Team Canada’s selection camp for the World Junior Hockey Championships begins today. A pair of Everett Silvertips, center Zach Hamill and goaltender Leland Irving, are among the participants. I figured today I’d muse about their chances of making the team.
I’ll begin with Hamill. Everett’s top playmaker, in all honesty, is not having a great season. His numbers are solid, with 34 points in 31 games. However, it’s not quite what one would expect for a 19-year-old four-year veteran of the WHL who is the reigning scoring champion and an eighth-overall pick in the NHL draft. Based solely on what he’s done this season Hamill probably would have difficulty making the team.
But Hamill was also a part of the Canada-Russia Super Series, where he was a point-a-game player despite being a fourth liner. Being a part of that team, which took apart the Russians, works in his favor. With fellow Super Series forwards Milan Lucic, Sam Gagner and David Perron not released by their NHL teams, Hamill moves that much further up the pecking order. Hamill’s also the type of player who benefits from playing on the larger international ice surface. My guess is that Hamill’s extensive experience with Team Canada over the years and enthusiasm for playing for his country, along with the freed up roster spots, will be enough for him to make the team.
As for Irving, he really has a battle on his hands. Irving has a big advantage in that he was a member of last year’s gold medal-winning team, although he never actually saw the ice. But like Hamill, Irving has not produced blow-you-away numbers this season, going 13-11-0-2 with a 2.71 goals against average and .904 save percentage. Irving also played in the Canada-Russia Super Series and played well. But, Jonathan Bernier and Steve Mason played equally well in the series, and both Bernier and Mason are generally considered to be having better seasons than Irving (I doubt Tyson Sexsmith is in contention, being a year younger and having played poorly during his showcase at the Canada-Russia Challenge).
When the dust settles I suspect Irving will once again be suiting up for Canada. But Bernier is the guy who’s really in fashion now, so it seems a good possibility that Irving will once again be watching from the bench.
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