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TSN Reporter Mark Masters reports on Team Canada as they prepare for the World Junior Championship opener against Czechia on Sunday.

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Despite playing limited minutes as Team Canada's 13th forward in Thursday's pre-tournament game against, forward Connor Bedard still managed to make an impact. The Regina Pats phenom scored a goal during the 6-4 win over Russia. 

"I liked his game," said coach Dave Cameron. "He came as advertised. He did a real good job on the forecheck and [Cole Perfetti] found him all alone and he's dangerous when he's in that spot."

"That's a good first performance to get his toes wet," said Perfetti. "He's going to be able to build off that and get more ice and get more comfortable at this speed and skill."

Perfetti pointed out this is a strange situation for the 16-year-old, who has been a headliner throughout his young and successful hockey career.

"It's hard when you're not going every shift and in the rhythm," the Winnipeg Jets prospect said. "You're kind of sitting for 10 minutes and then being asked to go out and play at a high pace, it's a lot to ask. He's probably never had that, to be honest, in his life. He was ready and stayed in it. When he got his opportunity, he did as much as he could. He got into the right spots. He's got a knack for scoring." 

That may be an understatement. Bedard, the first player to be granted exceptional status in the Western Hockey League, produced 28 points in 15 games as a rookie with Regina. He racked up 14 points in seven games with Team Canada at the World Under-18 Championship earlier this year. The North Vancouver native has 24 points in 24 league games with the Pats this season. 

Most recently, at Canada's World Junior selection camp, Bedard produced six points in two games against U Sports players to earn his ticket to Edmonton. But, he still has work to do to earn a bigger role at a tournament usually dominated by 19-year-olds. 

"The part of Connor's game that has to mature is his play away from the puck," Cameron said. "When that matures to [a] point then probably a little more trust from the coach [will come] and we'll go from there." 

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There was a lot to like about Team Canada's effort on Thursday against Russia. At the top of the list was the performance of Mason McTavish, who scored two goals and added an assist. 

"He can play the game any way you want to play it," Cameron noted. "He's big, strong, physical. He's smart. He's competitive and we saw how good his hands are."

The Peterborough Petes centre danced around Russian goalie Yaroslav Askarov to tuck in a goal in the second period. 

It was one of many nice plays produced by the line of McTavish, Michigan University's Kent Johnson and Shawinigan Cataractes' Mavrik Bourque. 

"Chemistry is a tough thing to define and for them to develop it that quick was kind of exciting," Cameron said. "They're not only skilled players, but also very, very smart players and when you have that combination, and they're able to read off one another, chemistry develops a little bit faster. As much as they generated, they didn't give a lot up and that's a real plus."

McTavish set up Johnson for a goal in the first period and Johnson fed McTavish for a power-play tally as well. That combination has the potential to be really special at the World Juniors. 

"He loves hockey," said McTavish of Johnson. "He lives and breathes it. He's thinking about plays when we're at the hotel and stuff like that. So, we got some good chemistry going. He always puts it in the wheelhouse. It's a treat to play with him."

McTavish can create room with his physicality. Johnson can create room with his high hockey IQ. 

"He kind of gets lost in the O-zone," McTavish said of Johnson. "Even when he has the puck, people seem to stay off him. They don't want to get beat so he creates a lot space for himself and I try and get open for him." 

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Like McTavish, Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours started the season in the NHL. The Blues prospect lived with NHL veteran Brayden Schenn during his nine-game look. 

"He really absorbed everything that was going on in St. Louis," noted Oil Kings coach Brad Lauer. "He got to live with Schenner and got to understand the pro part of the game. He took away the habits those guys have in practice and in executing at a high pace."

"What you notice about those guys is how they carry themselves as people," Neighbours said. "The things I'll take away from living with Schenner are the life habits he taught me. All the little tips and tricks like diet, nutrition, massages and taking care of your body." 

Schenn produced 18 points for Canada during the 2011 World Juniors in Buffalo while playing for Cameron. Schenn shares the single tournament Canadian scoring record with Dale McCourt, who recorded 18 points at the 1977 event. 

"He bugged me about it quite a bit when I was up there," Neighbours said. "He won the MVP of the tournament. He was giving it to me about that a little bit ... He said, 'Try to follow my lead.' I don't know if I'll be able to pull that off. It might be something he has over me for all-time. But I'm definitely excited and just trying to do my part for the team this tournament."

He got off to a good start on Thursday by picking up a pair of assists against Russia. Neighbours is playing on Canada's shutdown line with Brandon Wheat Kings' Ridly Greig and Vancouver Giants' Justin Sourdif, but don't be surprised if he ends up generating his fair share of offence. 

"He doesn't get a lot of credit for some of the skill-set that he has," Lauer said. "He's a heavy-type player, power forward, but he's one of those players that you can put with skilled guys and he makes skill plays."

Neighbours also brings a fun-loving personality to the group, which is why Lauer named him captain this season and why Team Canada made him an alternate captain. 

