Hockey Canada has released their list of their top candidates for this summer's U18 Ivan Hlinka team. The full list can be viewed here: http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/195782/la_id/1.htm.
Last week Hockey Canada started the process by holding their Goaltending Development Camp. This is an event that I attend yearly and usually have mixed feelings about the decisions that come out of it but this year, I have to say the 4 goaltender's who have emerged from camp were the correct decisions. The 1995 age group has perhaps one of the best goaltending crops in recent years for Canada. Any combination of the 4 will be one tough duo to compete with but I would peg Jarry and Fucale as the favorites at this point with Martin and then Comrie very tight behind them. All 4 goaltenders have tremendous potential but are also capable of stealing games already at elite levels. Goaltending will certainly be a major strength for Canada.
Last year's squad boasted one of the deepest and most talented Canadian defense squadrons perhaps ever. This year's crop will not be far off as Canada continues to develop high end, dynamic defenders with spectacular skill levels. The list will most likely be lead by U18 World Champ vets Josh Morrissey and Darnell Nurse as well as the only 1996 born player on the roster, Aaron Ekblad. From there you have 9 players competing for 4 spots and the competition should be superb. I would give my edge to Heatherington, Bowey and Murphy at this point but can't count any of the other defenders out. Of particular interest are Kayle Doetzel of the Red Deer Rebels who is a very intelligent and versatile defender, Samuel Morin who has great size, something this group might need some more of, and Jordan Subban, the younger brother of Montreal Canadien's defender P.K..
Up front it could be the deepest entry Canada has had in this event in years. The group will no doubt be lead by Nathan MacKinnon, who is a potential 1st overall candidate for 2013. Other players with near lock status would be Curtis Lazar, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Ryan Kujawinski and Sam Reinhart, Nick Ritchie, who are not eligible for the NHL draft until 2014 because of their late 1995 birth dates. Reinhart, along with defender Ekblad are early favorites to be in the 1st overall debate for 2014. This would leave 6 spots for the remaining 17 forwards invited. There is a very good chance that MacKinnon's Halifax teammate, Jonathan Drouin will find himself in one of those spots. Other interesting players for me at this point would be Nick Baptiste, Bo Horvat, Morgan Klimchuk, Matt Needham, Nic Petan and Jason Dickson. This list is likely going to change significantly as camp starts up on August 3rd in Toronto, mostly due to the fact that the team will likely need to find some players willing to change their role slightly from that of which they play in their club teams.
Hockey Canada has done a tremendous job identifying the talent in the deep 1995 age group and has assembled an excellent group of young players that should be considered a favorite in what could prove to be one of the most exciting and competitive international U18 age groups in recent memory. And while there are always some omissions (in my mind Lethbridge Hurricane forward Jay Merkley is the one that sticks out most), the fact is, it is one of the deepest years for Canadian talent, making for some very difficult decisions for the Hockey Canada staff. This list of invitees would indicate they are up for the challenge and looking primed for another championship quality team heading to Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia in mid August. No matter who makes this team, it is going to be a very exciting group to watch.
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