brandon Sutter named to the team, as it is not like he is a 'phenom' in the making or anything. Notable guys not named would be Hughes, Fadden and even Toews, but perhaps they are all either injured or unavailable(as Toews is still playing). I still find John Tavares being selected somewhat of a surprise, but I guess the kid did light it up this year in the OHL and at the U17's he did lead the tourney in scoring playing against the '89's. I still think letting him play at the August U18 tourney would have been a better idea, even there he still would have been an underage.
 

Nielson81

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I'm a little surprised that Mitch Fadden was left on the squad.

He was an absolute force against the Calgary Hitmen, red hot right now.

I would have given him the nod over Levi Nelson.

Just my opinion though.
 

Hiishawk

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Nielson81 said:
I'm a little surprised that Mitch Fadden was left on the squad.

He was an absolute force against the Calgary Hitmen, red hot right now.

I would have given him the nod over Levi Nelson.

Just my opinion though.
I was going to say the exact same thing. Fadden had a great second half and also seems suited to Euro ice. Perhaps he declined an invite or has a nagging injury. Every other player looks legit to me though I would have liked to see Armstrong in goal and maybe Breault up front with Bouchard although his stock seems to be falling.
 

Ryan Van Horne

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HabLover said:
Goaltenders

I still find John Tavares being selected somewhat of a surprise, but I guess the kid did light it up this year in the OHL and at the U17's he did lead the tourney in scoring playing against the '89's. I still think letting him play at the August U18 tourney would have been a better idea, even there he still would have been an underage.

Tavares is on the fast track. I think Hockey Canada is grooming him for the junior team. It's very likely Oshawa will make the playoffs next year and Tavares won't be available for the under-18s. Maybe they think this might be their only chance to get him on the under-18 team in the spring. There's no doubt in my mind he's talented enough to play at the tournament and has earned the spot with his play this year.

Though only one 1989 born player (Sutter) was picked, I was surprised Logan Couture was not picked. Couture's defence is good enough that he could have filled a third or fourth line defensive role, much like Toews did for the juniors this year. Couture had more points than Sutter, but maybe they figure Sutter's style is better suited for that so-called energy line Canada likes to use.

Also, there's something to be said for the Sutter connection, too. Being related to a gold-medal coach and having those bloodlines counts for a lot. I'm anxious to see the kid, I've been hearing a lot about him. ISS has him ranked very high for 2007 and so does McKeen's (both top five, I think).

I think Bernier will be motivated to play well after his team was upset in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs. Should be interesting. I'd like to see this event played in Canada some time.
 
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Le Golie

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A bit surprized at Lazaruk's selection. I bet if James Reimer wasn't injured he would have made it ahead of him.
 

willie

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Tavares' inclusion is seemingly a sure-fire indicator that he has a position to lose on next year's WJC team.
 

Greg7

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Very surprised about Fadden. Also very surprised about Lazaruk being chosen over Armstrong. Also very surprised about Tavares. Most surprised of all about Sutter. Full of surprises, this roster.
 

monster_bertuzzi

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HabLover said:
Very suprised to see a guy like Brandon Sutter named to the team, as it is not like he is a 'phenom' in the making or anything. Notable guys not named would be Hughes, Fadden and even Toews, but perhaps they are all either injured or unavailable(as Toews is still playing). I still find John Tavares being selected somewhat of a surprise, but I guess the kid did light it up this year in the OHL and at the U17's he did lead the tourney in scoring playing against the '89's. I still think letting him play at the August U18 tourney would have been a better idea, even there he still would have been an underage.

Hughes is too old (1987).
 

HabLover

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willie said:
Tavares' inclusion is seemingly a sure-fire indicator that he has a position to lose on next year's WJC team.

Not necessarily, but if the kid gets off to a similar or even better start to the OHL season in September, he should be a lock! You'd think it'd be tough to improve on a 45 goal season, but when you score that many at 15, it should be almost a given!
 

HabLover

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monster_bertuzzi said:
Hughes is too old (1987).

