Although this year's IIHF World Junior Championship is across the continent and in Buffalo instead of a short drive to Saskatoon, the interest and excitement is once again starting to build, as Team Canada puts its hopefuls through the paces this week.
The 40 players vying for spots on Canada's roster will, for the most part, be new to the experience. Ryan Ellis, Calvin de Haan and, Saskatchewan boys, Jared Cowen and Brayden Schenn, are the only four returning players at camp.
Canadian hockey fans have grown accustomed to a large turnover from year-to-year with more youngsters making the jump from junior to the NHL and not being made eligible from their clubs to play. With those players staying in the show, it simply means new players get an opportunity to be in the spotlight held by Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle at last year's tournament.
The list of NHL forwards not attending the camp includes seven stars, who combined for 44 goals and 56 assists in 193 games this season. That absence offensive punch has the analysts calling Team Canada a blue-collar team, instead of the offensive powerhouse we are used to. It is expected to be a team that will have to work hard and earn everything they get because of the question mark covering the offensive stars.
One of those who could emerge as a new Canadian Junior hockey stars is former Notre Dame Hound forward Jaden Schwartz. Fans in the Battlefords had an opportunity to see him play during his limiedt trips with the Hounds to the Battlefords and even then he was known as something special.
The other Saskatchewan products at camp joining Schenn (Saskatoon), Cowan (Allan) and Schwartz (Emerald Park) are defencemen Brayden McNabb (Davidson) and Ryan Murray (White City) and forwards Carter Ashton (Saskatoon) and Linden Vey (Wakaw).
Among the players who are at Canada's camp, heroes will emerge. This tournament is the biggest launch pad for young players' hockey careers and the best way to get noticed by the international hockey fans, fast.
Look at Nino Niederreiter of Switzerland last year. He was a star in the WHL with Portland, but it wasn't until he became a fan favourite in Saskatoon that everyone figured he'd be drafted and playing in the NHL this season.
Colorado's Matt Duchene tops the list of eligible Canadian junior players, who don't need that added boost to get to the NHL and will not be playing at the World Juniors. Duchene is in his second season in the NHL and didn't play last year in Saskatoon, but can you imagine if he did bring his nine goals and 18 assists in points in 29 NHL games this season?
Duchene's teammate Ryan O'Reilly, also in his second NHL season, has two goals and six assists in 29 games and is still junior age.
The other sophomore who could be playing for Canada is Evander Kane of the Atlanta Thrashers. He has put up nine goals and eight assists in 28 games with the Thrashers and also didn't play last year at the World Juniors. He did win gold in 2009 after being named to the roster as an injury replacement.
The NHL rookies not playing in the World Juniors for Canada, who could be, include: Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, who has eight goals and 12 assists in 28 games; Boston's Tyler Seguin, who has five goals and five assists in 27 games; Kyle Clifford of the Los Angeles Kings, who has one goal and one assist in 23 games; and possibly the most notably absent player, Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers, who has 10 goals and six assists in 29 games.
Not only would Hall dominant at the World Juniors, but my Toronto Maple Leafs wouldn't have to play him Tuesday in Edmonton and I'd have a better chance of winning a bet with my brother.
Without some skilled junior-aged players at the tournament, the Canadians will enter the tournament Boxing Day in Buffalo, not as defending champions and likely not as the favourites. For the first time since 2005, the defending champion are the Americans and they have to be the favourite coming in. This time around it could be up to Canada to steal the gold back instead of holding off the competition to defend it.
The Americans have eight players returning to their camp this season and it is believed the newcomers add more size and possibly more speed and skill than last year.
We'll see come Boxing Day when many Canadian families gather around the TV for a holiday tradition and watch World Junior hockey, as Canada starts the tournament against the Russians.
