Bolstered by the goaltending of Olivier Roy, the Canadian National Junior Team scored a 4-1 victory over Sweden on Tuesday in the second of three pre-World Junior Championship exhibition games at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Meanwhile, across the border, the U.S. National Junior Team dropped its second straight game via a shootout, this time to the Czech Republic, 3-2, at The Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y.

"I don't think anybody thought we were going to win every game, 8-0," Cameron told The Canadian Press. "There's a lot of good hockey teams here and Sweden is one of them. It's a real challenge to beat them and they pushed us and we found a way.

"It was a real good test. That's how you get better."

Brayden Schenn, Zack Kassian, Ryan Johansen and Cody Eakin scored for Team Canada. Despite the victory, much was made of the Canadians dismal power-play, which went 1-for-8. Max Friberg scored midway through the third period to pull the Swedes within 2-1.

The Americans received a pair of goals by Kyle Palmieri but the Czech Republic notched a 3-2 victory in a shootout, marking the second straight shootout loss for Team USA. Team USA finished 1-for-6 on the power-play and goalie Jack Campbell stopped 30 of 33 shots. Czech goalie Filip Novotny made 32 saves, including 14 in the second period. Defenseman Martin Planek and forward Petr Straka scored for the Czechs.

"We're a team that wants to play with speed," Team USA coach Keith Allain said.

Team USA closes its pre-tournament schedule on Thursday against Norway at Jamestown Savings Bank Arena in Jamestown, N.Y.

Cameron isn't sure who'll start in goal for the final exhibition against Finland on Thursday in Kitchener, Ont. before opening the WJC against Russia on Sunday.

Team USA announced the 22-player roster for the World Junior Championship on Wednesday morning via its Facebook account.

For the scoop on all the returnees -- of which there are eight -- and those who made the final cut, click here.

The members of the U.S. National Junior Team will get a real treat on on Wednesday evening when Joe Dames, a decorated U.S. Army Ranger who served six tours of duty in Iraq between 2006-09, speaks to them in Amherst, N.Y.

When Norway earned a spot in the main draw of this year's World Juniors, never in their wildest dreams did they anticipate this type of loss even before the games had begun.
 
According to Jan-Petter Selvik, who is accompanying Norway's National Junior Team to Buffalo for the tournament, Airline Lufthansa was unable to inform team representatives exactly where and when their missing hockey bags and equipment were lost or even when they will be returned.
 
As a result, Norway has decided to send 11 players to Buffalo to purchase new equipment and other miscellaneous items as needed. Pretty amazing that the Norwegians and coach Geir Hoff are forced to deal with this at a time when they should be concentrating on playing the game they love.
 
"We have agreed to focus forward and do our best," Selvik said in his blog. Norway's scrimmage against Slovakia, originally slated for Monday, now will be played at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, at the Jamestown (N.Y.) Savings Bank Arena.
 
Selvik also mentions in his blog that some players and managers lack personal clothing and medication, but that they are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

Coyotes prospect Chris Brown scored twice and goalie Jack Campbell, the Stars' 2010 first-round pick, stopped 12 of 14 shots in playing just over half the game. His replacement, Andy Iles, stopped four of shots he faced.

Emerson Etem also had a goal for Team USA.

"I don't know if I'd call it a crazy game, but it certainly was an interesting finish," U.S. coach Keith Allain told USA Hockey's website. "We'll continue to evaluate our players as we get closer to the tournament."

Team USA took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the first period. Brock Nelson, who the Islanders took in the first round of the 2010 Draft, won an offensive-zone faceoff cleanly to Brown, who fired a shot high past the blocker of Rensselaer goalie Allen York, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect. York, incidentally, made 34 saves, including 17 of 18 in the opening period when the U.S. was consistently buzzing in the RPI end.

Rensselaer took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, but Team USA responded to tie it when Panthers 2009 draft pick Drew Shore slid a pass through the slot to Emerson Etem, taken by the Ducks with the 29th pick of the 2010 Draft, who fired a quick shot over York's glove.

The U.S. regained its one-goal lead with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second off a three-on-two rush when Brown connected for his second of the night off a shot high to the far post. RPI answered back late in the third to square the game again and send it into overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, RPI needed 12 shootout rounds to defeat Team USA, as Maple Leafs prospect Jerry D'Amigo failed to convert on the final shot.

The contest was the first of three pre-tournament games slated to prepare the U.S. They next play the Czech Republic on Tuesday at The Sports Centre at MCC in Rochester, N.Y.

The defending gold medalists will announce its 22-man roster on Wednesday morning.

Canada named defenseman Ryan Ellis as captain for its 2011 World Junior Championship team.

