Mooseheads Stars Await the Call
Today will be day for some of the Halifax Mooseheads. Hockey Canada will announce the roster for its World Junior selection camp. Unfortunately, the NHL lockout will undoubtedly squeeze out some great junior talent.
Nathan MacKinnon was a fairly safe bet to make the team this year after he generated consideration last year, despite not being invited. MacKinnon is still pretty certain to be invited to the selection camp, but with potential NHL-ready talent like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM), Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA), Ryan Strome (NYI), Mark Scheifele (WIN), and more available, the forward corps is getting pretty filled already.
TSN had preliminary roster speculation that featured MacKinnon as the 13th forward, while TSN Insider Bob McKenzie says he could challenge for a top six spot by shifting to RW. However unlikely, with stiff competition there is the slight possibility that if there is no scoring line spot available, MacKinnon gets left out in place of more experienced role players for the third and fourth line.
This is more of reality for his Moosehead teammate Jonathan Drouin, who has been climbing up the draft rankings all season and with his stellar first half has made some start wondering how close he is to MacKinnon. Hockey Canada always gives the advantage to older players that have typically been drafted, but in any normal year Drouin would have at least have been in consideration for a spot. But sadly, it is unlikely he even gets a sniff this year. Maybe he’ll get an invite to camp, but even that might be a long shot as the team brass will only have limited time to assess what they have and will focus on more known commodities.
While it even rarer for underage goaltenders to get into the conversation for the annual Christmas tournament Zachary Fucale has also impressed enough that in a normal year he could have garnered some interest. That’s all it would ever be, is interest but still worth noting.
Good luck to Nate, and would certainly be great to see Drouin get a chance to showcase his skill at least. If by chance both are snubbed, I’d feel bad for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Last year, after not getting invited to the selection camp, Mathan MacKinnon posted 5 goals on the Quebec Rempart. Just sayin’!
MacKinnon Named QMJHL First Star
Nathan MacKinnon, François Lacerte and Samuel Carrier were named today the TELUS three stars of the week for the period extending from November 21st to 27th.
Halifax Mooseheads rookie Nathan MacKinnon is the first star. He was named the player of the game on Thursday after collecting a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Screaming Eagles. The following night, he posted his fourth four-point game of the season to help the Mooseheads defeat the Rocket 6-3. Finally, he recorded two assists in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Wildcats on Sunday. MacKinnon finished the week with 2 goals, 6 assists and a +3 rating.
The honour comes on the same day it was announced MacKinnon would be invited to the Team Canada World Junior selection camp. Team Canada’s scouting staff indicated that age and inexperience were the biggest factors in deciding to leave him off the camp roster. So instead of giving on a the most dynamic hockey players in the country a chance to prove he is worthy, they’ve told him to wait for next year.
Gatineau Olympiques goaltender François Lacerte is the second star. Thursday, versus the Rimouski Océanic, he was named the second star of the game after blocking 36 shots in a shootout loss. Then, on Saturday, he pushed away an incredible 53 shots to earn the first star in another shootout loss. Finally, on Sunday, he helped the Olympiques secure a 3-2 win over the Titan by stopping 37 shots. In his last 9 starts, he hasn’t lost in regulation time, posting a 5-0-1-3 record.
Baie-Comeau Drakkar defenseman Samuel Carrier is the third star. He collected player of the game honours on Friday, versus the Huskies, after a career game in which he recorded five points (1 goal & 4 assists). It was the second best performance from a Drakkar defenseman in 15 years, the record belonging to Bruno St-Jacques who registered six points on December 28, 1999. The Drakkar won the contest 7-3. On Saturday, Carrier was named the second star of the game after scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 5-4 loss.
World Junior Selection Camp Roster Announced
Monday morning Hockey Canada announced the roster for the Team Canada World Junior Hockey Championship selection camp. The three camp that opens on December 11th in Calgary will be the final opportunity to impress the Hockey Canada brass and earn a coveted spot on Team Canada.
There are of course some players that are not surprising to be listed, including returning members Jayden Schwartz, Quinton Howden, Mark Visentin and some already highly draft players like Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Strome and Mark Scheifele. Now the tough part will be wittling the deep roster down to what will make the best TEAM.
Full Selection Camp Roster Read More…
Team Atlantic Named for Under-17 Challenge
Nathan MacKinnon will be big a big part of a Christmas time tournament.
In the shadow of the World Juniors sits the World Under-17 Challenge. This year’s tournament kicks off December 29th (3 days after World Juniors) and finshes with the gold medal game on January 4th (day before World Juniors gold). Five regional teams from Canada compete against five international entries: Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russian and the United States.
The Canadian teams are largely comprised of Major Junior rookies, top AAA Midget players, and a sprinkling of Junior A and Prep school talent.
Our neck of the wood is represented by Team Atlantic, with players from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Topping the list of for the Team Atlantic roster will be Halifax Moosehead Nathan MacKinnon, who had eight points in five games last year as underager. There is a slim chance that MacKinnon could be invited to play for Canada at the World Juniors, but recent comments from Kevin Prendergast indicate “it’s going to be tough” for MacKinnon to make the team this year.
Mooseheads’ New Assistant Coach
Halifax Mooseheads Head Coach Dominique Ducharme announced today the signing of Jim Midgley as assistant coach for the next two seasons. Midgley will join Ducharme and assistant coach Steve Hartley behind the bench for the Herd this season.
Midgley, 33, joins the Mooseheads with a solid track record of coaching and developing young players at the midget and junior ranks. For the past 2 seasons he has been the Director of Hockey Operations for Rothesay Netherwood Prep School in New Brunswick. He was also Head Coach for Team New Brunswick at the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax. Prior to that Midgley was assistant coach for the Saint John Sea Dogs from 2007 to 2009 and held the same position at Acadia University from 2003 to 2007. He also has coaching experience with Hockey Canada, as assistant coach for Team Atlantic Under 17 in 2009, followed by head coach in 2010.
“Jim brings tremendous communication and team development skills to our Club,” stated Ducharme. “He has a great reputation for growing players at this level and we look forward to him joining us behind the bench in Halifax next season.”
Highly Touted 