TSN Hockey Reporter Mark Masters reports on the World Junior Hockey Championship. Team Canada held an off-ice workout on Thursday morning ahead of the final intra-squad scrimmage of selection camp.
Team Canada has named its three World Junior goalies. Prince George’s Taylor Gauthier, Kamloops’ Dylan Garand and Northeastern University’s Devon Levi will accompany the group into the bubble on Sunday.
London’s Brett Brochu and Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox were released on Thursday.
In this strange pandemic year, Hockey Canada found a creative way to deliver the the good news to Gauthier, Garand and Levi. It started with a phone call.
”I was asleep,” said Gauthier. “So, that was kind of scary to begin with and then the first words you hear are, ‘Coaches want to talk to you.’ You kind of get that pit in your stomach.”
“Wasn’t quite sure that they were going to get down to the final three today,” said Garand, “so getting called down to meet with the coaches, I was a bit nervous that I was getting sent home.”
“I walked in and the computer was on with my parents on Zoom,” said Levi, “coaches were all around and then my parents told me. It was a huge relief and a dream come true. Hearing that from my parents, who have been supporting me since I was kid, it was awesome.”
In a video posted by Hockey Canada, Levi is seen leaping up from his seat in excitement when parents Laurent and Eta broke the news.
The camp opened on Nov. 16, which means players who crack the roster will be away from home for 51 days. With the tournament taking place in a bubble there will be no chance to visit with loved ones during the holiday season. So, this family moment was both magical and extra meaningful.
“Hearing that one of your dreams has come true from your family that’s been with you right from the start … it was a really special moment,” said Garand, whose father Loren teared up during the announcement.
“It was definitely pretty emotional and such a special moment that I’ll never forget,” said Gauthier, who sat back and seemed to exhale in relief after getting the news from parents Keith and Susan. “They’re such a big part of it and it’s every much their accomplishment.”
Who better to share the good news than their #1 fans?
The decision to get down to the final three guys with one scrimmage still remaining is a sign of the urgency the staff feels to get the goalies in a rhythm.
“Every day counts,” said head coach Andre Tourigny. “We could not wait for games. We don’t play enough games. Everything has to count and the background and the history of the player has to as well.”
Levi started the camp in a cohort quarantine with the other NCAA players so Wednesday was his first scrimmage and he played just 30 minutes. Garand, meanwhile, has played about 50 minutes in the scrimmages so far. Of the three goalies left standing, only Gauthier has played a full game at the camp. But Tourigny said these are the three goalies the staff felt most comfortable with and nothing that happened at camp has changed that.
“We feel they developed more skill than the people give them credit for,” Tourigny said. “Goats has a lot of athleticism. He’s a big goalie as well. He has good size. Garand has really good hands, is really quick and same thing for Levi. He’s really fast. Side to side his legs are really quick. So, they all bring something a little bit different.”
Levi will play a full game tonight while Gauthier and Garand split time at the other end.
With two goalies cut Thursday, Canada is all set in the crease
Hockey Canada made seven more cuts to its selection camp roster in preparation for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Among them were two goaltenders, Brett Brochu and Tristan Lennox. As Mark Masters reports, Team Canada is now all set in the crease.
—
Gauthier has been passed over in the last two National Hockey League drafts.
“Going through the draft for the first time and not getting selected it was definitely a little heartbreaking,” the right-catching Calgary native said. “I didn’t really know how to deal with that adversity. Growing up every time I would try out for a team I’d make it and that was the first time I had to deal with the fact that I didn’t reach a goal that I set.”
It was a wake-up call that Gauthier said ultimately made him mentally stronger.
“I learned to focus on the little things that you can control and not worry about the other variables such as the draft or even making this team. It just gave me a little more peace of mind and made things a little easier. It helped me find the love of the game again and just prioritizing going out there working hard and having fun.”
The hard work paid off as Gauthier led the Western Hockey League in minutes played last season while posting a .917 save percentage for a Cougars team that was on the outside of the playoff picture. Tourigny listed Gauthier as the goalie who impressed him most in Wednesday’s scrimmage.
“I really liked his presence,” Tourigny said. “He made key saves and he was really sharp right from the get go.”
Tourigny was behind the bench at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup when Gauthier got the win in the gold medal game in a relief appearance.
“Not playing much in the tournament and coming into the gold medal game halfway through the first period, it kind of showed me that no matter what, you got to be ready,” Gauthier said. “Going in there and seeing the team battle in front of me and coming out with a gold medal at the end of the game, it definitely proved to me that I’m a good goalie and I can give the team a chance to win.”
—
Levi also raised his level of play thanks to international experience. He was named MVP at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge in Dawson Creek, B.C., where he backstopped Canada East to a silver medal.
