CALGARY 鈥� The battle for jobs on defence and at forward on sa国际传媒鈥檚 junior hockey team may be over, but the internal goaltending competition is underway.
Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls and Jordan Binnington of the Owen Sound Attack will try to prove during sa国际传媒鈥檚 pre-competition camp in Finland next week that they deserve to be sa国际传媒鈥檚 starter at the world junior hockey championships in Ufa, Russia.
Canadian head coach Steve Spott revealed Saturday that Jake Paterson of the Saginaw Spirit will be his alternate goaltender.
This year鈥檚 team has taken the unusual step of bringing a third goaltender for insurance against injury and because of the travel distance to south-central Russia.
鈥淛ake鈥檚 going to be a big part of this program again next year and for years to come,鈥� Spott said. 鈥淲e will start with the two 19-year-olds, Malcolm and Jordan, and we鈥檒l see how that plays out.鈥�
The 23 players had their first practice as a team Saturday and the only one in sa国际传媒 before heading to the airport later in the afternoon. sa国际传媒 will play exhibition games against the host Finns on Dec. 20 and Sweden on Dec. 22 before heading to Ufa on Dec. 23.
Spott set a hard pace in practice.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they expected a practice like that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e wanted to push them here today so they can sleep on the plane.鈥�
sa国际传媒 opens the world junior tournament Dec. 26 against Germany.
Countries submit their tournament rosters the day before, but the addition of a goaltender after that is allowed if one of the two are injured, under International Ice Hockey Federation rules.
Spott says the starter鈥檚 job is an open competition.
Subban is the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban. Malcolm is accustomed to the wider ice sa国际传媒 will play on in Ufa because Belleville鈥檚 Yardman Arena is the same size.
The six-foot-two, 201-pound Toronto native played for sa国际传媒 in a four-game summer series against the Russians. Two games were played in Yaroslavl, Russia, and the other two in Halifax.
Subban went 2-0 with a win in each country. He was in net for the pivotal final game, which sa国际传媒 won 4-2 to take the series. He has a 15-7-3 record, a 2.17 goals-against average and .932 save percentage with Belleville this season.
He鈥檚 athletic and quick. The goaltender鈥檚 demeanour influences the confidence of his teammates in front of him. Subban鈥檚 action on his glove saves announces 鈥淚鈥檝e got this.鈥�
The Boston Bruins prospect was believed to have the inside track on the starter鈥檚 job, but allowing three goals on seven shots in one exhibition game versus university players during selection camp didn鈥檛 inspire confidence.
鈥淟ike I said from the start of camp, I was coming here trying to earn my spot and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 still trying to do,鈥� Subban said Saturday.
Binnington, from Richmond Hill, Ont., didn鈥檛 play against the Russians in the summer, but came into selection camp playing the best of the four invited with a 17-6-1-2 record, 2.07 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
鈥淚鈥檝e been feeling good,鈥� Binnington said earlier this week. 鈥淗opefully I won鈥檛 skip a stride here and just keep doing what I鈥檓 doing and things go well.鈥�
The six-foot-two, 169-pound St. Louis Blues prospect is technically sound and covers angles well. Binnington has moxie too. When he was left off sa国际传媒鈥檚 summer roster, goaltending coach Ron Tugnutt says Binnington told him flat-out 鈥測ou鈥檙e making a mistake.鈥�
Subban and Binnington will be competing hard in the exhibition games for the distinction of No. 1, but Spott wasn鈥檛 ruling out giving Paterson ice time in those games.
鈥淲e might do a split. We鈥檝e thought about that,鈥� Spott said.
Eighteen-year-old Paterson, from Mississauga, Ont., stopped all 33 shots he faced over three games at camp.
Paterson鈥檚 record with Saginaw this season was 12-1-0-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
