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A late addition from the NHL could pay dividends for Canada’s World Junior team. Victor Mete, a London Knights product who earned a spot with the Montreal Canadiens as a 19-year-old, has been loaned to Team Canada in the hopes of pushing them to gold.
The days where Canada can run away with the tournament are over. Most of us are old enough to remember Canada winning five straight golds on two separate occasions (1993-97 and 2005-09), but hockey is a much different game now and it’s clear that there are plenty of powerhouse nations who will put Canada to work. Here’s a look at this year’s competition.
Team Canada is finalized and ready to play for World Junior gold. Hockey Canada released the final five players Friday night after the team completed its four-day selection camp with a 5-2 win over Team Denmark in St. Catharines.
The new year is always centred around rumours and speculation about who will go where leading up to the OHL trade deadline. It’s a period fans look forward to for sure, but while the dominoes always fall in the week leading up to the early January trade deadline, there are usually a few big trades that are orchestrated in the fall as general managers find the need to bolster their lineups earlier.
2015’s HockeyNow Minor Hockey Player of the Year for Alberta, Ty Smith broke the first ISS Hockey prospects list of the season at #10 and has slipped one spot this month.
We’re halfway through the Canada Russia Series, and like this point last year, the Russians are one win ahead after completing the WHL portion and half of the OHL loop.
ISS Hockey just releases their first list of top prospects for the 2018 NHL Draft, and the QMJHL looks poised to make a strong draft showing, with five players listed in the Top 31 and the predicted 1 and 2 goalie picks also from the Q. Saint John captain Joe Veleno is occupying the #3 spot after a career year and Memorial Cup run with the Sea Dogs
In one sense, you could say the Mississauga Steelheads and London Knights are victims of their own success. Major junior hockey is a development stream after all and they’ve each developed multiple players well enough for extended stays in the NHL this season, albeit they could still come back to the OHL.
There’s some hesitancy to read too much into the standings early on in the OHL season, and understandably so. It’s a long season and there’s a lot of good teams that don’t truly get up to speed until sometime in November, maybe even later.
It’s hard to build a sustainable contender in the OHL, but we’ve seen it done before. The London Knights have maintained that status for years thanks to shrewd asset management and drafting, often going against the grain to take a chance on talented prospects that may have slipped under the radar.
Nick Suzuki could have a big season in store. The Owen Sound Attack forward was a top-five scorer in the OHL last year leading up to the NHL Draft, where he was selected 13th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights.
The OHL preseason is now in full swing and many of the top players in the league are off to their respective NHL rookie camps. A successful run there will lead to a main camp invite, and perhaps beyond.
Most Read:
1) JUNIOR B UPDATE: KIJHL’s Castlegar Rebels announce new coach and GM; Sharp calling the shots for HJHL’s Three Hills Thrashers
2) On Top of the World: CSSHL Keeps Gaining Traction in Canada’s Hockey Landscape
3) Around the WHL: Eleven WHL players help Canada win Hlinka Gretzky gold; Tigers deal White to ICE
4) Meet Matthew Savoie, the NAX Forward Taking the CSSHL by Storm
5) Meet The Winners Of The 2018 HockeyNow Minor Hockey Player Of The Year Award Powered By Hockeyshot
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About HockeyNow
Established in 1999, HockeyNow is the only magazine delivering the best in news and stories from across the minor, junior, collegiate and female hockey ranks, both in print and through our world-class website at HockeyNow.ca. Print copies of our 43 annual issues are available free in hockey rinks across B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. We are deeply involved and committed to developing and promoting the game of hockey to our readers through unique perspectives and stories they won’t find anywhere else.
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