2021 World Junior Championship hopefuls set for Hockey Canada online camp

Hockey Canada is taking a virtual approach to its national junior team summer evaluation camp.

Forty-six players are expected to take part in the online camp from July 27-31. It will be led by Hockey Canada's management and coaching staff for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and be focused on player development through online education.

"We want to get our staff and the players together," said Alan Millar, a member of the WJC management staff. "It's about connecting with the players, it's about building relationships with the players, particularly our coaches. Our coaching staff, Andre Tourigny, (assistant) Michael Dyck, (assistant) Mitch Love and Jason LaBarbera, our goalie coach, have really drove the bus in terms of a lot of the messaging.

"Certainly it's going to be an interesting process, but we think that we've put a real good program together that will benefit the players and the staff."

The summer evaluation camp is the first step in building the roster that will play for Canada at the 2021 WJC, which is scheduled for Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2021 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

In years past, that evaluation would have been held at the World Junior Summer Showcase, where Canada would practice and play games against the United States, Sweden and Finland. But due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, Hockey Canada announced March 13 it was canceling all activities until further notice. USA Hockey had planned to hold the WJSS at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, from July 24 to Aug. 1 with no other teams participating, but canceled the event July 15.

Millar said he feels Hockey Canada has designed an in-depth curriculum that should simulate the WJSS experience.

"Part of it is we talk about winning habits, we talk about keys to success," he said. "We're going to be dealing with some things where there's going to be evaluations and talking about values, talking about habits, watching video. We're going to have breakout groups where the players are going to be dealing with the coaches in different subjects.

"There's going to be different roundtables with alumni, past players, coaches, managers. Our coaches will be engaging with our players in smaller groups. ... We'll be going through some of our mental performance preparation, we'll be doing some team-building activities, a number of guest speakers. It's a full agenda."

Seven players from the team that helped Canada win the 2020 World Juniors were invited to take part, including four top prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft: forwards Alexis Lafreniere of Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Quinton Byfield of Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League and Dawson Mercer of Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, and defenseman Jamie Drysdale of Erie of the OHL. Also invited were defenseman Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche), and forwards Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres) and Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals).

Millar said the built-in familiarity should help make up for the lost in-person time spent with the players away from the rink, which he considers just as important as anything that happens on the ice.

"The one good thing about our staff is that when you look at the 2001 (born) and the 2002 (born) age groups, which will predominantly make up this World Junior team, I managed the Hlinka Gretzky (Cup) team in those two age groups the last two years," he said. "Two years ago Andre Tourigny was the head coach of that Hlinka Gretzky team with the 2001s. Michael Dyck was the head coach of the Hlinka Gretzky team with the 2002s. Mitch Love was on Andre Tourigny's staff with the Hlinka Gretzky team and was (an assistant) on the (2020 WJC) staff with (coach) Dale Hunter and Andre. ... We've all worked closely with these two age groups and know these players fairly well."

The virtual summer national junior team experience will be a new one for all involved, as will what comes after it. The Western Hockey League, where Millar is general manager of Moose Jaw, is scheduled to begin the 2020-21 season Oct. 2. The QMJHL is planning to start Oct. 1. The seasons for the three Canadian Hockey League organizations, which also include the OHL, generally start in late September. Their seasons and playoffs were canceled in March due to the coronavirus.

Millar is taking a day-by-day approach and hopes next season can be close to normal. That includes playing the Canada Russia Series, an annual event featuring Canada-born WJC-eligible players from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL playing two games each against Russia in November. That leads up to the final selection camp in December.

And then there's the World Juniors. Canada is in Group A with Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany, and will play its preliminary-round games at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Group B consists of Russia, Sweden, the United States, the Czech Republic and Austria, and will play its preliminary-round games at Westerner Park Centrium in Red Deer.

"I'm trying to take an optimistic approach with the World Junior team and my club team here," Millar said. "We need to do everything we can to be ready to play when the opportunity presents itself."

CANADA NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SUMMER EVALUATION CAMP ROSTER

GOALIES: Brett Brochu, London, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Sebastian Cossa, Edmonton, WHL (2021 draft eligible); Dylan Garand, Kamloops, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Taylor Gauthier, Prince George, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Tristan Lennox, Saginaw, OHL (2021 draft eligible)

DEFENSEMEN: Justin Barron, Halifax, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); \Bowen Byram, Vancouver, WHL (Colorado Avalanche); Lukas Cormier, Charlottetown, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); \Jamie Drysdale, Erie, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Thomas Harley, Mississauga, OHL (Dallas Stars); Daemon Hunt, Moose Jaw, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Kaedan Korczak, Kelowna, WHL (Vegas Golden Knights); Mason Millman, Saginaw, OHL (Philadelphia Flyers); Ryan O'Rourke, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Owen Power, Chicago, USHL (2021 draft eligible); Matthew Robertson, Edmonton, WHL (New York Rangers); Braden Schneider, Brandon, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Jordan Spence, Moncton, QMJHL (Los Angeles Kings)

FORWARDS: Adam Beckman, Spokane, WHL (Minnesota Wild); Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); \Quinton Byfield, Sudbury, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Graeme Clarke, Ottawa, OHL (New Jersey Devils); \Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge, WHL (Buffalo Sabres); Jack Finley, Spokane, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Tyson Foerster, Barrie, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Ridly Greig, Brandon, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Gage Goncalves, Everett, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin, Big Ten (2020 draft eligible); Seth Jarvis, Portland, WHL (2020 draft eligible); Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg, WHL (Vegas Golden Knights); \Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); \Connor McMichael, London, OHL (Washington Capitals); *Dawson Mercer, Chicoutimi, QMJHL (2020 draft eligible); Alex Newhook, Boston College, HE (Colorado Avalanche); Jakob Pelletier, Val-d'Or, QMJHL (Calgary Flames); Cole Perfetti, Saginaw, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Jacob Perreault, Sarnia, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Samuel Poulin, Sherbrooke, QMJHL (Pittsburgh Penguins); Jack Quinn, Ottawa, OHL (2020 draft eligible); Jamieson Rees, Sarnia, OHL (Carolina Hurricanes); Ryan Suzuki, Saginaw, OHL (Carolina Hurricanes); Philip Tomasino, Oshawa, OHL (Nashville Predators); Shane Wright, Kingston, OHL (2022 draft eligible); Connor Zary, Kamloops, WHL (2020 draft eligible)

\ played in 2020 WJC*

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