• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

Team Canada/2020 World Juniors

hairnova

News Breaker
Team Canada Camp Roster:

Goalies:

Nico Dawes - 2020
Joel Hofer - STL
Hunter Jones - MIN
Olivier Rodrigue - EDM

Defencemen:
Calen Addison - PIT
Kevin Bahl - ARI
Jacob Bernard-Docker - OTT
Bowen Byram - COL
Peter Diliberatore - VGK
Jamie Drysdale - 2020
Thomas Harley - DAL
Jared McIssac - DET
Braden Schneider - 2020
Ty Smith - NJ

Forwards:
Quinton Byfield - 2020
Dylan Cozens - BUF
Ty Dellandrea - DAL
Aidan Dudas - LA
Nolan Foote - TB
Liam Foudy - CBJ
Benoit-Olivier Groulx - ANA
Dylan Holloway - 2020
Peyton Krebs - VGK
Alexis Lafreniere - 2020
Raphael Lavoie - EDM
Connor McMichael - WSH
Dawson Mercer - 2020
Alex Newhook - COL
Jakob Pelletier - CGY
Cole Perfetti - 2020
Akil Thomas - LA
 
Even Hunter didnt want Merkley on the team, funny.

I guess Detroit said no about Veleno.
 
Hopefully we have some decent prospects at this year's tourney.

Caufield for USA?

Who else do we think will be there?
 
So in all seriousness, it Byfield projected to be better than Lafreniere? Or at least more of a sure thing?
 
Higher ceiling, less certainty.

Here's the thing with Lafrenière Vs Byfield:

1- Positions matter. Lafrenière is a winger, Byfield a center. I am of the belief that franchise wingers don't exist. Feel free to disgaree with me all you want, but I have history on my side.

2- Lafrenière is more of a sure thing. He's a better player now, and he's a lock to be a dominant scoring winger. I'd be shocked if he wasn't. Byfield is a lot more raw and needs polishing, but the sky's the limit for him. I don't know if he's good enough to be a year in, year out MVP caliber player, but he can be one of those guys that gets whispers every year and the odd 5th place vote. I'm not comparing the two style wise, just think of what people think about Malkin. Everybody knows he's an elite player, one of the best of his generation, but he's garnered minimal MVP talk relative to his greatness and career. I see him in that sense.

3- Age matters. Lafrenière is 10 months older than Byfield. Lafrenière's playing his third year of Junior and would be in the NHL had he been born a month earlier.

4- League matters. Some don't like it when it's brought up, but the truth is, the OHL is a much better league than the Q. Sorry, it just is. Byfield playing the way he is (considering age too) in a better league is more impressive to me than Lafrenière in the Q.

I personally have Byfield over Lafrenière, but there isn't an ocean of difference. I can completely justify someone taking one over the other. Again, not comparing the players, but it's like Hughes & Kakko last year. There isn't a world of difference between the two players and had New Jersey taken Kakko first overall, I'd have no issue with it.
 
Great post , I have Byfield at #1 as well

But I think QB is the more sure thing at the NHL level

AL for me there is no middle ground for expectations

Its either a decade dominant winger like Patrick Kane or didn't meet expectations

QB is a 5 tool player and brings more to the table in terms of being a 200 foot player .

If he tops out as a better skating and goal scoring ROR or like you said never garner MVP votes but is star type player for a decade , he gets a pass vs AL

The second pick maybe a safer play for a team , there is no debate who the consolation prize is .
 
Higher ceiling, less certainty.

Here's the thing with Lafrenière Vs Byfield:

1- Positions matter. Lafrenière is a winger, Byfield a center. I am of the belief that franchise wingers don't exist. Feel free to disgaree with me all you want, but I have history on my side.

Meh I would take a Rocket or Flower....
 
Jacob Olofsson and Mattias Norlinder are both on Team Sweden.

Alexander Romanov is on Russia's preliminary roster but will obviously make the team.
 
Higher ceiling, less certainty.

Here's the thing with Lafrenière Vs Byfield:

1- Positions matter. Lafrenière is a winger, Byfield a center. I am of the belief that franchise wingers don't exist. Feel free to disgaree with me all you want, but I have history on my side.

2- Lafrenière is more of a sure thing. He's a better player now, and he's a lock to be a dominant scoring winger. I'd be shocked if he wasn't. Byfield is a lot more raw and needs polishing, but the sky's the limit for him. I don't know if he's good enough to be a year in, year out MVP caliber player, but he can be one of those guys that gets whispers every year and the odd 5th place vote. I'm not comparing the two style wise, just think of what people think about Malkin. Everybody knows he's an elite player, one of the best of his generation, but he's garnered minimal MVP talk relative to his greatness and career. I see him in that sense.

3- Age matters. Lafrenière is 10 months older than Byfield. Lafrenière's playing his third year of Junior and would be in the NHL had he been born a month earlier.

4- League matters. Some don't like it when it's brought up, but the truth is, the OHL is a much better league than the Q. Sorry, it just is. Byfield playing the way he is (considering age too) in a better league is more impressive to me than Lafrenière in the Q.

I personally have Byfield over Lafrenière, but there isn't an ocean of difference. I can completely justify someone taking one over the other. Again, not comparing the players, but it's like Hughes & Kakko last year. There isn't a world of difference between the two players and had New Jersey taken Kakko first overall, I'd have no issue with it.
Great post... you may have convinced me.

There are "franchise wingers" but they are very rare. Obviously Ovechkin.
 
Great post... you may have convinced me.

There are "franchise wingers" but they are very rare. Obviously Ovechkin.

They're very rare and there isn't one alive currently playing in the NHL and you have to look at the all-time greats to find some.

I don't consider Ovechkin one, not do I consider Kane/Kucherov one either. The best 3 wingers in the league arguably (Unless you want to consider Draisaitl one, a converted center to wing). I think he's the greatest goal scorer in the NHL history, regardless of whether he beats Gretzky's record or not (which he will, assuming he wants to).

Wingers simply do not dictate play the same way centers do. It's not a surprise that the year Ovechkin finally won his Cup, he had Kuznetsov-Backstrom-Eller in their primes down the middle and wasn't the best player. Kuznetsov was the best player on that team and should have won the Conn Smythe. I'm being facetious, but he probably lost it because of those stupid bird celebrations he kept on doing.

I know I'll get pushback for my "hot take", but any time I bring this up, people push back by pointing at Howe/Richard/Lafleur/etc as examples why I'm wrong. If the only examples people have to point to are players who among the greatest to have ever played, you're just strengthening my point.
 
How is pointing out that some of the greatest players that ever played were wingers strengthening your point? If you don't think Ovechkin or Kucherov are franchise players, then I'm wondering what your bar for franchise players are. Is there like 5 franchise players in the whole league right now?
 
How is pointing out that some of the greatest players that ever played were wingers strengthening your point? If you don't think Ovechkin or Kucherov are franchise players, then I'm wondering what your bar for franchise players are. Is there like 5 franchise players in the whole league right now?

That's about right 5 and that's in most leagues as well except baseball
 
then the term you are looking for is closer to generational not franchise

Generational is Mario to Sid to CMD ......Jordan to LeBron types

Franchise player IMO is more than a star player , must be a franchise changer in some way

Plenty of stars but few are franchise players
 
Back
Top