Fucale wants to be Canada's WJC starter again

BROSSARD, Quebec – It is rare for the starting goaltender of the Canadian National Junior Team to return for a second year on the job.

Since Marc-Andre Fleury, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, did it at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2003 and 2004, only Arizona Coyotes prospect Mark Visentin has started at least half of Canada's games in back-to-back years at the WJC. He started four games each in 2011 and 2012.

Montreal Canadiens prospect Zachary Fucale is hoping to add his name to that list.

The goaltender for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League started the final five games of the 2014 tournament for Canada and is back this year to try to secure the starting job for the 2015 WJC, which is being held on Canadian ice in Montreal and Toronto.

But Fucale is well aware that what he did last year won't guarantee him the job this time, especially considering that Canada failed to medal for a second straight year.

"We didn't win. Obviously that's the goal, that was my goal, that was the team's goal, and we didn't do it," Fucale said at the Canadian team's summer development camp being held this week outside Montreal. "To me, I look in the mirror and I say, 'I have to step it up.' I'm preparing in order to just make this team, and then afterward preparing in order to perform the best I can in the tournament in order to win this time."

Fucale is one of four goalies at the development camp; they were selected from a group of 10 who attended Hockey Canada's goaltending camp in June.

Eric Comrie (Winnipeg Jets) of the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League, Tristan Jarry (Penguins) of the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL and Philippe Desrosiers (Dallas Stars) of the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic are not simply fighting for the backup role. Each has been told that he will be given full consideration for the No. 1 job.

"I don't think he has any [advantage]," Canada coach Benoit Groulx said of Fucale. "We have four goalies here and we think we have four very good goalies. Tristan Jarry won the Memorial Cup, Eric Comrie's a good goalie, Philippe also, so they're all good. Like any returning player last year, [Fucale] was part of a team that ended up with no medal, and our goal is more than that. He's got confidence in himself, he's a very good goalie, but everything's in front of us. He has to prove himself like anybody else here."

With star forward Jonathan Drouin expected to play with the Tampa Bay Lightning come Christmastime, Fucale may be relied on to lead Team Canada. His ability to do that will go a long way toward determining his role at the WJC.

Watching each of the goaltenders vying for a spot will be Hockey Canada goaltending consultant Fred Brathwaite, who will be zigzagging across the country from the start of the season to December scouting as many goalies as possible.

"For some funny reason we have them spread out as far as possible, from Tri-Cities [in] Washington to Halifax," Brathwaite said with a laugh. "I'll probably see everything in between there as well."

Brathwaite repeated at least five times that the goalies chosen to attend the final selection camp in December will be the ones playing the best hockey at the time. That means even goaltenders not present at this camp could make the cut.

But he also admitted that Fucale has a slight edge because of what he did last year.

"I think in the past that's happened before, where people were a shoe-in going in and then had a rough go during the season," Brathwaite said. "So we're looking for anyone playing the best. Obviously, [Fucale] has an edge on everybody else, but it's still an open game. And just because guys aren't here doesn't mean they're not going to be looked at as well."

That's what the three other goalies at the summer camp need to hear, and as friendly as it might be, there's no hiding the level of competition between the four hopefuls.

"I'm kind of the underdog here, but I'm just as good as Zach and I can do the job as well as he can," Desrosiers said. "They told us the two goalie spots were available and they'll take the two best ones, so it's up to me to have a good start to the season and a good camp here. If I do that, I should make the team."

Fucale did not have the type of tournament he wanted last year in Malmo, Sweden, allowing four goals on 22 shots in a 5-1 semifinal loss to Finland before allowing two goals on 32 shots in a 2-1 loss to Russia in the bronze-medal game. The memory lingers, and the native of Rosemere, Quebec hopes to erase it playing in his hometown.

"It's definitely a little bitter. We didn't win, and we wanted that victory," he said. "But that was last year, and now we're preparing for the next tournament. Everything that happened last year can help us, but for now we're preparing for this tournament.

"It's a nice opportunity. It's exciting to be able to play in Canada. But I have a lot of work to do to make this team."