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Canada’s Jamie Drysdale (6) and Cole Perfetti (11) celebrate a goal against Russia during the third phase of the IIHF Junior Ice Hockey World Championship in Edmonton on Wednesday, November 23. December 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jason Franson
A Canadian team with no free legs opens the defense of its junior world title in Edmonton on Saturday.
Canada have played one game against an opponent since the selection camp began in November – their 1-0 pre-tournament victory against Russia on Wednesday. 16.
Canadian captain Kirby Dach injured his right wrist in the third half of the game and cannot take part in the tournament.
« It’s really heartbreaking what happened, but we’ve been preparing to face adversity since Day 1, » he said.
Germany will be minus nine players on Saturday. These players are in quarantine due to positive COVID-19 tests on the team.
Three Germans can return to the tournament on Sunday and another five on Tuesday, unless tests are more positive.
The 46 players invited to Canada’s selection camp went into quarantine after two players tested positive for the virus. Therefore, four exhibition games against university teams have been canceled.
An extended quarantine for Sweden upon arrival in Canada wiped out a pre-tournament match between the two countries.
Of the 25 players on Canada’s squad, 20 have not played any games in months as the pandemic postponed the start of their leagues this season.
« It’s definitely a challenge and something we talked about, not being able to play that many games other than the boys (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), » said St forward Alex Newhook. . John’s N. . L.. . who hasn’t seen any action with Boston College this season.
“With that we really increased our intensity and our pace of play in practice. Regardless of how many games we’ve played, I think our drills will adjust us well to the highest level of competition we’ve played in a long time. ”
« Resilience » was a word Tourigny and his coaching staff used a lot in the run-up to the tournament.
“That is one of the reasons why our country is so special in hockey. We are resilient. We never give up. We’ll stay with that. We never stop. You need this to appear in a championship. ”
Canadians won’t have a sold-out crowd delivering adrenaline at Rogers Place. All games are fanless to avoid the virus spreading.
“Everyone wants this energy. The world’s juniors are such a big stage and we know the country is behind us whether we have fans or not.
“I think we have to provide our own energy and we have a lot of people in this room who are really good at it. ”
Canada is probably in the easier pool alongside Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany. Russia, the United States, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Austria include Pool B.. .
Canada against Switzerland on Tuesday and a New Year’s Eve matchup with the Finns round off the preliminary round for the host country.
« I can talk to you for hours about our boys, how they work in practice, when we teach them or ask them about different things and how they are from the ice, » said Tourigny.
“But if I know how they will react in the game, when they get hot, when mistakes will happen, where there are breakdowns or the like, I can’t tell you at the moment that we know them very well. ”
The four best teams in each group move up to January. in front. 2 quarter finals, followed by the semifinals Jan. . 4 and the medal games Jan. . 5
Canada has tremendous talent. All 14 strikers were drafted by NHL teams in the first round.
Six players are veterans of the 2020 championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where Canada scored three goals in the third half to beat Russia 4-3 against gold.
Tournament MVP Alexis Lafreniere has not been approved for Canada by the New York Rangers.
The lack of warm-up games made choosing a starting goalkeeper difficult, especially as Devon Levi, Taylor Gauthier and Dylan Garand have not yet competed in the tournament.
Levi of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. , posted a 23-save shutout against Russia. Tourigny stated before the exhibition game that it’s Levi’s job to lose. He will start again against Germany on Saturday.
« We knew our goalkeepers at camp wouldn’t have many games to prove themselves, » said the head coach.
“After what we saw in practice and during the Intrasquad games, we decided on Devon. ”
Striker Dylan Holloway, Edmonton’s first pick (Jan.. Overall Rank) in the October draft, enjoys a preview of his NHL future.
« It’s massive, » said the Bragg Creek, Alta winger. “There are a lot of square meters. It’s definitely the biggest locker room I’ve ever been to.
“You have a table tennis table. The lounge looks like a hotel lobby. The jacuzzi and cold jacuzzi are really nice.
“There are so many amenities and so many cool things. It’s crazy to be there and it’s super cool. ”
NBA players and fans pay tribute to the great NBA player Kobe Bryant.
The Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers fight for the championship.
A look at the Raptors’ new championship rings.
Chicago Blackhawks, World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Canadian Men’s National Junior Ice Hockey Team, Canada, National Hockey League World Junior Men’s Hockey Gold
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Ref: https://www.cp24.com