Defenceman Daemon Hunt, 18, was one of five players Hockey Canada was forced to release immediately after getting out of quarantine on Tuesday morning due to being “unfit to continue to play based on return-to-play protocols”.
Defencemen Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings), Mason Millman (Saginaw Spirit), forwards Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings) and Xavier Simoneau (Drummondville Voltigeurs) were also immediately released.
The move comes after players and staff had spent the previous 14 days in quarantine in their Red Deer hotel.
“Those five players are in a difficult situation, this isn’t a hockey decision, this is a health decision and they were unable to attend camp today,” said senior vice-president of national teams Scott Salmond in a video on the Hockey Canada website Tuesday. “I can’t thank those players enough, you can imagine how difficult that would be, to go through 14 days of quarantine and have a call made to them and their parents yesterday that based on Return to Play protocols they would not be able to continue at camp.”
Canada’s selection camp was temporarily halted on Nov. 26 after two players and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Players and staff were tested multiple times a day during quarantine, and anyone who tested positive after Nov. 29 is ineligible to enter the next phase of the tournament -- the Edmonton bubble that will see all nine World Junior teams sequestered in a similar situation to the successful NHL plan this summer.
Because of those strict rules, Hockey Canada’s hands were tied.
“They’re great players, great families and understood the situation,” Salmond said. “We had some great conversations and feel horribly for those kids, but now we have to move on with the 41 players we have at camp.”
Salmond further revealed that while all five hadn’t tested positive at camp, the 17-day post-positive-exposure protocol was also a factor.
The key now will be to keep healthy after the quarantine and enter the bubble in as good as shape as possible.
“I can’t say enough about the incredible resiliency and commitment from our players and staff and our whole group getting through a difficult 14 days, but you could see the excitement in the players getting on the bus and then on the ice,” Salmond said.
The 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship is slated to begin Dec. 25, with Canada facing Germany in their opening game on Boxing Day.