This will be Ellis' third WJC, making him the seventh player in Hockey Canada history to participate in three tournaments. With a gold in 2009 and a silver last year, he's hoping to become the fourth Canadian player to win three WJC medals, joining Jason Botterill, Jay Bouwmeester and Jason Spezza.

Ellis, taken by the Nashville Predators with the 11th pick of the 2009 Entry Draft, also is captain of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.

Named as alternate captains were the three other players who won silver alongside Ellis that are returning for this year's WJC -- defensemen Jared Cowen and Calvin de Haan, and forward Brayden Schenn.

Following two days of intrasquad scrimmaging and some serious note-taking, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League announced the release of nine players from Canada's National Junior Team selection camp on Tuesday morning.

The nine players released were defensemen Jesse Blacker (Toronto, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL) and Brayden McNabb (Davidson, Sask./Kootenay, WHL) and forwards Brendan Gallagher (Delta, B.C./ Vancouver, WHL), Joey Hishon (Stratford, Ont./Owen Sound, OHL), Ryan Howse (Prince George, B.C./ Chilliwack, WHL), Brad Ross (Lethbridge, Alta./Portland, WHL), Reilly Smith (Mimico, Ont./Miami University, CCHA), Linden Vey (Wakaw, Sask./Medicine Hat, WHL) and Garrett Wilson (Elmvale, Ont.).

''It's definitely not a good feeling,'' said Hishon. ''It's probably the first time I've ever been cut by a team, but it's hard to argue with Hockey Canada's decision with their track record.

''I'll be their biggest fan over Christmas. It was tough, the games were pretty scrambly and tough to show your stuff, but I can't make any excuses. I should have played better.''

Blacker actually replaced injured defenseman Brandon Gormley on the pre-camp roster. Gormley sustained a knee injury while playing for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebeck Major Junior League just prior to the selection camp announcement.

Canada coach Dave Cameron had defenseman Erik Gudbranson paired with Jared Cowen in Monday's scrimmage. While nothing has been set in stone, there's little doubt defenders Cowen, Calvin de Haan and Ryan Ellis and forward Brayden Schenn will return to the Canadian lineup this year.

The remaining nine players released will likely be determined on Wednesday, if not earlier, in order to determine the final 22 roster spots at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship. The selection camp roster now stands at 31 players, including four goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 17 forwards.

A roster of players at selection camp will face a CIS all-star team on Dec. 14. Canada will play its first game of the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship on Boxing Day, Dec. 26 versus Russia.

Canada has medaled at twelve straight IIHF World Junior Championships including gold medal performances in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, silver medals in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010 and bronze medals in 2000 and 2001.

Forward Marcus Foligno, who holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship and is the son of former NHLer and ex-Buffalo Sabre Mike Foligno, scored a pair of goals for Team Red in Sunday's exhibition at MasterCard Centre in Toronto.

In Monday's scrimmage, Team White rebounded for a 7-5 victory behind goals from Ryan Johansen, Zack Kassian, Gallagher, Cody Eakin, Jared Cowen, Casey Cizikas and Vey. Quinton Howden chipped in with three assists. For Team Red, Jaden Schwartz, Curtis Hamilton, Ryan Howse, Reilly Smith and Carter Ashton connected.

Cameron said he will evaluate all four goalies -- J.P. Anderson of Mississauga St. Michael's (OHL), Calvin Pickard of Seattle (WHL), Olivier Roy of Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) and Mark Visentin of Niagara (OHL) -- before making his final cuts at the position.

All 2011 draft eligible camp invites -- Ryan Murphy of Kitchener (OHL), Sean Couturier of Drummondville (QMJHL) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Red Deer (WHL) -- remain, as does 17-year-old defenseman Ryan Murray of Everett (WHL). Murray is eligible for the 2012 Draft.

In October, Edmonton Oilers head amateur scout Stu MacGregor spoke to NHL.com about the process of pinpointing the top players eligible for the Entry Draft. It was rather enlightening, particularly since MacGregor played one of the lead roles in choosing Taylor Hall with the first overall pick in the 2010 Draft. Read MacGregor's story here.

This month, we spoke to Carolina Hurricanes head amateur scout Tony MacDonald, who provided the story behind the drafting of Jeff Skinner seventh overall in the 2010 Draft.


It's interesting to hear about what the top scouts are looking for and how they ultimately determine who should be drafted when and where. For one thing, it's certainly interesting reading for those eligible 2011 prospects.

The drafting of Skinner was somewhat of an eye-opener, particularly since the Kitchener Rangers center had been rated 34th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the draft at Staples Center in Los Angeles. But he was deemed much higher by MacDonald, whose decision is now looking pretty golden.