I am talking about John Hughes who plays for Belleville, with Beleskey. The kid had 80+ points as a 17 yr old. Perhaps he is injured or Team Canada was worried about too many small forwards/Centers?(Azevedo, McDonough, Maxwell and Hughes)
 

Dr.Sens(e)

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I too am surprised Couture didn't make it. He has been the 67's best forward over the 2nd half of the season and is certainly going to be a mainstay on Team Canada junior teams over the next several years (ala Tavares). But more than that, I really think he would have been one of the top forwards there, especially given he could have played with his regular linemate (McGinn), even on a depth line if need be.
 

badrobot101

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Zine said:
Can they make changes to the roster? N. Dakota was eliminated tonight meaning Toews is available.

Since the championship game is on Saturday night, he would have been available anyway. Maybe they don't want him to get burnt out with too much hockey? Or, they figured he already played for Canada this year, and someone else deserves a shot at a championship....
 

Eldrick

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badrobot101 said:
Since the championship game is on Saturday night, he would have been available anyway. Maybe they don't want him to get burnt out with too much hockey? Or, they figured he already played for Canada this year, and someone else deserves a shot at a championship....
I believe the second part is partially correct. Canada has had a policy (although I'm not sure it's official) of not allowing players who have already played for the U-20 team to play for the U-18 team. The idea is it will give more of the younger players an opportunity to gain international experience before they enter the U-20 program.
 

timlap

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I have the idea that this is not a particularly strong roster. Can someone who follows these players more closely agree or disagree so I can get a better sense?
 

HabLover

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timlap said:
I have the idea that this is not a particularly strong roster. Can someone who follows these players more closely agree or disagree so I can get a better sense?

USA roster anyone??....anything confirmed for them?
 

Hiishawk

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timlap said:
I have the idea that this is not a particularly strong roster. Can someone who follows these players more closely agree or disagree so I can get a better sense?
About 10-12 of those players would be on an ideal Canada under 18 team, but Canada's depth is pretty great, so considering that Canada's roster is limited by its CHL playoff teams it's a pretty good set of players and I agree with all the choices except the one I mentioned earlier. The problem will be jelling of course. Every other U18 team's players are pretty familiar with one another. If Canada can play evenly with the "big six" using players who have played less than a week together I would be satisfied.
 

Greg7

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HabLover said:
USA roster anyone??....anything confirmed for them?
I thought they just send the USNTDP U18 team to events like this.

steblick: you like Lazaruk over Armstrong? This along with Fadden's mysterious absence are the only things I can say I disagree with, although I only have a reasonable amount of viewings of the WHL, so I have no opinion on the other leagues really. Sutter I thought was quite surprising, but I can't say I think it's a bad idea. Lazaruk over Armstrong and no Fadden though, I'm not sure I like.
 

Hiishawk

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Greg7 said:
I thought they just send the USNTDP U18 team to events like this.

steblick: you like Lazaruk over Armstrong? This along with Fadden's mysterious absence are the only things I can say I disagree with, although I only have a reasonable amount of viewings of the WHL, so I have no opinion on the other leagues really. Sutter I thought was quite surprising, but I can't say I think it's a bad idea. Lazaruk over Armstrong and no Fadden though, I'm not sure I like.
I prefer Armstrong but goalies are very very unpredictable. Lazaruk nonetheless seems a reasonable choice to me.
 

HabLover

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timlap said:
I have the idea that this is not a particularly strong roster. Can someone who follows these players more closely agree or disagree so I can get a better sense?

Well, as far as this roster goes, obviously it is not the strongest possible group of players Canada could or would send. With guys like Toews, Hamill, Staal, Sheppard, Alzner, Irving and even a guy like Claude Giroux may have been included, all missing they are obviously missing some key ingredients.

This team does have key guys at all positions and they may have enough to make it to the medal games? Although it would be nice to have Iriving too, Bernier will be a big part of the Team Canada and should be the starter. On defence, they have 4 guys back from last year's Gold medal winning team at the Junior World Cup. I am not sure about Bartley being included, but Corrente could be a nice addition and Pyett and Shutron will provide the offence from the backend. Up front they have enough offensive talent with guys like Maxwell, McDonough, Emmerton and then two guys who I am interested in seeing are Bouchard and Carpentier. They both put up pretty good numbers as 17 yr olds in the Q this year, but I have heard Bouchard is not a very good skater and I have not ever heard of Carpentier? Another interesting player will be John Tavares. It is obvious he has immense talent, but will he be able to score at his usual pace against the best 18 yr old players in the world? All the players in this tournament are basically 2 yrs older than Tavares. Brandon Sutter in my mind will be the 13th forward for this tourney.
 

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