With only 3 draft eligibles invited to Team Canada's camp, Sean Couturier, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan Murphy (and Ryan Murray for 2012) we may be looking at other contries for draft eligible players to watch. With Brandon Gormley most likely out for a month and missing the tournament, i expect Dougie Hamilton will get the call which could give us a fourth. But none are a lock to make the team, especially Murphy and Hamilton, if added, with 3 of Canada's only returnees on defence.
Gabriel Landeskog and Adam Larsson will play for team Sweden. If the powers at be in the US and Russia can look past the fact that players like Vladislav Namestnikov, Alex Khoklachev (Russia) and Brandon Saad (USA) left their respective countries to play in the CHL, they should be there in Buffalo.
Two glaring ommissions from Canada are David Musil and Ryan Strome, ranked 8th and 9th respectively by Red Line Report.
Musil has slumped this season and has dropped slightly in the rankings where Strome has basically come out of no where to crack Red Lines top 10. But there can't be room for everyone and people will always question those named to the team and those left off.
What we will have is the opportunity to see most of the top 10 eligibles in action. And this is their chance to shine, to solidify there spot on those lists, or to fall.
In a draft class that could be even tighter than the 2010 draft, this is the most important tournament for the players involved to date.
This tournament is a 19 year old tournament. Team Canada has a certain number of development positions that gets 93's a chance to get some experience at the camp. If a player like Sequin didn't make it last year than someone like Strome wouldn't make it this year. 93's get to go to the camp and get some experience. You talk about the 93's that didn't get a tryout but keep in mind how many 92's didn't get a tryout either. Toffoli for example played well when he played for Team Canada U18 on a line with Mcfarland and Sequin. He is hot in the OHL right now. That's just one example. And, how many 91's are deserving of this tryout before a 93 ie. Holland and Beck out of Guelph? Definitely a tough team to make!
ReplyDelete