Instead of getting an invite to the Canadian World Junior camp, Skinner continues to do his best in helping the Hurricanes as one of the top rookies in the League. Skinner has 8 goals and 20 points in 28 games for the 'Canes this season in 16:21 of ice time per game.

In recent games, Skinner has basically played left wing alongside center Tuomo Ruutu and Chad LaRose.

In case you missed it, the top-rated defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Saint John Sea Dogs blueliner Nathan Beaulieu, explains his path to prominence in the Canadian juniors.

The hockey programs at No. 11 Michigan and Michigan State are set to go head-to-head on Saturday in 'The Big Chill' -- the much anticipate outdoor hockey extravaganza that is sure to leave more than its share of lasting memories of the Big House at Michigan University.

In case you missed it, NHL.com correspondent James Murphy crafted an eloquent piece on the big game. Read it here.

The Wolverines were practicing in flurries in their first two days of workouts outdoors this week and no matter the elements or conditions on Saturday, a crowd of over 100,000 is expected. For the record, however, there's a 20 percent chance of snow for the fifth major college outdoor hockey game.

All 109,901 tickets have been sold for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association game. The original Cold War game on the campus of Michigan State at Spartan Stadium in 2001 broke the all-time hockey attendance, 74,544. A world-record attendance of 77,803 last May watched the USA play Germany in the domed Veletins Arena soccer stadium at the World Championships in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

If you're going to the game, you might want to pay special attention to three players who were named 'C Players' to watch in the CCHA by the NHL's Central Scouting Service. A 'C Rating' is designated to a player the Central Scouting is tracking as a potential late-round selection for the 2011 Entry Draft.

Those players include defenseman Kevin Clare and center Jacob Fallon of Michigan and goaltender Will Yanakeff of Michigan State. There's a strong possibility, however, that Yanakeff will be backing up Drew Palmisano in the MSU net on Saturday.

Clare has played just six games and has one assist and four shots. Fallon, whose strengths are his speed and passing ability, has a goal and three points in 12 games for the Wolverines. Fallon's career took a bit of a hit last winter when he was suspended by the USNTDP for a drinking violation. A month and a half after returning from suspension, he was involved in another incident and chose to leave the program for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League for a fresh start. Despite all that, Fallon has made good for head coach Red Berenson and still expects to be an NHL draft pick in June.

Yanakeff, whose favorite player is former MSU standout and 2010 Vezina Trophy winning NHL goalie Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, is 0-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .886 save percentage this season. In 10 games with the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL, Yanakeff went 5-5-0 with a 3.41 GAA.

More details and a live audio feed of the game, which begins 3 p.m. ET, can be accessed here.

So just about all the preliminary rosters for all 10 countries participating in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship beginning Dec. 26 all set.

Here's the rundown:

Group A
USA
Switzerland
Finland
Slovakia
Germany

Group B
Canada
Sweden
Russia
Czech Republic
Norway

NHL.com offered a few interesting 2011 draft eligible prospect pieces posted this week.

The first was on YouTube sensation Ryan Strome of the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League. Strome connected for a pair of goals on Thursday to lead Niagara to a 5-3 victory over the Windsor Spitfires before 5,960 at the WFCU Centre. Read Strome's tale right here.

Scott Mayfield of the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL wrapped up a huge month of November, which included a gold medal for Team USA at the World Junior 'A' Challenge in Penticton, B.C., in his draft blog. Excellent read.

On Dec. 2, we released a feature on Oshawa's Boone Jenner, who learned very early in life the value of heavy labor. Read it here.

Some of you may recall the time Matt and Terri Jenner were in quite a quandary on Sept. 19, 2009, when their youngest son, Boone, and eldest, Leo, were scheduled to go head-to-head in an OHL match at Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Mich.

Leo, at the time a 6-foot-4, 224-pound defenseman for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, even found himself denying little brother Boone at certain points in the game within the defensive zone.

"It was nerve-wracking," Terri Jenner told Peter Krupsky of the Plymouth Whalers Examiner after the game. "But it was fun and worth it."

Terri donned an Oshawa jersey in honor of Boone while Matt wore a Plymouth jersey for Leo, who played five seasons in Plymouth. He's currently starring at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

As it turned out, 6-1/4, 194-pound Boone held his own playing center for the Oshawa Generals but Plymouth would prevail in overtime, 6-5.

The Jenners would combine for three goals and an assist in the game -- Leo hitting once and Boone depositing a pair of deflections when Oshawa rallied to tie the contest in the third period. The end wasn't quick enough for the parents, however.

"I remember scoring a goal in that first game we played them and he was on the ice so I let him know about that every now and again," Boone said. "He always says it was on the power play so I had the advantage."