Five files to follow at the Junior Team Canada camp

Junior Team Canada camp officially gets underway this evening at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario.

The players will have little time to showcase themselves, since on Wednesday, after two days of training and two preparatory matches against the university stars of the U Sports network, the final cuts will be made. The team will then head to Europe on Thursday in preparation for the World Junior Hockey Championship, which will begin on December 26 in Sweden.

The newspaper will cover the Canadian team’s camp, and here are five things we’ll be watching closely.

1. How many Quebecers?

Obviously, the big question! Last year, three representatives from Quebec – and four from the QMJHL including Nova Scotian Zach Dean – participated in winning gold in Halifax: Nathan Gaucher, Joshua Roy and Tyson Hinds.

This year, seven players from Quebec are in camp and eight from the QMJHL, adding defenseman Jake Furlong.

Although nothing has been decided, it appears that Tristan Luneau, Jordan Dumais, Maveric Lamoureux and Mathis Rousseau are already in a good position to earn a spot with the team. Noah Warren, Markus Vidicek, Samuel St-Hilaire and Furlong will have to prove to camp that they deserve their place.

2. The goalkeeper situation

For a second consecutive year, Team Canada is not counting on a goaltender with an “elite” profile, a high draft pick and top prospect in the NHL, on the contrary.

The organization instead has in its camp two never-drafted 19-year-old goalies, Quebecers Mathis Rousseau and Samuel St-Hilaire, a fifth-round NHL pick in Scott Ratzlaff and another seventh-round pick in Ontario’s Domenic DiVincentiis.

Rousseau’s outfit, which undoubtedly presents the best numbers of the four goalkeepers present this season, currently makes him one of the main candidates to obtain pole in front of the net. Speaking of statistics, St-Hilaire doesn’t look too bad at this level either, while he remains at the top of the league in several categories.

ÉCJ could count on a duo of Quebec goalkeepers for the first time since the 2002 tournament, when Olivier Michaud and Pascal Leclaire defended the Canadian cage.

3. A surprise return?

Only one NHL team has agreed to loan one of its players to ÉCJ: the Anaheim Ducks with Tristan Luneau.

No one expected Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli to be loaned, but hope remained in the cases of Matthew Poitras (Boston), Kevin Korchinski (Chicago), Shane Wright (Seattle) and Zach Benson (Buffalo).

It seems that the only one still with a chance of joining ÉCJ is Benson. This would be a huge offensive piece for the Canadian team.

4. What role for Owen Beck?

The Canadian is only counting on one prospect at the ECJ camp – Owen Beck –, and the latter wants to be the only player who experienced the conquest of gold in Halifax last year back with the team. CH’s second-round pick was initially cut in camp before receiving an unexpected call-up mid-tournament after Colton Dach’s injury. He then played the team’s last three matches and won gold with them.

Now 19 years old, Beck should be given a bigger role with ECJ, but will he be able to prove that he can be an important piece offensively on a team that is loaded with talent?

To be continued.

5. How will Macklin Celebrini fare?

Junior Team Canada is not used to making room for 17-year-old players for this tournament often reserved for more mature 19-year-old players, but could make an exception with Macklin Celebrini.

The man who is considered the best prospect for the next NHL draft is having a phenomenal season with the Boston University Terriers and is already showing that he can produce against older players.

After all, Connor Bedard was 17 last year and we have to admit that he didn’t do too badly…