EVERETT — Today Kyle Beach learns whether he managed to get back in Hockey Canada’s good graces.
Hockey Canada announces the selection camp roster for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships this morning, and the controversial Everett Silvertips winger is hoping to get the call.
“Obviously I’m excited about it and obviously I hope my name is on that list,” Beach said. “If it’s not there’s lots I can work on here, but any time you get the opportunity to represent your country it’s a great honor. I’d love the opportunity and I’d do everything I can to represent the country well.”
Approximately 40 players aged 19 and under are expected to be invited to the selection camp, which takes place Dec. 11-15 in Ottawa. That roster will be whittled down to the final team of 22 who will represent Canada at World Juniors on Dec.26-Jan. 5, also in Ottawa. Canada is the four-time defending gold medalist.
The 18-year-old Beach would seem to have the resume of a shoo-in for invitation to the selection camp. He has a unique blend of size, skill and grit — he has seven goals, 15 assists and 62 penalty minutes in 20 games with Everett this season — and was the 11th-overall pick in this year’s NHL draft.
However, Beach and Hockey Canada had a high-profile falling out in the summer of 2007 when Beach was playing for Canada’s under-18 team. Since then Beach has been passed over for consideration whenever it’s come time to choose national teams.
But Beach was thrown a lifeline when he was selected to represent the WHL at the Canada-Russia Challenge. He participated in both games between Team WHL and the Russia Selects last week, Team WHL prevailing 5-0 last Wednesday in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and 2-1 last Thursday in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
After being used as a fourth-liner in the first game, Beach stated his case in the second when, given the opportunity on a top line alongside Regina’s Jordan Eberle and Calgary’s Brett Sonne, he scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, bringing the puck out of the corner and scoring around the Russian goaltender.
“I felt really good about the way I played,” Beach said. “I haven’t really gotten any feedback, but I felt good. I was winning battles, I was getting to loose pucks, so I felt really good with my performance. Hopefully I did enough to get an invite to camp.”
But was it enough to thaw Hockey Canada’s cool feelings toward Beach?
“I think I did enough, but politics always come into play,” Beach said. “There’s some guys who are going to like me and some guys who aren’t. I’ve just got to hope I impressed the right guys or changed the minds of the right guys.
“I just hope I’ve showed them enough that they believe I’m deserving of another chance.”
If Beach is selected he will miss Everett’s final two games before the Christmas break, on Dec. 12 against Medicine Hat and Dec. 13 against Prince George, both at home.
“We hope for his sake he gets that opportunity,” Everett coach John Becanic said. “Both teams we’re playing will probably be missing key players as well (Tyler Ennis for Medicine Hat and Dana Tyrell for Prince George), so I think it’s kind of a wash.”
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
