2023 World Junior Championship: Projecting Team Canada’s roster

Credit: (Photo by Steven Ellis/The Hocke

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December will always be my favorite month of the hockey season. Because, let’s face it: I might be the biggest Spengler Cup fan in the Western Hemisphere.

Oh, and there’s this fun little tournament called the World Junior Championship. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper edition: the 2021 tournament was played with no fans. Then, with full attendance allowed leading up to the original 2022 tournament, it was cancelled just a few days in and instead played in August. It was weird, the building was empty for virtually the entire tournament and many stars were missing.

Knock on wood, but it looks like things are returning to normal for the 2023 edition. Out are the NHL rinks, in are traditional junior barns in Halifax and Moncton. What a welcome sight that’ll be.

Canada’s WJC camp will run from Dec. 9-12, with the selection roster getting announced in the coming days. Here’s an early look at what the roster could end up looking like before heading out east:

Goaltenders

Once again, Canada’s goaltending situation looks wide-open – and potentially for all the wrong reasons. Benjamin Gaudreau and Tyler Brennan entered the season as the favorites, but both have struggled for their respective teams. Granted, neither plays for a good team, so it’s not all on them. Both have experience with Canada’s national junior team programs, with Gaudreau already serving as starter at the U-17 and U-18 levels. He might get the nod given Canada’s familiarity with him, but Brennan, a New Jersey Devils prospect, has a ton of upside and deserves a shot at No. 1.

And then there’s Thomas Milic, an undrafted wild-card option. He has had an excellent season with the Seattle Thunderbirds with a 10-2-1 record and he also has experience with Canada’s junior team programs. His numbers are the best of the lot right now, but it seems unlikely he’d make it as the starter.

Defensemen

This is the most straightforward position to project, and it helps that Canada is bringing back a critical element from the summer team. Olen Zellweger was one of the top defensemen in Edmonton in August and will once again handle top power-play duties. He jived well with Canada’s top forwards and essentially acted as a fourth one most of the time, so having him back is a huge bonus.

The interesting one would be Brandt Clarke, who is currently up with the L.A. Kings. He wasn’t named to the 2022 team, which raised significant eyebrows, but he was good enough to crack the Kings roster out of camp. If the Kings make him available – and given that he’s been a healthy scratch more often than not, they should – he’ll give the team a major boost on the back end. He has pro experience, can contribute offense and has great chemistry with former Don Mills Flyers teammates Shane Wright and Brennan Othmann. Hockey Canada will have a hard time leaving him off the roster if he’s available this year, no question about it.

The only other returning defensemen will be Ethan Del Mastro and Carson Lambos. Del Mastro would fit in nicely with Clarke, with Del Mastro playing a more grounded defensive game with physical attributes thrown in. Lambos seems to play better with more minutes and has a nice combination of speed and skill. With this as the top four, I think Canada would be very content with what it had.

There’s no shortage of talent that can make up the third pairing, but I’m liking Kevin Korchinski and Corson Ceulemans to start. Korchinski is torching the WHL, while Ceulemans has looked excellent in the NCAA. I’d be comfortable with either player stepping up if Clarke doesn’t end up going, so that would be a nice third group.

Forwards

Imagine being a five-year-old getting taken on a tour of a candy factory. And you can have anything you want, for free. That’s what coach Dennis Williams has at his disposal with a load of quality talent, including two potential game-changing 2023 draft picks. Connor Bedard is the obvious star of this group after a fantastic showing at the summer tournament, followed up by an incredible first half of the WHL season with Regina. He looked so developed for his age last year, and an extra few months of development should prove to be magical for the 17-year-old.

Then, there’s Adam Fantilli. Fantilli is 18, so he’s not your typical underager, but he’s the best challenger to Bedard for the top draft pick right now. He’s averaging just under two points per game with the University of Michigan – leading ALL players, regardless of age – and has a great combination of speed, skill and size to be close to the complete package. His lone Team Canada experience saw him put up six points at the U-18 World Championship last year. No question, he’ll be on Canada’s roster.

And how about the two NHLers? Shane Wright’s struggles have been heavily publicized, but he’s looked great in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. His conditioning stint will end just before Canada’s camp opens, and, by all accounts, he should be in the lineup once the team opens the tournament Dec. 26. His experience with Brennan Othmann – a hard-nosed winger chasing the OHL scoring title – before getting drafted can’t be ignored, so you’d have to assume they’ll be together.

The second NHLer is Dylan Guenther, who has nine points in 17 games with the Yotes this season. Still, all signs point to him being on Canada’s WJC roster, which would be a huge boost for a team that already is deep with talent. He has an incredible shot, gets after the puck like his life depends on it and his pro experience should help.

If Wright or Guenther doesn’t end up joining the team, for whatever reason, there still isn’t much reason for concern. Othmann is ready to take another step up. Joshua Roy, Riley Kidney and Nathan Gaucher would all be able to take on more ice time. But Logan Stankoven might be the biggest standout after making his mark as one of the best centers at the tournament in August. After finishing last year with a WHL-leading 104 points, he has 37 in 17 games to put him on pace for nearly 140. He’s one of the best prospects in the game for a reason, and he’s ready to take control once again.

One interesting name to watch is Jordan Dumais, the scoring superstar on pace for just under 150 points in the QMJHL. Having him as an extra forward isn’t a slight against him – there are players better suited for more checking-heavy, defensive roles deeper in the lineup. Being the 13th forward gives the coaching staff extra flexibility to throw him anywhere, with anyone. In fact, the extra forward almost always turns out to be one of the most important players.

Projected lineup

Brennan Othmann (NYR) – Shane Wright (SEA) – Dylan Guenther (ARI)
Adam Fantilli (2023) – Logan Stankoven (DAL) – Connor Bedard (2023)
Riley Kidney (MTL) – Zach Dean (VGK) – Joshua Roy (MTL)
Zachary Bolduc (STL) – Nathan Gaucher (ANA) – Matthew Savoie (WPG)
Jordan Dumais (CBJ) – Zach Ostapchuk (OTT)

Carson Lambos (MIN) – Olen Zellweger (ANA)
Ethan Del Mastro (CHI) – Brandt Clarke (LAK)
Kevin Korchinski (CHI) – Corson Ceulemans (CBJ)
Nolan Allan (CHI) – Denton Mateychuk (CBJ)

Benjamin Gaudreau (SJS)
Tyler Brennan (NJD)
Thomas Milic (2023)

Notable omissions: Reid Schaefer (F, EDM), Owen Beck (F, MTL), Luca Del Bel Belluz (F, CBJ), Conor Geekie (F, ARI), William Blackburn (G, 2023)

2023 World Junior Championship: Projecting Team Canada’s roster

Goaltenders

Defensemen

Forwards

Projected lineup

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