No. 6 on his latest list<\/a>, but it\u2019s clear that his stock is on the rise. <\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m gonna be honest, I didn\u2019t know too much about him before coming here,\u201d said San Jose Sharks centre Michael Misa. \u201cI really haven\u2019t seen him play much. He\u2019s something else. He\u2019s going to go really high in this draft. We\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada’s youngest player, Carels earns promotion to top four 17-year old Carson Carels is Canada’s youngest player at the World Juniors, and the defender has impressed earning a promotion to the top four. He spoke on Thursday about the pressure of playing well during his draft year, his relationship with Harrison Brunicke, and more. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
After leaving Tuesday\u2019s blowout win over Denmark early, Misa participated fully in Thursday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo point in pushing an injury in a pre-tournament game like that,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal is to be ready for the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Misa declined to say if the issue is connected to the right ankle injury, which sidelined him for a month earlier this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a lower-body thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Misa practised on the top line between Kelowna Rocket Tij Iginla and Martone. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe got speed, smarts on the line,\u201d he said. \u201cMarty\u2019s a big boy, who can shoot the puck, and mixed with me and Iggy\u2019s speed, it\u2019s a really good line. I\u2019m looking forward to playing with those guys in the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Misa assisted on two Iginla goals during Tuesday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI felt good,\u201d he said. \u201cFelt like myself. Stuff happens, but I\u2019m glad I\u2019m feeling good today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like himself, 100 per cent,\u201d said Martone. \u201cI\u2019m excited to play with him. He\u2019s got so much skill, so much speed. He\u2019s really easy to play with and complements my game really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada’s top-line centre Misa good to go after injury cut pre-tournament short Michael Misa didn’t play in the third period of Canada\u2019s final pre-tournament game against Denmark, and on Thursday he addressed how he is feeling and confirms he’s good to for the opening game against Czechia on Friday. Misa’s teammates discuss what makes him such an elite centre and what he brings to the game. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Before the team sat down for a Christmas dinner on Wednesday night, Hunter informed the group that Martone will serve as captain. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re at a loss of words for a little bit,\u201d the Philadelphia Flyers sixth overall pick said. \u201cIt\u2019s special. It was especially really exciting to tell my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martone\u2019s father, Mike, wore the \u2018C\u2019 for the Peterborough Petes during his playing days. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad just said, \u2018Be yourself. Don\u2019t really change who you are.\u2019 So that\u2019s what I try to be every single day, and make everyone around me [feel] better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martone also served as captain for Team Canada at the under-18 World Championship in 2024. During the gold-medal game at that event, Canada rallied from 3-1 down to beat the United States 6-4. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe came through in big moments,\u201d McKenna recalled. \u201cBringing the locker room together when we were down to the U.S in the finals there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martone addressed the team for the first time as World Junior captain on Wednesday night and referenced that comeback win in the under-18 final. <\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018There\u2019s going to be lots of adversity in this tournament. It\u2019s not going to be easy, but it\u2019s whether at those times you come closer together, and don\u2019t fall apart,\u2019\u201d the 19-year-old from Peterborough, Ont. said. \u201cWhen the times get going tough that\u2019s when teams bond, and that\u2019s how you win championships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colts centre Cole Beaudoin and Brunicke will serve as alternate captains. <\/p>\n
‘Great leader’ Martone named captain Canada for World Juniors Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone will be captain of Canada\u2019s World Junior team as the tournament gets underway on Friday, Hockey Canada announced. The 6-foot-3 winger represented Canada in last year\u2019s World Juniors in Ottawa, recording a goal in three games. He spoke on Thursday about what it means to be named captain, and his teammates share what makes him a great leader. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Martone authored a big moment for Canada last year. With his team down 3-1 in the quarterfinals against Czechia, Martone scored the only goal of the second period to get Canada back in it. <\/p>\n
Canada eventually tied it in the third period before allowing a crushing last-minute goal to be eliminated on home ice. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou always dream of World Junior gold and that didn\u2019t happen last year,\u201d said Martone. \u201cNo real way to put it into words. But that\u2019s in the past now, and we\u2019re moving on. We\u2019re excited to get some revenge tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six Canadian players are back from last year\u2019s team, but everyone knows the history. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019ve been waiting for,\u201d said McKenna. \u201cIt\u2019s finally here. We want revenge and we\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Czechia also knocked Canada out in the quarterfinals in 2024. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know Canadians are kind of mad at us from the last two years,\u201d said Petes winger Adam Novotny with a smile. \u201cSo, of course, you want to continue and make it three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada eager for revenge against Czechs In back-to-back years at the World Juniors, Team Canada has been knocked out by Czechia in the quarterfinal round. When the tournament opens on Friday they will get a chance to exact revenge on a team that has had their number the past two years. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Canada split a pair of games against Sweden before ending the exhibition schedule with a dominant win over Denmark. <\/p>\n
