Canada confident it can fill the void on defence
Published
Team Canada's scratches skated at the Downtown Community Arena on Wednesday morning.
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Team Canada resumes its quest for a gold medal at the World Juniors with some big holes to fill on the blueline. Owen Power, the Buffalo Sabres first-overall pick in the 2021 National Hockey League draft, is not back for the summer tournament. Neither is Montreal Canadiens prospect Kaiden Guhle, who served as captain in December.
"Losing those guys is tough, but I think the guys we picked up are just as good as them," insisted Grand Rapids Griffins defenceman Donovan Sebrango. "We work hard as a group. I feel as confident as I did at Christmastime."
Jack Thompson and Ethan Del Mastro have joined returning defencemen Sebrango, Olen Zellweger, Ryan O'Rourke, Lukas Cormier, Ronan Seeley and Carson Lambos.
"We're happy with our D core," said head coach Dave Cameron. "We think we're deep. We have a good mix of size, speed, skill and physicality."
Sebrango, who serves as an alternate captain, will be leaned on.
"I've put on size," the Detroit Red Wings prospect noted. "I've put on 10 pounds since Christmas, and I feel good. I feel strong. I feel ready to go here."
"He's a pro," said Cameron of Sebrango. "He's played pro hockey. When you go pro, your experience is that it's every day. That's the biggest difference between pros and kids coming out of junior is that ability to do it every day whether anyone's watching or not."
Sebrango, who stands 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, has been skating on Canada's top pair alongside Zellweger, who led all Western Hockey League defencemen in scoring last season with 78 points in 55 games.
"He's a special player," said Sebrango. "He's got some of the best hands I've seen for a d-man. I'll shut down the guys, give him the puck and let him work his magic."
Despite the strange circumstances, Sebrango still senses magic in the air in Edmonton.
"It's been a crazy year and it's crazy we're doing this in the summer," Sebrango said. "It's different. I mean, a week and a half ago I was doing a summer skate and working out with my buddies, but I don't think the timing really matters. It's still the same feeling and same honour to be here."
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After taking two penalties in Monday's pre-tournament game, Flint forward Brennan Othmann will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday.
"The message to him is the same as to our entire team," said Cameron. "We have to play a certain way."
What way is that?
"Disciplined, 200-foot hockey," said Cameron.
Montreal Canadiens prospect Riley Kidney will draw in.
On defence, Del Mastro remains a healthy scratch. He was added to the roster late in training camp after Daemon Hunt sustained a hand injury and was ruled out of the tournament.
"We'll give him another day or so to get up to speed, and at some point, we’ll use him," Cameron said.
Del Mastro went through his first full practice with the team on Tuesday.
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Cameron is cautioning his team against overconfidence ahead of Wednesday's opener against Latvia.
"They're an extremely hard-working crew," said Cameron. "They're a committed crew. They block a lot of shots and have a real team-first mentality. So, they will be a challenge for us."
The focus for Canada?
"Getting to the net," said left winger Kent Johnson. "We'll have to score there. They're pretty passive on the outside, so we can't be too perimeter."
Latvia lost to Finland 6-1 on Tuesday. The Finns tacked on two goals late in the third period.
"It's two parts of the game," said Latvia head coach Artis Abols. "The first 55 minutes I have to give credit to my guys. We were structured and we competed well, but not the last five minutes."
The need to play a full 60 minutes is amplified on Wednesday against Canada.
"That's the top nation in hockey," said Abols. "It's a big challenge for us to meet them in their home rink in their opening game. This is the main stage in juniors and if you want to be part of that show up ... I will do all that I can to prepare them to do this."
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Logan Stankoven started the World Juniors in December as Team Canada's 14th forward.
"I was lucky to be named to that team," the Kamloops Blazers centre readily admits. "It was kind of a shocker for me. Second time around, it's a fresh start and a new tournament."
Stankoven was a healthy scratch on Boxing Day but dressed in the second game after Xavier Bourgault sustained an injury. Justin Sourdif also missed the game due to a suspension, which allowed Stankoven to move up into a top-six role alongside Johnson and Mason McTavish.
"Even to get that one game under my belt gave me a lot of confidence," said Stankoven, who scored a goal against Austria. "Being around guys like Mason McTavish, Kent Johnson, Owen Power, Cole Perfetti, just being able to practise with those guys at their speed, helped," Stankoven said. "I came back to my junior team after Christmastime, and I just tried to keep that speed up and I just kind of steamrolled. I thought I finished well."
That's an understatement. Stankoven ended up with 105 points in 59 games and was named the Canadian Hockey League's most outstanding player.
The 5-foot-8 Dallas Stars prospect will now start the summer World Juniors as Canada's second-line centre with Johnson and Tyson Foerster on his wings. He's also on the top power-play unit.
Stankoven's role has changed and so has his appearance. The Kamloops, B.C. native has been wearing a cage after taking a puck to the face during Saturday's practice.
"It was a D-zone drill," he said. "The d-man shot it on the ice and the goalie ended up deflecting it and I was skating behind the net, and it just happened to deflect right into my face. Luckily, I didn't lose any teeth. I wasn't even wearing a mouthguard because we usually don't wear mouthguards in practice. They're kind of annoying and you have to take them in and out all the time, because you're doing so many different drills and stuff. It was an unfortunate accident. Wrong place, wrong time. It's starting to heal up now pretty good."
Stankoven had the stitches taken out on Tuesday and should be able to lose the cage in a couple days.
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Projected Team Canada lineup for Wednesday's game against Latvia:
Roy - McTavish - Bedard
Johnson - Stankoven - Foerster
Ostapchuk - Greig - Dufour
Cuylle - Desnoyers - Gaucher
Kidney
Sebrango - Zellweger
O'Rourke - Cormier
Seeley - Thompson
Lambos
Cossa starts
Garand
Scratches: Othmann, Del Mastro and Brochu