Traditionally featuring around 30 players, beginning in early December and running for two weeks before the World Junior Hockey Championship Boxing Day opening game, the event is compact, extremely competitive and brings the best out of those contending for coveted spots on the team.
In the era of COVID-19 and with two of the three Canadian Hockey League loops not playing until the new year, it’s all about going bigger and longer.
Hockey Canada announced Thursday that 46 players had been invited to the camp, which will begin Nov. 16 and run through Dec. 13 in a cohort bubble in Red Deer. That’s a month of practices, exhibition games and everything imaginable to help prepare for what promises to be a unique event.
Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Alan Millar will have a front-row seat for the entire process. The Hockey Canada U20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, Millar will have a hand in how things play out throughout, including what the final make-up of the team will look like.
And you better believe Millar and the entire Hockey Canada crew are looking forward to it all.
“It’s a really exciting day,” Millar said Thursday afternoon. “It’s a long process with two leagues in the CHL not playing any games and Quebec League playing minimal games. Certainly a lot of video scouting, a lot of player personnel conference calls.
“Our camp isn’t about just selecting the best team, it’s also about preparing our team to play at the World Junior level beginning on Boxing Day. I think Andre Tourigny and our coaching staff have a real good plan to help us do that, playing upwards of as many 11 pre-comp games, whether that’s intrasquad, USports or pre-tournament games against Sweden and Russia.”
The camp roster is filled with familiar names, including a six players from last year’s gold medal team -- including Quinton Byfield (Sudbury OHL), Bowen Byram (Vancouver), Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge), Jamie Drysdale (Erie, OHL), Connor McMicheal (London, OHL) and Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi, QMJHL). Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Daemon Hunt is also in the mix, taking part in his first National Junior Team selection camp.
That list received a further boost when the Chicago Blackhawks released former Saskatoon Blades forward Kirby Dach to the team, and Hockey Canada is also hoping to see NHL first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere join the camp from the New York Rangers.
“You add those two to a very strong group without them, it’s really exciting,” Millar said. “But it’s not only Canada. I think we have great depth and great talent, but with the NHL’s return to play, there could be other players available, whether it’s (Finland’s) Kaapo Kakko with the Rangers or (the U.S.’s ) Jack Hughes with New Jersey, all of these guys are available to play in another World Juniors if their NHL teams want them to.
“Our camp is going to be very competitive, and like every year with Canada’s national junior team there are going to be some tough decisions to make.”
The spectre of COVID-19 will hang over the entire proceeding. The camp will take place in a tight bubble, with no fans or media allowed. Players will be tested when they arrive in Red Deer and every three days afterwards. Once in Edmonton for the tournament proper, it will be much the same procedure as the NHL went through -- all 10 World Junior teams will isolate in hotel rooms for four days, with the same kind of testing regime and player protection protocols will be in place.
“I think everybody understands what we have to do in order to play, and I think we have a very motivated group of players that had an extended stay at home and haven’t been playing games,” Millar said. “There’s a lot of excitement from those players to get going and we understand as a staff that we have to get creative and keep everyone busy.
“But this is a different situation than the NHL where you’re dealing with men, guys who are married and have kids and so forth. We’re dealing with teenagers, and at the same time we take the responsibility for their mental state and all those things. Those are real important to keep in mind, but at the same time we have a real excited and motivated group to get back on the ice.”
The camp will see two practices daily through Nov. 20, with intrasquad games daily from Nov. 21 through 24. Exhibition games against USports squads will take place on Nov. 28 and 29, Dec. 5 and 6 and Dec. 12 and 13.
Canada plays its first game on Dec. 26 against Germany.