Czechia won both its pre-tournament games, but needed overtime to beat Slovakia and Latvia. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen some things I didn\u2019t like to see, and I\u2019m hoping we can smooth out our system better,\u201d said Czechia head coach Patrik Augusta. \u201cI\u2019m hoping the players will be ready from the first shift in this tournament.\u201d <\/p>\n
What was the biggest issue in the pre-tournament games? <\/p>\n
\u201cThe effort,\u201d said Augusta. \u201cI think you have to win every battle, every puck, every position. I know our players are very skilled and very intelligent and they know the tournament is something different than exhibition games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the underwhelming performances in the pre-tournament games, the Czechs brings a healthy swagger into the Boxing Day rematch against Canada. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hockey, everything can happen,\u201d said Brantford defenceman Adam Jiricek, who is getting set to take part in his third World Juniors. \u201cWe did it two times in a row now, so we are pretty confident. We can look on the last year like we can do it. I think our team has the strength to do it again. So we\u2019ll see what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confident Czechs expecting Canada to be mad on Boxing Day After Czechia has knocked out Canada in the quarterfinal round in the last two World Junior tournaments, they’re ready for Canada to be seeking revenge on Boxing Day. Czechia players and coach discuss being ready to take on Canada in the tournament opener on Friday, and their confidence in facing them. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
George, who is from Thunder Bay, Ont., is feeling at home in Minneapolis. <\/p>\n
\u201cI played a lot of my minor hockey, spring hockey tournaments down here in Minnesota,\u201d he said. \u201cIt brings a lot of my childhood back, a lot of childhood memories back, being back here. There\u2019s a lot of memories here in Minnesota. It was pretty special being able to play for Team Minnesota in the Brick Tournament. It\u2019s just a lot of Deja vu.\u201d<\/p>\n
His best Minnesota memory growing up? <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many,\u201d the Los Angeles Kings prospect said. \u201cWe were always down here for hockey weekends and whatnot and it was always a lot of fun. And, for me, it\u2019s just the hotels. I mean, you\u2019re playing mini-sticks in the hallways all the time down here and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the drive between Thunder Bay and Minneapolis only being about six hours, George is expecting plenty of friends in the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t put an exact number on it, but I know there\u2019ll be a lot of people from Thunder Bay coming,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m pretty happy about it and looking forward to seeing everyone down here.\u201d<\/p>\n
George\u2019s phone has been flooded with unexpected messages in the lead up to the World Juniors. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy buddies back home, I mean, they\u2019ve all been texting me,\u201d George said. \u201cGuys I\u2019ve played hockey with and haven\u2019t really talked to in a long time, they\u2019ve all reached out to say they\u2019re coming down. Super grateful they\u2019re going to be able to come down for this and looking forward to seeing all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s World Juniors ended on such a sour note that it\u2019s easy to forget the promising way the tournament started. George pitched a 31-save shutout in a 4-0 win over Finland on Boxing Day last year. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was kind of a surreal feeling that first game,\u201d George reflected. \u201cA little bit in awe in the first game. And then the way it went, it was kind of a pretty surreal feeling. Hopefully we can do the same this year and, for me, just want to build off it and take as much confidence and all the positives out of that game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minnesota World Juniors is like deja vu for Canada’s George Canadian goalie and Thunder Bay, Ontario native Carter George talks about his Minnesota roots and why this year’s World Juniors will be like deja vu. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
With 19 goals in 29 games, Novotny has scored more than any other player on the Czech roster this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s on fire,\u201d said Jiricek. \u201cHe has so many goals in the OHL. He\u2019s a sniper. I hope I\u2019m gonna feed him, and he going to score huge goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Novotny produced nine points in his final four Ontario Hockey League games before joining Team Czechia.<\/p>\n
Novotny, who turned 18 last month, scored once in seven games at last year\u2019s World Juniors, but projects to play a bigger role this time around as he looks to boost his draft stock. <\/p>\n
Novotny actually models his game after a Canadian World Junior hero in Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish, who famously knocked a puck off the goal line in mid-air in overtime to keep the gold-medal game going against Finland in the summer of 2022. <\/p>\n
\u201cI play in Peterborough and he played there too,\u201d Novotny notes. \u201cA lot of coaches and people from Peterborough say I\u2019m same like him. I like his game. He can make plays. He can score goals. He can play defensive. He\u2019s a great guy and I think, yeah, he\u2019s pretty similar to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Novotny is No. 23 on Button\u2019s latest list of draft-eligible prospects. <\/p>\n
Novotny channels his inner McTavish during draft-eligible season Czechia forward Adam Novotny joins TSN’s Mark Masters to discuss how his season has been going so far, who his NHL role model is, and what the pressure is like during his draft-eligible season. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Lines at Thursday\u2019s practice: <\/p>\n
Iginla – Misa – Martone<\/p>\n
McKenna – Hage – Martin<\/p>\n
Reschny – Beaudoin – Luchanko<\/p>\n
Greentree – Cootes – O\u2019Reilly<\/p>\n
Bear, Desnoyers<\/p>\n
Reid – Parekh<\/p>\n
Carels – Brunicke<\/p>\n
Aitcheson – Danford<\/p>\n
MacKenzie – Verhoeff<\/p>\n
George<\/p>\n
Ivankovic<\/p>\n
Ravensbergen<\/p>\n
Power play units at Thursday\u2019s practice: <\/p>\n
PP1<\/p>\n
Parekh, McKenna, Reschny, Hage, Martin<\/p>\n
PP2<\/p>\n
Brunicke, Misa, Iginla, Luchanko, Martone<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Team Canada held a practice at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis on Thursday ahead of the opening…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[712,49,48,132644,44,146516],"class_list":["post-369313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-hockey-canada-sports-hockey-hockey-canada","tag-news","tag-world-juniors-sports-hockey-world-juniors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}