WJC Invites

Hockey Canada has released the list of players invited to try out for the Canadian World Junior team next week: http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/14990/la_id/1/season_id/228/team_id/772/ss_id/21712.htm

15 WHLers invited plus one NCAA-er from WHL territory. No 16 year olds invited, although there are two 17 year olds plus the apparently 105-year old Matt Halischuk from the OHL. (Now THAT'S an over-over-over-overager!). Personally, I don't know why everyone gets so surprised at the lack of 16 & 17 year olds invited to this thing.....this is a tournament that is traditionally for 18 & 19 year olds. Canada (and most other countries) have very rarely had more than 1 or 2 16 or 17 year olds each year and this year will be no exception.

Six kids not invited because they are in the NHL: Jon Toews, Sam Gagner, Milan Lucic, David Perron, Jordan Staal, and James Sheppard. Should their NHL teams make any of them available, you'd think they would be welcome, but Hockey Canada has said in the past that they don't expect any of them to be made available. The Canadian team should already be the favourite in this thing even without those players, based on the way the top Canadian juniors manhandled the Russians in September.....how much better could the Canadian team be with the addition of six current NHLers?

One other note.....Dana Tyrell of the Cougars hurt his knee yesterday against the Hitmen and may not be able to take part in camp. They may name a replacement, or they may not.