Team Canada skated at the practice rink at Ostravar Arena on Sunday.
With Alexis Lafreniere out for Monday’s game against Germany, Dale Hunter is turning to a familiar face to create a spark. Connor McMichael, who plays for Hunter in London and led the OHL in scoring when he left for the World Juniors, was promoted to a line with Barrett Hayton and Nolan Foote at practice.
“He knows exactly what Dale wants in terms of system, of execution and I think that helps him,” said assistant coach Andre Tourigny. “And he’s confident, it’s nothing new for him. He’s comfy with the expectations so we feel Mike can be the guy who can be the wildcard here.”
McMichael has 25 goals in 27 games this season and is the only Canadian other than Lafreniere to light the lamp during five-on-five play at the World Juniors. The Capitals’ first-round pick in June’s draft has skated mostly on the fourth line since camp opened.
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“He’s a highly-skilled player,” said Hayton. “You see what he’s done in the OHL this year, it’s very impressive, the points and offence he brings, so definitely having him on my wing is really exciting and I thought we were moving it around pretty good out there today.”
TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli has more on Lafreniere’s condition here.
Seravalli: McMichael gets big chance with Lafreniere out against Germany
Mark Masters and Frank Seravalli have the latest on Alexis Lafreniere and why it’s still unclear whether he will or won’t play again in the tournament. They also touch on who will to see more ice-time with Lafreniere not playing against Germany and why Canada’s third goalie Olivier Rodrigue might get a shot between the pipes.
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Dawson Mercer is also getting a bigger role. The first Newfoundland native in 10 years to make Team Canada at the World Juniors, Mercer started the tournament as the 13th forward playing only one minute and one second against the United States on Boxing Day.
“I wanted to make sure I still motivated the guys,” Mercer said of his mindset. “I looked at it as, there’s only one place to go, you can only move up in the line-up.”
Mercer, an 18-year-old draft-eligible right winger, has moved up all the way to the second line with Joe Veleno and Quinton Byfield. It was only two years ago in Buffalo that Tyler Steenbergen started as Canada’s 13th forward before emerging as the hero in the gold-medal game.
“He scored the winning goal back then and I’d love to get to that same situation that he did,” Mercer said with a smile.
Mercer played a season and a half with Veleno in Drummondville although they rarely skated on the same line. Still, there is a familiarity with his game.
“It’s a good feeling being out there with him,” Mercer said.
‘Only one place to go … up’: After starting as 13th forward, Mercer gets big chance
In the wake of Alexis Lafreniere’s injury and uncertain status regarding a return to the lineup, Canada’s 13th forward Dawson Mercer will slot in to his teammates’ spot. Mercer spoke about the big opportunity to play more minutes for Team Canada and the chance to play alongside Joe Veleno, who he has some history with.
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Canada also shuffled two defence pairs to create a more balanced approach, moving Avalanche fourth-overall pick Bowen Byram up to play with Senators prospect Jacob Bernard-Docker.
“Bo Byram is a key player for us,” Tourigny said, “and he’s playing really well right now, and Bernard-Docker as well, so I think it’s a good mix on the three pairings. We have really good puck-moving defencemen and we have defencemen who can defend on all our pairings.”
Kevin Bahl, a shutdown force, skated with the offensive-minded Calen Addison while Jamie Drysdale remained the seventh defenceman.
After giving up 10 goals in two games, the focus is on defending.
“We gave up too much,” Tourigny said. “We need to make sure we take care of our own end and take care of our net front. We gave up too many goals on box-out situations, rebound situations, that kind of stuff, we need to take care of that and then, after, we can think offence.”
The pairing of Ty Smith and Jared McIsaac remained intact.
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Hayton was lost in his own thoughts following the most lopsided loss in Canadian World Juniors history and that’s why the captain says he didn’t remove his helmet for the Russian national anthem.
“I definitely didn’t mean any disrespect,” Hayton said in his first media session since the incident. “I had no intent behind it but, obviously, I have to own my actions.”
Some Russian players, including captain Grigori Denisenko, expressed displeasure with Hayton on the ice and refused to shake his hand.
“I was definitely a little bit confused,” Hayton said, “but after the fact you recognize your mistake.”
Igor Larionov appreciated the apology from Hayton and Hockey Canada.
“That’s junior hockey, sometimes it happens,” the Russian assistant coach said. “Sometimes it happens and it’s a lesson for everybody, not just for Canadian team, but for everybody who is playing. It’s (ethics) and when you’re playing the game you got to respect if you lose or if you win.”
In fact, the Russian team discussed the situation this morning with the coaching staff trying to create a teachable moment.
“It’s got to be first-class responses and if you lose, you know, you have to be respectful and, if you win, same thing,” Larionov said.
Hayton on not removing helmet during anthem: ‘I have to own my actions’
Barrett Hayton issued an apology for wearing his helmet during the Russian national anthem after Canada’s loss to the Russia on Saturday and explained what he was thinking in those moments.
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The scoreboard was ugly on Saturday, but Team Canada believes the fix is easy.
“They had more urgency than us,” observed Tourigny. “Their battle level was higher than ours and that’s something we can control so that’s good news, because if it would’ve been something in the structure or talent or something like that, there’s nothing you can do, you got what you got.”
After beating the Americans on Boxing Day, Canada let its foot off the gas against a hungry Russian team that had lost its opener.
“Humbled is a great word for it,” said Hayton. “We felt a little too good about ourselves.”
“Maybe overconfidence,” said goalie Nico Daws, “maybe just being a little too comfortable, not really knowing what to expect from other teams. You see the Czech Republic beat Russia and you’re kind of wondering like, ‘Are they that good?’ And then you come and not know what to expect and they come out strong, you know, passionate after losing a game and I don’t think we were really expecting that, we weren’t ready for it, but now we know what to expect and we’ll be a lot better.”
Canada hasn’t named a starter for Monday’s game. Tourigny says they are considering every option, including Olivier Rodrigue, who didn’t dress in the first two games. Seravalli has more on the goalie situation here.
All options are on the table for Canada in net
So far its been Nico Daws and Joel Hofer in goal for Canada, but James Duthie and Bob McKenzie explain why there’s a chance their third goalie Olivier Rodrigue could see some action after his involvement was more apparent in practice on Sunday. They also touch on what Canada needs to do better against Germany in their next game.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
