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TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship. Team Canada completed their pre-competition quarantine period on Friday.

Kaiden Guhle still isn't over what happened. 

"I've got a bit of an extra chip on my shoulder wanting to get a gold medal," the Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman said. "I know the whole country felt [the disappointment] so these guys that weren't a part of the team last year are going to feel it too. We want a gold medal badly."

Team Canada didn't trail during last year's World Juniors until the gold-medal game against Team USA. They fell behind in the first period and lost 2-0. As one of three returning players, Guhle will be leaned on to lead the way to redemption. 

"He has a presence," said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of national teams. "He makes me think of Shea Weber with the way he carries himself and the way he competes on the ice. He's going to be a really good pro for a really long time. He's that guy everyone looks to and looks up to in terms of his leadership, in terms of his maturity, in terms of his strength and size, so just kind of a natural leader in that sense."

Guhle served as an alternate captain for Team Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and wore the 'C' for Team Canada Red at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The native of Sherwood Park, Alta., is now a leading candidate to be Canada's captain in Edmonton at this year's World Juniors. 

"One thing in practice that I notice is he's just so hard to play against," observed Michigan Wolverines defenceman Owen Power. "He's physical and can move really well."

"He's one of the toughest guys to play against," agreed Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, who faced Guhle in the Western Hockey League. 

In some ways, Guhle is almost an extension of the coaching staff. 

"Just a calming factor," noted assistant coach Dennis Williams. "Working with the D, I'm going to lean on him lots back there as a guy I respect very much. If you get to know him off the ice, he's just a tremendous person and you can see that on the ice as well. His care for the teammates and his care for Team Canada and the team he plays for resembles what an all-in-all Canadian hockey player is."

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Guhle has been paired with Charlottetown's Lukas Cormier, who is the reigning Quebec Major Junior Hockey League defenceman of the year. 

"I've known him since U17," Guhle said. "We played on the same team. We've come up the chains of Hockey Canada together. I'm excited to play with him. You look at his stats and he's well over a point per game in the Q so he brings some offence and I can defend well and stay back and be that guy. Our styles of play will complement each other well." 

Cormier, a Vegas Golden Knights prospect, racked up 54 points in 39 games last season. He's already up to 36 points in 26 games this season. 

"Lukas brings that offensive stick and creativity maybe a little bit more than what Kaiden does so definitely they'll be able to balance each other," Williams said. "Kaiden's kind of your pillar at the back ... His D-zone coverage and ability to close his gaps is first class." 

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Guhle knows his stuff on and off the ice. He defeated Cole Perfetti and Ridly Greig in a game of World Juniors trivia hosted by TSN.

"He was sandbagging me," Greig, an Ottawa Senators prospect, said. "He said he was terrible at trivia." 

Guhle insists he didn't do any extra preparation. 

"I didn't, actually," the Montreal Canadiens prospect said with a grin. "Some of those questions were just up my alley, I guess."

Perfetti was left shaking his head.  

"Just a couple mental mistakes early," the Winnipeg Jets prospect said. "That's all it was."

You can watch the competition here: 

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How concerned is Hockey Canada about the rise in COVID cases across the country? 

"Level of concern is extremely high," said Salmond. "We all want to go and compete at a World Juniors and want to win a gold medal, but we want to make sure the people in our charge are safe. We have very serious protocols. We've enhanced some of those protocols and we've got a mindset that whatever happens here, health and safety will be No. 1."

Team Canada opted not to skate on Friday after their quarantine period ended.  

"Tonight is another example," Salmond said. "Let's back off and not go to the rink. Let's make sure we have all of our test results before we move on."

Players had roommates during the two-day quarantine, but that's going to change moving forward. 

"We're moving to single rooms as of tomorrow to make sure we're, again, kind of isolating and taking the greatest care that we can," Salmond said. "We've increased testing with a little bit more of a rigorous antigen protocol. We've been in a secure environment, in a bubble if you will. We're in a hotel and it's basically hotel and rink, no restaurants, no coffee shops, nothing other than that and those are our own protocols. We enhanced our protocols for anyone who's a close contact or has tested positive from 10 days [in quarantine] to 14. We continue to take the right measures with social distancing, masking and everything you can do to remain safe."

 

Some provincial authorities have started limiting attendance at venues, but Salmond remains hopeful that Team Canada will play in front of a supportive crowd in Edmonton. 

"There's such a thing as home-ice advantage," Salmond said, "and it is mitigated somewhat by not having fans. I actually believe we win that gold-medal game last year if there's fans in the building."

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Michigan forward Kent Johnson has arrived in Banff. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect missed the selection camp and the first two practices of training camp due to Hockey Canada's COVID protocols.  

"I had a lot of conversations with Kent to make sure he's OK, because he's on about Day 14 of his quarantine," Salmond said. "He's obviously extremely excited and can't wait to join our group and add to it so, you know, I think it's seamless. Kent is a Canadian guy who plays in the NCAA but has relationships with a lot of these players and they know what he brings to the table."

Johnson brings so much to the table that Hockey Canada was comfortable handing him a roster spot even though the native of Port Moody, B.C. didn't take part in the selection camp. He last played on Dec. 3. 

"We've talked about Kent the entire time with our group," Salmond said. "Obviously, he plays with Owen [Power] so there's a relationship there and I think guys are excited to get Kent in. There's an opportunity to inject some more enthusiasm into our lineup, which already has a lot of enthusiasm." 

Johnson, the fifth overall pick in July's NHL draft, was excellent at Hockey Canada's summer camp and is off to a great start in the NCAA with 23 points in 17 games.

Hockey Canada's management team scouted Johnson in person when Michigan played Wisconsin in late October. Johnson scored in both games. 

"His skill with the puck is elite," Salmond said. "His vision is incredible. He was really good when we saw him those two nights, but I think what's underestimated is his competitive level. He's very competitive with the puck, drives hard to the net and is an elite playmaker. He's going to complement some of our players really, really well and just raises the skill level of an already skillful group. As [head coach ] Dave Cameron has preached all along, our group will be a competitive group and he doesn't take anything away from that. In fact, he adds to it."

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Peterborough centre Mason McTavish has been on the ice ahead of both practices helping goalie coach Olivier Michaud work with Canada's trio of 'tenders. It might not be the best idea. 

"We should probably switch him up, because he's not doing much for our confidence," Kamloops' Dylan Garand said with a laugh. "At least mine, anyway."

McTavish started the season with the Anaheim Ducks and although he was sent back to the Ontario Hockey League, it's clear his shot is NHL ready.

"It's a bomb," said Edmonton's Sebastian Cossa. "He shoots the puck hard and with different release points."

"We were talking about it, me and Coss, we were doing goalie ice and we're like, 'Man, it's a different release every time,'" Garand said.

Bedard, who models his release on Auston Matthews, is also standing out. 

"He's got a really good release, pulling it into his feet and changing the angle," London's Brett Brochu observed of the 16-year-old. 

Despite standing just 5-foot-9, Bedard's shot is heavy. 

"I was telling my goalie coach a couple days ago, he's got one of the hardest shots as a junior player that I've seen," Garand marvelled. "He's been picking corners on me and wrecking my confidence a little bit."

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Team Canada's next practice will be on Saturday in Banff.