“Playing on the international stage for the first time was unbelievable,” the Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. native said. “I definitely took the next step in my game. I found something within me. I look at my performance in the semis and the finals, I found a new gear and I think I’ll be able to hopefully tap into that for this tournament.”
Levi posted a .941 save percentage in 37 games with the Carleton Place Canadians last season and was named MVP of the Central Canada Hockey League. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Florida Panthers in October.
“I’m a smart goalie,” Levi said. “I read the play well and I get to where I need to be. I get in front of the shot and I’m rarely out of position. I use my speed to help me with that. A change that I brought to my game is patience. I feel like I was a bit all over the place last year and I’ve toned that down a bit. I’m a bit more in control. I’m waiting to read plays and read releases before I react and I think that’s helped me at this camp.”
Who’s the frontrunner for Canada’s starting gig?
With five goalies in the mix for Team Canada’s starting gig, Bob McKenzie tries to handicap the race for the No. 1 job, and explains how formidable the Canadian blueline is shaping up to be.
—
Garand, who was picked in the fourth round by the New York Rangers in October, feels like he took a big step during the pandemic pause.
“I did a good job of gaining strength and putting on weight,” the Victoria native said.
In an interview before the camp opened, Hockey Canada goalie coach Jason LaBarbera said he liked what he saw on the video Garand had sent in.
“His pace has gotten up and you can tell he’s a lot stronger,” LaBarbera observed. “He just looks stronger. His foot pushes and his edge work just look sharper and there’s not as much excess movement when he’s moving around the crease. He looks like he’s getting to his spots on his feet a lot better than he had in the past … you can tell he trusts his feet a lot more.”
While Gauthier, Garand and Levi celebrated some good news on Thursday, seven other World Junior hopefuls saw their dreams dashed. Along with Brochu and Lennox, Hockey Canada released five forwards: Spokane’s Adam Beckman, Barrie’s Tyson Foerster, Chicoutimi’s Hendrix Lapierre, Mississauga’s Cole Schwindt and Kingston’s Shane Wright.
Wright was trying to become a rare 16-year-old to make it to the World Juniors.
“I saw a lot of intensity from Shane,” Tourigny said. “I saw a lot of desire to get better, to learn, to do what we ask. He was a blessing to coach and no problem there … The quality of our players up front is special so that is what played a little bit against him. Nothing that he did disappointed us or wasn’t at the level we were expecting.”
There are 20 forwards left at camp, which means six more still need to go with one final intra-squad game on Thursday night.
“We wanted to shorten the lineup to have 10 forwards on each team and more reps for everybody,” Tourigny said. “You could see yesterday at some point the cardio and the stamina of the players is something we need to keep working at.”
Wright among seven cut from Canadian juniors camp
Shane Wright, a 16-year-old highly touted prospect, was one of seven players cut from Team Canada’s world junior selection camp on Thursday, Hockey Canada announced.
—
The line of Connor McMichael, Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach made a strong debut during Wednesday’s game leading Team White to a 6-4 win over Team Red. Dach finished with two goals and two assists while Cozens and McMichael had two assists each.
“They had a really good night, especially on the power play,” said Tourigny. “They were really productive. That was obviously the best line on Team White.”
Safe to say, Tourigny plans to run the D.M.C line again.
“They made it tough for us to break them up,” the coach said Wednesday night. “That’s something we envision can be a really good line moving forward.”
But on Thursday night they will be breaking up that trio in order to get a look at McMichael at centre.
Tourigny: Cozens-McMichael-Dach making it tough for us to break them up
With the line of Dylan Cozens, Connor McMichael and Kirby Dach impressing in Team White’s instrasquad win over Team Red, Canada coach André Tourigny commented on using the trio moving forward, and discussed the identity of the team this year.
—
Tourigny listed Wisconsin University’s Dylan Holloway, Boston College’s Alex Newhook and Val d’Or’s Jakob Pelletier as the best line for Team Red.
“One of our more reliable, solid lines on both sides of the puck,” Tourigny observed.
During his post-game Zoom session, the coach took time to heap praise on all three guys.
Tourigny noted that Newhook “has a lot of speed. He’s strong as well. A strong skater with good balance, strong in his battles. He has a really good shot. He played a two-way role and he played really solid. I like a lot of things Alex can do.”
Tourigny highlighted Holloway’s strength noting that the Oilers prospect is “so powerful, strong, strong on the puck. His skating is outstanding. His effort is always there. He brings a lot of intangibles.”
Tourigny described Pelletier, a Flames prospect, as “the kind of player who makes others better. He was really reliable, bringing a lot of energy. He has a good presence on the bench. He does a lot of good things.”
Newhook and Holloway were among Canada’s final cuts at last year’s selection camp, which Pelletier missed due to injury.
“I played with Newy and Hollo at the U18 championship in Sweden so we had some chemistry there,” said Pelletier. “But, to be honest, they’re just two great players and it’s easy to play with them.”
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
