2006 World Juniors Hockey Championship

[Asher]

It's coming! Canada announced its final roster today: http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/feature.asp?fid=1028

Quite a different team than last year, much younger. No Dion Phaneuf, Brent Seabrook, or Sidney Crosby. But a lot of future NHL prospects and draft picks playing.

First game for Canada is against Evil Finland on December 26th @ 6:30pm EST, and the USA is also playing Norway on December 26th @ 11pm EST.

But Canada has a few exhibition games before that, televised on TSN and TSN-HD: Canada vs. Czech Republic on Tuesday, Dec. 20th @ 10:30pm EST, and Canada vs. Russia on Thursday, December 22nd @ 10pm EST.

Canada's team finalized for 2006 WJHC
Luc Bourdon

Luc Bourdon

Canadian Press

12/16/2005 12:41:10 PM

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canada will look to youth in attempting to defend its gold medal at the world junior hockey championship.

The world under-20 tournament is considered a showcase of a country's best 19-year-olds. But half the players on Canada's 22-man roster announced Friday are 18 years old and 17-year-old forward Jonathan Toews was also named to the team.

Canada opens the 2006 world junior hockey championship against Finland on Dec. 26 at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

Justin Pogge of the Calgary Hitmen and Devan Dubnyk of the Kamloops Blazers will be Canada's goaltenders.
Related Info

* Canada's final roster for 2006 WJHC
* 2005-06 WJHC Schedule on TSN

Marc Staal of the Sudbury Wolves, Ryan Parent of the Guelph Storm, Luc Bourdon and Kristopher Letang of the Val-d'Or Foreurs, Cam Barker and Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Sasha Pokulok of Cornell are the defencemen selected.



The forwards are North Dakota's Toews, Steve Downie of the Peterborough Petes, Michigan's Andrew Cogliano, Blake Comeau of the Kelowna Rockets, Dustin Boyd of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Kyle Chipchura of the Prince Albert Raiders, David Bolland of the London Knights, Guillaume Latendresse of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Boston College's Dan Bertram, Tom Pyatt of the Saginaw Spirit, Sudbury's Benoit Pouliot and Michael Blunden and Ryan O'Marra of the Erie Otters.

Chipchura was named captain of the team with alternates to rotate between Barker, Bolland, Bourdon and Comeau.

The Canadian blue-line is particularly young with five of the seven defenceman just 18.

The 22-man roster includes four players from college ranks, more than in previous years.

While many players on this team have played for Canada internationally at the under-18 level, the squad lacks experience at the under-20 tournament.

Barker is the lone returning player from the team that won gold in Grand Forks, N.D., in January and he was unable to finish the tournament due to a bout of mononucleosis.

Players released Friday morning were goaltenders Julien Ellis and Carey Price, defencemen Michael Funk, Andy Rogers, Jeff Schultz, Logan Stephenson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and forwards Derick Brassard, Kris Chucko, Angelo Esposito, Bryan Little and Devin Setoguchi.

Canada and Finland are in Group A with the U.S., Switzerland and Norway and those games will be played at Pacific Coliseum.

Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia and Latvia are in Group B and will play their preliminary games in Kamloops and Kelowna, B.C. The medal-round games will be held at GM Place.

The Canadian team was to head to Chase, B.C., on Friday for a pre-competition camp. Canada plays exhibition games Tuesday against the Czech Republic in Kelowna and Thursday against Russia in Kamloops before returning to Vancouver.

[Terra Nullius]

and, in hockey news,..

kookaburras to meet holland in the champions trophy!!!

[Pekka]

Ohh what ignorance!..

Junior WC are one of the most exciting tournaments out there. It's pure, it's very fast, and players still make lots of mistakes so there's lots of open ice, pure raw skill and determined minds trying to get drafted or make that draft into actual deal.

It's just pure hockey by youngsters who can play. One of my favourite tourneys in the year! In other news, our team is still ****, like last year.

[Ninot]

Chipchura, captain of the team and Habs prospect

Guy Latendresse

Team Canada

[Chemical Ollie]

One of my university mates used to be referee in the World Junior Hockey Championship. Now he's CEO of a major Finnish corporation, so he doesn't have the time. Haven't met him in ages, but I'm sure he remember me. I meet his former girlfriend once in a while. She's also a corporate boss.

But personally, I couldn't care less about a hockey tournament. The Olympics, Canada Cup (WC) and the (adult) World Championship are the tournaments that makes me turn the TV on, anything else is just boring. Especially ladies' hockey.

In related news, I intended to stay at a hotel last night and watch a christmas dinner show by an old buddy of mine who has become a national rock star in Sweden. But guess what? The Scech, eeh, szeck, schech, zech, AARRGGHH, whatever national team had booked all available rooms in the hotel. One thing that makes me suspicous though, is the fact that Sweden beat the Tjech (whatever spelling) team in MOSCOW today, so WTF was the team doing in my part of Sweden last night? Must be an A- and B-team.

[Asher]

The World Juniors is good to watch, I think of it as an NHL preview.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Asher
The World Juniors is good to watch, I think of it as an NHL preview.

[Asher]

They're usually 18-20. Almost all are NHL draft picks, at least for Canada (I think they all are).

[Sava]

thanks...

I seriously believed the World Junior Tournament was comprised of Mites

without your hockey expertise I would be lost

[Asher]

You never know with Americans. Really.

[joncha]

Seeing as it's in town, I may have to go check out a game or two...

[Sava]

Well, just so you know Asher, I may be American, but I tried out and made the Chicago Freeze of the NAHL in 1999. It is a Junior A hockey league. However, I decided to go to Depaul instead of play hockey.

[Ninot]

Originally posted by Asher
They're usually 18-20. Almost all are NHL draft picks, at least for Canada (I think they all are).

if i remember right, all but 1

[Sava]

Cam Barker (Blackhawks) is also going to be playing

[Pekka]

Damn, I just checked our team that was announced, it's not a good team. We'll be lucky if we play for bronze. There's no way in hell we can challenge Canada.

We basically have the same team as last year. It was team of young players with no leadership or experience, but no one has really stepped up, they were supposed to mature last year but they didn't step up. Basically we are having a dry season, a year or two of players with no real super talent.

However the team still includes Lauri Tukonen, first round pick and top prospect and still young and should be good.

That's it. Wow. Hooray.

Asher, keep your eye on Aki Seitsonen, he's Flames prospect and plays for Prince Albert Raiders. He's not very talented, maybe an average type of player, but still he's a prospect for your team so.. if nothing else and you get bored watching team Canada dominating that match, check him out.

OHH! Of course forgot, Jesse Joensuu. He's pretty good. Future TOP prospect. I expect a lot from this dude. He should be first round pick in the next draft.

I'm not sure if the rest are even worth mentioning, quite frankly I don't know half of these players which is bad because it means they aren't really top prospects even in our elite league.

However, I'm hoping for good effort, good team play and some PASSION.