Final cuts made

Team Canada made their final cuts this morning and now have the 22 player roster for the World Juniors.

All 3 17 year olds at the camp are going home, including Red Deer forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Everett defenceman Ryan Murray. Two other WHLers were cut - Seattle goaltender Calvin Pickard and Edmonton defenceman Mark Pysyk.

So, there are 9 WHLers on this year's 22 player team - defencemen Tyson Barrie and Jared Cowen, and forwards Carter Ashton, Brett Connolly, Cody Eakin, Curtis Hamilton, Quintin Howden, Ryan Johansen, and Brayden Schenn. That means that of the 13 forwards on the team, 7 are from the WHL, so clearly the WHL boys are being counted on to provide a good chunk of Canada's offence.

I was really surprised to see Ryan Murray got cut - everything I heard suggested that he had a fantastic camp and even though Canada almost never takes 17 year old defencemen, he had to have come very close to making the team. At this point you'd have to figure him to be a lock to make next year's team. Pickard and Pysyk are also eligible to try again next year when they'll be 19. Lots of guys don't make this team at 18 but do make it at 19.

Nugent-Hopkins could find himself in a slightly different boat - he'll be a high NHL pick next June and if he sticks in the NHL next season, he'll never play at the WJCs. But that has happened before too - most recently with Tyler Seguin, who was cut at last year's WJC camp and is now in the NHL.