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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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Team Canada hit the ice on Sunday for the first time at this year's World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich. The 39 players were split into two groups with each group holding two practices. The lines were: 

 

 

 

WHITE GROUP

Katchouk-Steel-Kyrou

Shaw-Dubois-Smith

Glass-Thomas-Bitten

McLeod-Suzuki 

 

Stanley-Clague

Makar

Mahura-Bean

Mete

 

Hart

DiPietro

 

RED GROUP

Dube-Howden-Raddysh

Gadjovich-Kaspick-Ang

Rasmussen-Pu-Tippett

Phillips-Lind

 

Hague-Foote

Girard-Fabbro

Cholowski-Timmins

Quenneville

 

Wells

Skinner 

 

INJURIES

Tyler Benson, Tyson Jost, Adam Mascherin, Gabe Vilardi and Nolan Patrick were invited to the camp and have taken part in meetings, but due to various bumps and bruises will not be participating in the on-ice sessions. 

'UNFINISHED BUSINESS' FOR RETURNING PLAYERS 

Canada lost a shootout heartbreaker to the United States in the gold-medal final last year and nine players involved in that game are eligible to return. 

"It's pretty exciting to be back," said defenceman Jake Bean, a Hurricanes prospect. "It feels like a lot of unfinished business here and it's exciting to get that process going again." 

The players don't see this as a quest for redemption. They are proud of how they performed last January in Montreal. But the way it ended, in a shootout, has definitely left a bitter taste in their mouths.

"Guys are pretty salty about that," said defenceman Dante Fabbro, a Predators prospect, "but I think it gave us that much more motivation to push forward and take that next step this year and make sure we come home with nothing but a gold."

Forward Dillon Dube plans on sharing the "fire" associated with such a devastating loss with the new recruits at the summer camp. "They'll get the message pretty quick that we're here to win this year," the Flames prospect said. 

The gut-wrenching defeat is a painful memory, but also an experience Fabbro will learn from. "We just can't get too far ahead of ourselves," the Boston University product said. "In that gold-medal game we had two two-goal leads and obviously we blow it and the game ended the way it did. It's such a crazy atmosphere that you're playing in and sometimes you get lost in the moment."

"We've seen how thin the line is between winning and losing," said Dominique Ducharme, who is also back for a second stint as Canadian head coach. "We want to take a step forward and make sure we're even better than last year so we're not playing in overtime or a shootout." 

FABBRO'S FALLOUT 

While many players spoke about dealing with the loss by throwing themselves back into life with their junior club team, Fabbro really didn't have that luxury. You see, six Boston Terriers played for Team USA in the gold medal game. "They were giving me the gears a bit," Fabbro said of his NCAA teammates. "It kind of makes me want to win it even more this year."

RADDYSH GETTING FASTER  

Erie Otters forward Taylor Raddysh, who scored five goals at last year's World Juniors, believes he's taken some big strides, pardon the pun, when it comes to improving his skating this summer. "I feel like my speed's getting a bit better. It's something I've always been knocked down on, because I'm a bigger guy," the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Tampa Bay prospect said. "I haven't had much training time with the long season, but I've been working hard on it."

Raddysh has been skating with an instructor at the Hill Academy in Vaughn, Ont., as well as Barb Underhill, a consultant with the Lightning. "She's been teaching me what to do and it's been working out well and I'm enjoying it. It's just different ways to be on your blades and the type of edges ... little things like that can transform your skating in a big way." 

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

Cody Glass calls getting cut by Canada's Ivan Hlinka team last August a "huge boost," because it really motivated the Winnipeg native to elevate his game. Where has he improved the most? "While I'm moving at a fast pace I'm able to use my hockey IQ now," Glass said. "For me, I like to slow it down a little bit, but getting to the higher levels you have to do both (skate fast and think fast) at the same time." As for his outlook for this camp? "Getting cut by Team Canada, I don't want it to happen again. I'm here for a reason and I'm going to try and prove them right," the Vegas Golden Knights prospect said.

QUICK HITS

Montreal Canadiens prospect Victor Mete talks about what he learned from being a final cut at Canada's selection camp last December: 

Getting a taste of pro hockey in the AHL at the end of last season was a real eye opener for goalie Carter Hart: 

 

UPCOMING CANADA SCHEDULE: 

Monday: Practices 

Tuesday: Scrimmages against Team USA 

Wednesday: Game against Team Finland 

Thursday: Practices 

Friday: Game against Team Sweden 

Saturday: Game against Team USA