Canada – 5	FINAL	Finland – 2
WJHC 2011 Pre-competition Game 3
Canada were silver medal winners in 2010
Finland finished 5th in 2010
Date: Dec 23 @ 5:30 PM MST
TV: TSN2

Click here for Oilers vs. Kings GDT
Well Canada is now 2-0 in the preliminary rounds. They beat Switzerland handily on Monday by a score of 8-0. They beat Sweden on Tuesday quite easily as well by a score of 4-1… however I felt in this game the penalties were heavily unfavorably balanced. The Swedes spent far too much time in the box for this one. Looks like the Swedes had 12 penalties (10 distinct power plays, with 2 10-minute misconducts) compared to Canada’s 4. That might be undisciplined hockey.. but I think Continue reading 'WJHC 2011 GDT – Canada 5, Finland 2 – Pre-Comp 3 – 2010-12-23 @ 5:30PM MST – TSN2'»

Canada – 4	FINAL	Sweden – 1
WJHC 2011 Pre-competition Game 2
Canada were silver medal winners in 2010
Sweden were bronze medal winners in 2010
Date: Dec 21 @ 5:30 PM MST
TV: TSN

Click here for Oilers vs. Sharks GDT

OK, so this time officially, Edmonton Oilers prospect Olivier Roy is in goal. Hopefully he can impress tonight. It’s hard to out class a guy who got a shutout, but doing well against the Swiss and doing well against the Swedes are two different animals (sorry Switzerland… you guys can teach a thing or two about defense but have some learning to do offensively).

Curtis Hamilton played last night but to be honest, I didn’t hear his name much (although granted, I wasn’t watching this one too closely – but he is playing on the 4th line and as the 13th forward). I did hear him on the PK though, and he did get in almost alone on goal once, but I believe his linemates were on a change, so there wasn’t much to that chance.

FYI, we’re running two GDT’s tonight. The Oilers also play, but Continue reading 'WJHC 2011 GDT – Canada 4, Sweden 1 – Pre-Comp 2 – 2010-12-21 @ 5:30PM MST – TSN'»

Canada – 8	FINAL	Switzerland – 0
WJHC 2011 Pre-competition Game 1
Canada were silver medal winners in 2010
Switzerland were 4th place in 2010
Date: Dec 20 @ 5:00 PM MST
TV: TSN2

Well here it is.. this is something I look forward to every year. My Christmas isn’t actually Christmas and opening presents, but the World Junior Hockey Championships. I absolutely love this tournament. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better hockey to be seen at any time during the year than this tournament. These kids lay it all on the line during this tourney. It’s fast, it’s physical, and it’s just all around entertaining, serious hockey. The kind of hockey that would upset the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Swiss have some returnees from last year, of course, with the biggest names being goaltender Benjamin Conz (who wooed many with some unorthodox, yet strong goaltending) and Nino Niederreiter, who wasn’t even on most peoples’ radars before the tournament but quickly became a household name afterwords by his incredible work ethic. Conz is undrafted and will look to make a case for that, but Niederreiter Continue reading 'WJHC 2011 GDT – Canada 8, Switzerland 0 – Pre-Comp 1 – 2010-12-20 @ 5:00PM MST – TSN2'»

The final roster has been set for Team Canada for the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships. Two Oilers draftees have made the cuts – goaltender Olivier Roy of Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL and Curtis Hamilton, Left Winger with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. Here is the roster:

