The sophomore from the University of North Dakota was the only NCAA player on Canada's roster, one year after being the last defenseman cut by Canada.
Using the snub as motivation, the 19-year-old, who was selected No. 26 by the Ottawa Senators in the 2018 NHL Draft, redoubled his efforts to get stronger (6-foot-0, 181 pounds) and it paid off.
Skating on Canada's top defense pair, Bernard-Docker logged more minutes than any other player.
He was especially noticeable in the championship game. He flattened Russia's Kirill Marchenko with an open-ice hit in the second period. With under four minutes left in the third period, his long outlet pass ended up on the stick of Akil Thomas, who scored a spectacular game-winning goal in Canada's 4-3 victory.
"In college hockey, he does a really good job playing against guys that are up to 23, 24 years old,'' said North Dakota coach Brad Berry, who was on Canada's championship team in the 1985 world juniors.
"Now you go with your peer group on the international stage, try to be a leader, try to be a consistent player every time you hit the ice. I thought he did that, for the most part.''
At North Dakota, which is the top-ranked team in the country, Bernard-Docker is paired with senior captain Colton Poolman and has 14 points (three goals and 11 assists) in 17 games.
Though Bernard-Docker played a shutdown role for Canada, he does more for North Dakota.
"He's a much more offensive player as far as joining in the rush at 5-on-5, being active," Berry said. "On the power play, he's the guy that brings the puck up the ice on the breakouts. He's the focus of our team on the back end.
"Jacob plays in all situations, first power-play unit, first PK unit and on our top D pair. He logs somewhere around 22 minutes a game here.''
Bernard-Docker, who played for Okotoks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before enrolling at North Dakota, continues to work on his strength.
"I look at the hit he put on Marchenko, stepping up in the neutral zone, that was quite a play,'' Berry said.
He's flexing his muscles in the classroom, too.
"He was one of six guys on our team who got a perfect 4.0 (grade-point average) in the fall semester. He does everything at the highest level on the ice and off the ice,'' Berry said.
