Having witnessed a doozy during training camp in Greater Victoria, sa国际传媒鈥檚 junior national hockey team plans to bring a Pacific storm of its own to the 2019 IIHF world U-20 championship.
The tournament begins on Boxing Day with defending-champion sa国际传媒 headlining Group A and playing Phillip Schultz and upset-minded Denmark at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Pool B will be based at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria.
sa国际传媒 concludes pre-tournament play Sunday night against Finland in Vancouver. Nobody in the Canadian camp was completely satisfied with Wednesday鈥檚 5-3 pre-tournament victory over Switzerland in Victoria. That was followed on Blanshard Street with a much sharper and more focused 6-1 victory over Slovakia on Friday.
鈥淓veryone on this team is dangerous. Everyone here is a star on their own club team,鈥� said Canadian defenceman Evan Bouchard of the OHL鈥檚 London Knights, a first-round draft pick of the Oilers, who began the season with seven games in the NHL with Edmonton.
That is why Barry Petrachenko of Victoria, CEO of sa国际传媒 Hockey and co-chair of the world junior championship organizing committee with Vancouver Giants owner Ron Toigo, fought hard to have the Canadian camp on the Island. Especially with all of sa国际传媒鈥檚 tournament games scheduled for Vancouver.
鈥淚t was a big decision for us, but I really wanted that for Victoria because Team sa国际传媒 brings a lot of cachet,鈥� said Petrachenko.
The eventful training camp took the Canadian players from the Q Centre in Langford to the Wurtele CFB Naden rink in Esquimalt to the Memorial Centre downtown.
It was a success with more than 4,500 fans in total attending the three warm-up exhibitions against the U Sports all-stars at The Q Centre and a combined 13,018 fans 鈥� 6,792 for the Switzerland game and 6,226 for the Slovakia game 鈥� attending the two-tournament games at the Memorial Centre. More than 1,200 young Island players also watched an open Canadian practice session on Thursday.
鈥淭he Island camp was a great shakedown to get sa国际传媒 ready for the tournament,鈥� Petrachenko said.
Tom Renney, CEO of Hockey sa国际传媒, agreed.
鈥淚t was excellent to get the bugs out,鈥� said Renney.
鈥淭he support here [on the Island] was the critical ingredient and the fans and volunteers were a big component of that.鈥�
Unlike club play, a national team must come together very quickly. These foundational effects from the past two weeks on the Island will be felt as sa国际传媒 looks to defend its gold medal in Vancouver.
鈥淭here are so many emotions in this tournament,鈥� said forward Jack Studnicka, a Boston Bruins second-round draft pick out of the Oshawa General of the OHL.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a learning process and we are feeling each other out.鈥�
If there was a common tactical theme expressed in the Canadian camp, it revolved around team speed.
鈥淲e want to be the fastest team [in the tournament],鈥� said Studnicka.
Canadian head coach Tim Hunter, meanwhile, has yet to name his captain and assistant captains. A leading candidate for the captainship is Maxime Comtois of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, who began the season with two goals and seven points in 10 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks, and who had three goals and two assists for five points in the two-game set against the Swiss and Slovaks on Blanshard. Comtois is the lone returnee from last year鈥檚 gold-medallist Canadian team.
鈥淵ou grow up as a kid watching this tournament, and now I have the chance to play in it twice,鈥� he said.
Victoria was good preparation, he added: 鈥淭here were lots of fans here and it was pretty fun.鈥�
Comtois seems to have it all and can hit as hard as he skates.
鈥淧hysicality has always been a big part of my game, and hopefully, that helps pave the way for some of our skill players,鈥� said Comtois.
But Hunter wasn鈥檛 tipping his hand.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in no hurry [to name a captain],鈥� said Hunter, while in Victoria.
鈥淲e are going to let it happen and unfold naturally.鈥�
Meanwhile, the Canadian camp was heartened to see the return to game action in Victoria, against Switzerland and Slovakia, of Los Angeles Kings鈥� second-round draft pick Jaret Anderson-Dolan. He began the season with five games in the NHL and his career-first assist for the Kings, and five games in the AHL, with two assists for the Ontario Reign. The WHL Spokane Chiefs forward had been out since early November following wrist surgery.
鈥淚t felt good to get that first shift out of the way,鈥� said Anderson-Dolan, following the game against Switzerland.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of getting the rhythm back and trying to get the range of motion back.鈥�
If Canadian staff were relieved to get Anderson-Dolan back, that鈥檚 nothing compared to the player himself.
鈥淎ny Canadian boy would say it鈥檚 a dream come true to be able to wake up on Boxing Day and play for sa国际传媒,鈥� said Anderson-Dolan.
GROUP B PREVIEW: A look at Group B in the IIHF world junior championship tournament, which will be based in Victoria, appears in today鈥檚 Islander section.