Team Canada Roster
Name	S	Ht.	Wt.	Born	Hometown	Club team	Pro Status
GOALTENDERS
Olivier Roy	L	5’11	186	07/12/91	Causapscal, QC	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	2009
Mark Visentin	L	6’1	198	08/07/92	Waterdown, ON	Niagara (OHL)	PHX 2010
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie	R	5’10	190	07/26/91	Victoria, BC	Kelowna (WHL)	COL 2009
Jared Cowen*	L	6’5	227	01/25/91	Allan, SK	Spokane (WHL)	OTT 2009
Simon Despres	L	6’4	222	07/27/91	Laval, QC	Saint John (QMJHL)	PIT 2009
Calvin de Haan*	L	6’1	189	05/09/91	Carp, ON	Oshawa (OHL)	NYI 2009
Ryan Ellis*	R	5’10	184	01/03/91	Freelton, ON	Windsor (OHL)	NSH 2009
Erik Gudbranson	R	6’4	211	01/07/92	Orleans, ON	Kingston (OHL)	FLA 2010
Dylan Olsen	L	6’2	223	01/03/91	Calgary, AB	Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)	CHI 2009
FORWARDS
Carter Ashton	L	6’3	219	04/01/91	Saskatoon, SK	Regina (WHL)	TAM 2009
Casey Cizikas	L	5’11	191	02/27/91	Mississauga, ON	Mississauga (OHL)	NYI 2009
Brett Connolly	R	6’2	181	05/02/92	Campbell River, BC	Prince George (WHL)	TAM 2010
Sean Couturier	L	6’3	192	12/07/92	Bathurst, NB	Drummondville (QMJHL)	2011 Draft
Cody Eakin	L	6’0	187	05/25/91	Winnipeg, MB	Swift Current (WHL)	WSH 2009
Marcus Foligno	L	6’1	200	08/10/91	Sudbury, ON	Sudbury (OHL)	BUF 2009
Curtis Hamilton	L	6’3	202	12/04/91	Kelowna, BC	Saskatoon (WHL)	2010
Quinton Howden	L	6’3	192	01/21/92	Oak Bank, MB	Moose Jaw (WHL)	FLA 2010
Ryan Johansen	R	6’2	193	07/31/92	Port Moody, BC	Portland (WHL)	CBJ 2010
Zack Kassian	R	6’3	226	01/24/91	LaSalle, ON	Windsor (OHL)	BUF 2009
Louis Leblanc	R	5’11	181	01/26/91	Pointe-Claire, QC	Montreal (QMJHL)	MTL 2009
Brayden Schenn*	L	6’1	192	08/22/91	Saskatoon, SK	Brandon (WHL)	LOS 2009
Jaden Schwartz	L	5’10	184	06/25/92	Emerald Park, SK	Colorado (WCHA)	STL 2010

* – Returning Player

Head Coach: Dave Cameron (Mississauga St. Michael’s, OHL)
Assistant Coach: Andre Tourigny (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
Assistant Coach: Ryan Huska (Kelowna, WHL)
Assistant Coach: George Burnett (Belleville, OHL)

Notable cuts: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Murphy

Canada 5 (Silver)	FINAL	USA 6 (GOLD)
WJHC Gold Medal Final
Canada defeats Switzerland 6-1 to earn berth in final
USA defeats Sweden 5-2 to earn berth in final
Date: Jan 5 @ 6:00 PM MST
TV: TSN

UPDATE: Updated with results, awards, post-game rant and more… read on.

PRE-GAME RANT

Will that picture be re-created tonight, perhaps with Jordan Eberle the subject? Let’s hope so. The Canadians barely squeaked off a shootout win against the USA on New Years Eve. The Americans look to be the best match for the offensive Canadians (not to be confused with the other meaning of the word “offensive”, often used with the Oilers as of late). The Americans play a very strong, tight neutral zone game. I suppose you could call it a trap, but it’s smart hockey. The Canadians had a lot of trouble getting passes through the neutral zone. They also have been having some difficulty with their powerplay and have changed it up a bit, giving them another option.

Anyways, there also is an Oilers GDT thread out there (below this one). But I have to wonder why anyone in the world would watch that game over this one. This is exciting hockey folks. Even if the Oilers were doing well, this is what hockey is all about. Tune in for sure.
Continue reading 'WJHC GDT (FINAL) – Canada 5 vs. USA 6 – Jan 5, 2010 @ 6:00PM MST – Gold Medal Greatness'»