Hockey Canada WJC Selection Camp - Klimchuk cut

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by waner

Good to see the whining and "politics" complaints have already started.

It's going to happen when you haven't won a tournament like this in years...

[PeteMoss]

McCann just isn't that good. He's missed some games, but he's 4th on his team in PPG. No real reason to invite him besides the face he's a 1st round pick.

Going with 4 good lines... unbelievable its taken them this long to figure that out. Hey, we've got boatloads of talent players but lets take some guy to run around like a chicken with his head cut off and take tons of penalties instead.

[zukes]

Not at all surprised that Remi Elie made it, though I'd put him down in the Josh Anderson role, a good but not great offensive player that is balls out every shift and can hit like there's no tomorrow. That seems to go against the 4 scoring lines, no grinders theory.

I am surprised that Mitchell Marner didn't make it. As a 16 year old last year who started on the 4th line of the Knights and was a top PP player by the end of the year here were his stats: 13G - 46A - 59P

This year in 26 games: 22G - 26A - 48P, almost 2 points a game. He is draft eligable and went from off the firsat round radar to an all but consensus top 10 pick (and rising) according to this site: http://www.mynhldraft.com/2015-draft/prospect-rankings/

Dylan Strome's stock should be rising as well as he has taken over as Erie's best player and they have barely missed a beat since the McDavid injury.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Agreed. I just hope he's able to pick up his production a bit this year. He's a bit over a point per game right now - which at his age and his draft position seems a tiny bit low perhaps.

Yeah, it would definitely be nice to see more points production out of his game, but he started the year injured, so it probably set him back a bit.

I remember thinking in 2013 that if in the end, 2 out of 3 of our 1st-rounders worked out, I'd consider it a success. With Monahan being firmly entrenched in the NHL, Poirier showing signs of being an impact player (lol Shinkaruk), Klimchuk is a bit of a bonus at this stage. He always seemed like a bit of a safe pick, but after picking Poirier, Feaster probably wanted a bit more of a sure thing. I think he'll be an NHLer, but in the same way Eric Nystrom is an NHLer.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by waner

Good to see the whining and "politics" complaints have already started.

LOL. Team Canada Can do no wrong. Good to see the apologists are out already

[Hatter]

Tristan Jarry should be there. Excellent stats on a mediocre team this season, and proven big game experience from last season. What more does he have to do to get a look?

[Burke Salad]

Just keep a list of the GTHL players that didnt make the team, as this is what a non-gold medal squad will be blamed on. Not the ridiculous amount of pressure that will be thrown on these kids.

[DoubleK]

Only 3 players from the Q?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by codynw

Is that why they invited Gauthier?

That's to appease Leafs fans and keep interest up in Ontario.

[dammage79]

The defense looks stacked no matter which way you slice it.
I could do without Domi on the roster and Kimchuk should make it with the U17 and U18 exp he has.

Weird is right though when you notice Strome is not on the roster.
But he does have two years of eligibility left after this year.

[waner]

Originally Posted by RyZ

LOL. Team Canada Can do no wrong. Good to see the apologists are out already

There is no apologies here. The results definitely haven't been here but blaming politics because people's favorite guy or their teams prospect didn't make the team is pathetic and flat out stupid.

Now we get complaints about the preliminary roster before the team is even announced and it gets a little tiresome. Especially when many of those complaints are just one liners and not an actual thought out response.

The guys involved in selecting the team are doing so to win, to boost their own reputations and build on their careers using this as an example of why they are good hockey evaluators.

Brad Pascal isn't working for the Flames right now because he chose Brad Trelivings guys while working with TC. He is there because he showed he could be an integral part to a winning organization.

Ryan Jankowski isn't going to get hired on with the Leafs because TC finishes out of the medals but a guy he thinks sucks in Gauthier made it. He is going to get hired by any number of teams for putting together Gold Medal winners and Gauthier is there because of strong play in the U-18's and his experience from last year.

[tvp2003]

Will Fucale be the starter? He was the pick we gave to Montreal in the Bourque/Cammy trade where we picked up Ramo...