"I've had Jake since he was 16 and he was not a 16-year-old," Lauer said. "He'll have a normal conversation and look you in the eye. The older players, even when he was 16, really looked up to him."

Lauer describes Neighbours as a glue guy, someone who helps connect the younger guys and older guys on the roster. 

"He's genuine," said Lauer. "He's real. He's a guy who's going to give everything he has in every game." 

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Will Arizona Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny be keeping an eye on the World Juniors this year? 

"Oh yeah, that's for sure," he said. "I will be watching."

Tourigny was Canada's head coach at last year's event inside the Edmonton bubble and was slated to serve in that role again before the Coyotes came calling. Tourigny, who won gold as an assistant coach at the World Juniors in Ostrava in 2020, spoke to TSN about his experiences at the event, Canada's returning players and more.

The following is an edited transcript of the conversation.

TSN: What do the World Juniors mean to you? 

Tourigny: It's huge. You realize, when you win, how many people you've touched so it means a lot on a personal level. And, on a professional level, I had the chance to coach with unbelievable coaches, most of them coaching in the NHL now. And I had a chance to coach unbelievable players. When you go through the list of players I've had a chance to coach, it's unbelievable. That was huge in my career

TSN: What did you learn about Kaiden Guhle last year that makes you believe he'll be a good captain this year? 

Tourigny: He's really driven. He has the eye of the tiger. He's ready to compete every day. He's physical. He's all business. When I saw that I said, 'Yeah.' Guhls is not the most vocal guy. That's the Shea Weber attitude. He doesn't talk a lot, but shows up on the ice and is all about business. He plays so hard. He will bring a lot. He will be a great leader for that team.

TSN: The one returnee up front is Perfetti. How do you assess his development? 

Tourigny: Perf was at a moment in his career last year when he was making a transition from junior to the professionals and having a different mindset … He grew a lot. If I look at Perf in the summer, Perf at the World Juniors and then I had Perf at the World Championship after, the progression was unbelievable. I'm excited to see him play this year. He's a special young man.

TSN: What stood out about Owen Power when you coached him at the men's Worlds? 

Tourigny: He's a really assertive kid. He did not play a lot the first game. In the second or third game, he got his first shift halfway through the second period and, right away, he went on the ice and was very assertive and got a scoring chance. He was skating with the puck, jumping into the offence like if he was playing every second shift. Nobody would have thought this guy didn't play for 30 minutes. He really impressed me. Playing with men, he played a ton of minutes. There was a game he played 27 minutes. No doubt he will be a huge piece for Canada.

TSN: Team Canada has one Arizona prospect. What impression has Dylan Guenther, the ninth overall pick in July's draft, made on you?

Tourigny: A guy with a lot poise. He's not a guy who will get really excited or really low. Everybody knows he can shoot and has offensive ability but, as well, he can play without the puck. He can be a 200-foot player and is consistent in his game. I like what he can bring. He's a flex player with Hockey Canada. We like those guys who can play different roles and play different situations and that's what Gunts is.

TSN: You worked alongside general manager James Boyd when you coached the 67s in Ottawa. He is leading Hockey Canada's management group this year, what do you appreciate about how he approaches his job? 

Tourigny: Boydy, first of all, has knowledge. Second, he has character. And, he has no ego. He has pride, but his ego will never get ahead of the team ... He's a hard-working guy. He's everywhere and putting in a lot of effort. If you find someone who doesn't know of James Boyd let me know, because I want to talk to this guy. Everybody I talk to in Canada knows James Boyd. So, he's well connected and really hard working and he creates an environment where there is no BS. At the same time, everybody is comfortable, everybody is safe ... everybody can be their self. We know where we're going and that's the plan and we're not going right or left. We're really organized. He won't be junior for long.

TSN: Do you have a favourite World Juniors memory? 

Tourigny: It's tough to point to one. What I will say about my experience with Hockey Canada is, it's always an unbelievable story when you win. It's impossible to win the World Juniors or World Championship with a straight and narrow line. It's always unbelievable. You can hit the TSN camera at the end of the game or you lose the first three games of the championship and have to come back. It’s always something. You go from the shootout with Jonathan Toews and Carey Price to the Jordan Eberle goal, you go to the TSN camera, it's so tough to win. The team that dominates the tournament rarely wins the tournament. There's always something that happens. You have to grind your way.

TSN: What's the key to coaching at such an unpredictable event? 

Tourigny: You need to stay even keel. Dale Hunter was really good in Ostrava. He said, 'I don't want the players to feel we have a wave in our emotion.' We give up a goal, we give up a goal. We score a goal, we score a goal. We stay even keel and keep moving forward. If we're December 26th, don't be too high or too low, just move forward. Nobody remembers, because we won the gold medal, but we had the worst lost in the history of Canada in that tournament against Russia, but Dale was just business and keeping his eyes on the objective and get better every day and that's what we did and we found a way.

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Happy Holidays!