Canada focuses on teaching, structure ahead of World Juniors
After back-to-back fifth-place finishes at the World Juniors, Team Canada is looking to avoid its worst medal drought in 45 years when the team takes to the ice in Minnesota later the month.
Canada has failed to medal in back-to-back years three times in World Juniors history and the only time the team went three consecutive years without a medal was from 1979-81.
In order to avoid equalling that distinction, general manager Mark Hunter and his staff changed the way Canada’s pre-tournament camp was structured compared to previous years.
Canada invited 27 players to their pre-tournament camp, which will closely resemble the team that will take to the ice on Boxing Day against Czechia to open the World Juniors.
“We’ve changed the style of camp because we moved more towards preparation than evaluation,” Hunter told TSN1050’s First Up on Wednesday. “This is close to what we’ve seen the Olympic teams do where they bring close to the team that will be participating.”
The change allows Hunter and head coach Dale Hunter the opportunity to get a better sense of where players fit in the lineup rather than focusing on evaluating who should be on their roster.
Canada’s coaching staff has been focusing on teaching, and adding structure to their game as they prepare to take on Sweden Wednesday night in their first test prior to the start of the tournament.
“We’ve had good practices, a lot of good teaching, and not just living off of our skill of our Canadian boys,” said Hunter. “Our goal right from the get-go is to get into the gold-medal game and win it. There’s a process to that and preparation.”
While group participating in Canada’s camp is close to what the team will look like, there will still be some hard decisions before the team heads to Minnesota. Hunter and his staff will have to make at least two cuts in order to be roster compliant.
“It’s not an all-star team; it’s a team that has to have different intangibles,” said Hunter. “These are tough decisions. We have the best players in Canada here and somebody’s feelings are going to get hurt. We’ll put a lot of time [into deciding].”
One of the biggest things the team is looking for is the best fit for each line. In particular, the Hunter wants to make sure phenom Gavin McKenna has the right players around him to fully compliment his playing style.
McKenna, who turns 18 on Saturday, has been the runaway projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and has sat at the top of TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s list all season.
The 6-foot winger dominated the Western Hockey League last season, recording 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers as he led his team to a championship.
He transferred to the NCAA this season to play with Penn State where he has four goals and 18 points in 16 games.
“He’s a player who’s quick and fast, so I think it’s important to get teammates who are the right fit on that line,” said Hunter. “He has such a quick brain in moving puck that you have to have players who are ready because anything can happen on the ice.
“That’s what our coaches are working on right now so he can be successful. If he’s successful, then our team will push along a lot better.”
While the camp features some household names like McKenna, San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa, and a plethora of talent that has already been drafted in the NHL, Hunter believes some of the younger members of the roster can make a name for themselves at the tournament.
Defenceman Keaton Verhoeff captained Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August while Carson Carels and Chase Reid have starred in the CHL with the Prince George Raiders and Soo Greyhounds, respectively.
“This isn’t really a 17-year-old tournament, but we have some here,” said Hunter. Guys like Carels and Verhoeff are exciting players and I’m sure there will be lots of scouts to see how they look and how they adjust to the pace of play.
“We’re intrigued too so we can see how they look in the pre-tournament games coming up.”