[codynw]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Will Fucale be the starter? He was the pick we gave to Montreal in the Bourque/Cammy trade where we picked up Ramo...

Most likely, unless he looks terrible in the camp. He took the starting job at last year's tournament.

[waner]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Will Fucale be the starter? He was the pick we gave to Montreal in the Bourque/Cammy trade where we picked up Ramo...

He will likely go in as the starter but him and Comrie will probably split the round robin games and if Fucale struggles/Comrie excels it could easily change but Comrie would have to beat out Ficale to get the starters spot, if everything is equal it is Fucale.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by dammage79

The defense looks stacked no matter which way you slice it.
I could do without Domi on the roster and Kimchuk should make it with the U17 and U18 exp he has.

Weird is right though when you notice Strome is not on the roster.
But he does have two years of eligibility left after this year.

It's something that has always bothered me about the world juniors... There is such a bias by the management against taking younger players. And when they do make the team, they are rarely put in positions to succeed. They used mackinnon as a 4th line checker the year he went. McDavid wasn't even on the top powerplay last year. A guy like strome this year is lighting up the OHL but he isn't even invited. Strange. A lot of people have called it politics while some argue this is a tournament for older players but it always feels like players are held back from contributing based solely on being 1 or 2 years younger.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Klimchuk is a guy I know nothing about, with all the talk the last year revolving around Gaudreau, Bennett, Poirier, etc I haven't heard his name mentioned much at all. Anyone with some knowledge about the kid want to share what kind of player he is, and what we might be able to expect out of him?

Well, the guy who Klimchuk is often compared with is Eberle. He has put up slightly better numbers on the Pats though, and is a bit taller (.5" or so).

However, unlike Eberle, Klimchuk plays defence!

For me, Klimchuk seems to be a guy you can throw out in any instance. He can score, he can defend, and he can 'finish' any line off. He has been the winger with Reinhart and McDavid at some tournaments (Ivan Hlinka I believe), so that speaks to his ability to play with talented players. He is a good finisher, he is a pretty good playmaker and he has some speed to his game. He is slightly undersized, and he has had injury troubles thus far, but he looks like a kid that is destined to become an NHL'er.

If you were to ask me what his absolute ceiling is, I would say: "1st line LW". On the Flames, I think he will eventually become a 2/3rd line LW that Hartley will love. Kid is very coachable and very intelligent. Makes great decisions on the ice.

I am no expert though. Most of this comes from watching less than 10 games from him (including tournaments), and a lot of scouting reports. I thought he was very underwhelming in camp which discouraged me a bit on him, but that is a small sample size.

Really hope this kid makes it on team Canada. Considering he has shown good chemistry with Reinhart and McDavid already, and is a kid who can provide offence without hurting you, I would put him ahead of other guys like Domi. I know Team Canada wants to run 4 scoring lines and follow the Olympic Team Canada model, so in my opinion he fits the team perfectly. Team Canada on the Olympics may have had 4 scoring lines, but they also ran 4 checking lines. This is what Klimchuk can provide much better than a player like Domi who is much more of a 1-way player.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Also of note Duclair, Horvat, Lazar and Drouin's respective NHL teams haven't closed the door on them going to the WJC.

What about MacKinnon?

[dammage79]

Klimchuk: 18gp, 9g 11a and a +10. Just over a ppg. 4th in team scoring over all with ten less games played. If he stays healthy I have to believe he'll be a lock for the WJC roster.

[Northendzone]

How about some props for the other of calgary born players on the list point, morrisey and heather ingrown.

I wonder if this team needs to cut a second yr guy just to,shake things up......I don't like the two goalie thing, but I'll reserve judgement until the end of the tourney......

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by waner

He will likely go in as the starter but him and Comrie will probably split the round robin games and if Fucale struggles/Comrie excels it could easily change but Comrie would have to beat out Ficale to get the starters spot, if everything is equal it is Fucale.

It's the same situation as last year, Fucale, like Paterson last year, is having a bad year. He'll get the starting job because he was on the team last year, not because he actually earned it.

Goalie development is super predictable, so there is no way the best one at age 17 isn't still the best one at 19. /sarcasm