Team Canada Releases Camp Roster:
Yesterday, Team Canada named their Selection Camp Roster for their upcoming World Junior Championship Camp which will take place from December 11-14th. 32 players have been named to the selection camp roster, which will undergo 10 cuts before the final roster is released.
Forwards: Mathew Barzal (NYI), Anthony Cirelli (TBL), Dillon Dube (CGY), Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ), Julien Gauthier (CAR), Brett Howden (TBL), Mathieu Joseph (TBL), Tyson Jost (COL), Mikey McLeod (NJD), Nick Merkley (ARI), Nolan Patrick (2017), Taylor Raddysh (TBL), Nicolas Roy (CAR), Zach Senyshyn (BOS), Blake Speers (NJD), Sam Steel (ANA), Mitchell Stephens (TBL), Dylan Strome (ARI), Austin Wagner (LA)
Defense: Jake Bean (CAR), Guillaume Brisebois (VAN), Thomas Chabot (OTT), Kyle Clauge (LA), Dante Fabbro (NSH), Samuel Girard (NSH), Noah Juulsen (MTL), Jeremy Lauzon (BOS), Victor Mete (MTL), Philippe Myers (PHI)
Goaltenders: Carter Hart (PHI), Connor Ingram (TBL), Michael McNiven (MTL)
Pretty good group but it will be a story of what could have been at this years WJC with many elgible players playing in the NHL. My locks are in italics. There will be some interesting choices at the backend of the roster.
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Recapping Last Night:
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Jack Eichel returned to action last night, and single-handedly lifted every Buffalo fans spirit with a loaded stat line. Two points (1G, 1A), five shots on goal, two penalty minutes, two blocks, and most importantly a 5-4 Sabres win over Ottawa.
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Got a good look at what a potential Leafs-Oilers rivalry would look like last night if they played eachother more than twice a season. It was a glimpse of two organizations who have the opportunity to really grow around their young stars and be contenders if the right pieces fall into place in the forseeable future.
The ages of players picking up points last nights 4-2 victory for Toronto: Zach Hyman (24), Mitch Marner (19), William Nylander (20), Auston Matthews (19), Nikita Zaitsev (25) and Connor McDavid (19).
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Jimmy Vesey continued his solid rookie campaign last night, scoring the game-winner in a Rangers comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Vesey has shown a knack for scoring big goals for New York this season, with three of his eight goals being game winners. Last year's Hobey Baker winner now has 14 points in his first 24 games, playing just over 14 minutes per game.
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Troy Stecher continues to prove his worth for Vancouver, picking up two assists while playing nearly nineteen minutes in a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild. The former North Dakota product now has five points in 14 games, averaging over three shots on goal per contest.
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Columbus has been getting contributions along the way from secondary players that has allowed them to post a surprising 12-5-4 record early this season. One of those contributors is Josh Anderson, who has been a staple in the teams bottom six this season, chipping in with 10 points, 37 shots and 35 hits while receiving little to no power play time. Anderson's shooting percentage (18.9%) is bound to come crashing back to Earth, but he does do enough peripherally that in deep leagues he could be worth a look.
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Tonight's Games:
Pittsburgh at NY Islanders – 8:00PM ET
Toronto at Calgary – 8:30PM ET
San Jose at Los Angeles – 10:30PM ET
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