EVERETT — The next two nights are Kyle Beach’s chance to get back on Hockey Canada’s good side.
The Everett Silvertips winger will suit up for Team Western Hockey League tonight and Thursday for the Canada-Russia Challenge, and he’s hoping his play will get him back in the mix to represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
“World Juniors is another level, another step,” Beach said before departing Tuesday morning. “Hopefully a good showing at this event will give me a chance at World Juniors, or at least the tryouts. All the scouts are going to be watching and it’s another pressure event. I’m ready, I’m prepared, and hopefully I’ll do enough to get to get invited to World Juniors camp.”
The Canada-Russia Challenge consists of a Russian touring team playing six games against Canadian opposition, twice each against all-star teams from the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Hockey Canada uses the series as one of the steps in identifying prospective players for World Juniors, the world’s biggest under-20 international tournament. The WHL’s games are tonight in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and Thursday in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
But for Beach there’s more at stake than for the typical player. The 18-year-old has been persona non grata in the Hockey Canada setup ever since the summer of 2007. That summer, while playing for Canada’s under-18 team, Beach showed his displeasure at what he considered favoritism by the coaching staff by coming out for practice with “Team Ontario” taped on his jersey. Hockey Canada was not amused. Even though Beach is one of the top players in the world in his age group, being selected 11th overall in past NHL draft, Hockey Canada hasn’t asked him back since.
Beach is off to a solid start this season with 19 points in 18 games and he’s showed some signs, if not complete transformation, of increased self control on the ice. If he can impress at the Canada-Russia Challenge, he might just get himself out of the Hockey Canada doghouse and back into contention for World Juniors.
“I’m obviously really excited and motivated,” Beach said. “It’s a great honor to be named to this, and it would be an even bigger honor to represent all of Canada.”
Everett coach John Becanic, who felt Beach was snubbed when left off the roster for the Canada-Russia Challenge last year, also is happy to see Beach get his shot.
“It’s nice that they finally acknowledged him,” Becanic said. “It seems long overdue that he got the opportunity to represent, at least the league in some sort, if not the country. It’s a great opportunity for him and I’m sure he’ll be at his best there and wow some people with how he plays.”
However, Becanic now faces the prospect of being without one of his top players. The hope is that Beach will miss just one game, tonight’s contest at Tri-City. But with games for Team WHL tonight and Thursday, then the Tips having home games Friday against Portland and Saturday against Kootenay, it makes for a busy week for Beach and may limit his avilability on the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Tips will have to find a way to solve a Tri-City team, which beat Everett 7-2 in Everett on Friday, without Beach. Becanic said center Zack Dailey would take Beach’s spot on Everett’s top line, with Daniel Bartek sliding to left wing.
“The one thing we’ve been really fortunate so far this season is when we’ve missed just one player we’ve been OK, especially up front,” Becanic said. “We have pretty good depth up front. The last time Beach sat out with an injury we beat Spokane in our building and played a pretty good game without him. I think Dailey is quite capable of giving that line some energy and jump, and we’ll just slide the centers the rest of the way up the lineup.”
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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