While Owen Power was named to Team Canada's selection camp roster for the world juniors last week, Michigan University head coach Mel Pearson is unsure whether the program will loan the defenceman to the national team.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” Pearson told The Michigan Daily. “I would like to let Owen experience it and go there, but at the same time, I’ve got to look at the overall picture and what’s right for Owen going forward, overall, not just for a two-week camp that’s played at Christmas time, but for his overall growth and development and academic interest.”

Pearson noted that allowing Power to attend the camp could see him in the Alberta bubble for 51 days should he make the team, which could have an impact on his academics.

Power, listed by the university as 6-foot-5, 214lbs, is a freshman at Michigan and draft eligible in 2021. The Mississauga, Ont., native spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. He had 12 goals and 40 points in 45 games with the Steel last season.

The Michigan head coach added that allowing Power to join Team Canada could potentially have a negative impact on his development. The 17-year-old was the lone defencemen not yet drafted among the 15 named to the selection camp roster. Six of the defencemen are first-round picks from the past two draft classes.

“We’ve had a lot of players go and it’s been a tough experience and you’ve got to come back with their confidence rattled a little bit,” Pearson said. “We got to build them back up.”

The Big Ten Conference announced last month that play will begin as soon as Nov. 13, though no official schedule has been released.

“I wish I didn’t have to make a tough decision like I’m probably going to have to,” Pearson said. “But he’s here to go to school and play hockey, not just the hockey.”

Hockey Canada’s selection camp - run by head coach Andre Tourigny - goes from Nov. 16 through Dec. 13 in a cohort bubble in Red Deer, AB, with practices, three intrasquad games and six games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars. Final rosters for the tournament will be expanded this year, with 22 skaters and three goaltenders instead of the usual 20 skaters and three goaltenders.

The 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship begins Christmas Day in a bubble in Edmonton with enhanced safety measures, extensive COVID-19 testing and team protocols. Canada opens the tournament on Boxing Day against Germany.