Looking Back at the 2009 Canadian World Junior Team
A lot of these guys are still prospects...
D TEUBERT Colten
D HICKEY Thomas
F ESPOSITO Angelo
F TAVARES John
F DiDOMENICO Chris
D SUBBAN P K
F BOYCHUK Zach
F EBERLE Jordan
D GOLOUBEF Cody
F HODGSON Cody
D MYERS Tyler
F DELLA ROVERE Stefan
F CORMIER Patrice
F KANE Evander
D AULIE Keith
D ELLIS Ryan
D PIETRANGELO Alex
F SONNE Brett
F ENNIS Tyler
F BENN Jamie
GK TOKARSKI Dustin
GK PICKARD Chet
Looking back it's no reason why this team won gold - it is very well put together with a fine balance of offense and grit. Which guys are the biggest successes from this team and which haven't met the hype yet? Tavares, Eberle and Pietrangelo look like the biggest stars right now, with Myers, Hodgson, Subban, Kane and Ennis not far behind at all. I'd put Benn in between the two groups right now.
DiDomenico looks like a guy that is really having a rough go; at this point he's a bubble AHL guy. Esposito is looking more and more like a career AHLer with a bad knee. Cormier sounds like a guy with lots of heart who just frankly isn't good enough to play in the NHL. Aulie looks like this year he is solidifying himself as a legitimate NHLer.
I still have hope for Teubert and Della Rovere. Tubes is playing more responsibly and has a very professional attitude to him, maybe even worth of a letter in the future. Della Rovere is playing with a lot of edge and is great at pissing off his opponents, which I feel will give him a job in the NHL one day despite his size (closely comparing to players like Asham and Tootoo).
Not sure about the other guys, but I'd like to hear what everyone thinks.
D TEUBERT Colten
D HICKEY Thomas
F ESPOSITO Angelo
F TAVARES John
F DiDOMENICO Chris
D SUBBAN P K
F BOYCHUK Zach
F EBERLE Jordan
D GOLOUBEF Cody
F HODGSON Cody
D MYERS Tyler
F DELLA ROVERE Stefan
F CORMIER Patrice
F KANE Evander
D AULIE Keith
D ELLIS Ryan
D PIETRANGELO Alex
F SONNE Brett
F ENNIS Tyler
F BENN Jamie
GK TOKARSKI Dustin
GK PICKARD Chet
Looking back it's no reason why this team won gold - it is very well put together with a fine balance of offense and grit. Which guys are the biggest successes from this team and which haven't met the hype yet? Tavares, Eberle and Pietrangelo look like the biggest stars right now, with Myers, Hodgson, Subban, Kane and Ennis not far behind at all. I'd put Benn in between the two groups right now.
DiDomenico looks like a guy that is really having a rough go; at this point he's a bubble AHL guy. Esposito is looking more and more like a career AHLer with a bad knee. Cormier sounds like a guy with lots of heart who just frankly isn't good enough to play in the NHL. Aulie looks like this year he is solidifying himself as a legitimate NHLer.
I still have hope for Teubert and Della Rovere. Tubes is playing more responsibly and has a very professional attitude to him, maybe even worth of a letter in the future. Della Rovere is playing with a lot of edge and is great at pissing off his opponents, which I feel will give him a job in the NHL one day despite his size (closely comparing to players like Asham and Tootoo).
Not sure about the other guys, but I'd like to hear what everyone thinks.
The only reason Kane was on that team was due to an injury to Dana Tyrell IIRC. Personally I think Patrice Cormier will be a full time NHLer for many years, he is only 21 and he has been on the bubble of making the NHL 2 years in a row now, I believe if it were not for a last minute acquisition by the Jets he would have made the team full time this season. He will probably carve out a good career as a 3rd line physical player who can also score the odd goal (31pts in 54 games this season in the AHL).
As for Esposito I have lost all faith in him even suiting up for 1 NHL game.
I remember people coming into the tourney talking about Brett Sonne as being a potential breakout player.... not only did he not "breakout" but it looks like his big final year in junior was nothing more than a blip in the radar. His linemattes on the other hand, Benn and Ennis have both become legit NHLers. THat was our 4th line that year
I remember Thomas Hickey was supposed to be our no 1 defenceman.... obviously he was replaced by Subban, Myers and Aulie, but the ironically, hes one of only 2 of the 8 defenceman in that group not to play in the NHL
Boychuk was one of the forwards that the coach wanted on the ice when Eberle scored the epic game tying goal. How he has fallen since...
He's a guy I thought would be a 60 point forward in the NHL. I really don't understand what has happened to him, his AHL numbers were excellent last year.
He's a guy I thought would be a 60 point forward in the NHL. I really don't understand what has happened to him, his AHL numbers were excellent last year.
Maybe a change of scenery is needed.
I am surprised about his production as well, it could be change of jolt as well.
Carolina has misused Boychuk profoundly. Never really gave him a legitimate shot. I would gladly take a flyer on him in Detroit.
Same for Buffalo. He's not the biggest kid, but he was ripped coming out in his draft year and is the sort of reclaimation project I'd love to see them get their hands on.
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
Teubert looks comfortable in the NHL. I really think he'll either be in the opening night line-up for the Oil, or at least a call-up that sticks halfway through the season. It's not hard to look good amongst Edmonton's defense, but he's been solid during his call-up to end the season. Big, sturdy, calm, makes the simple play rather than the oversimplified lazy play like Cam Barker does (ie. Shooting it around the boards from behind the net causing either icing or a turnover). Him and Eberle are friends so it was pretty cool to see them end up on the same team.
That team relied on a few start players: Tavares, Eberle, Subban and Pietrangelo.
Actually, Pietrangelo ended up being the no. 8 D-man on the team. To be fair, his game wasn't as polished at the time, but it is still ironic (although not surprising) that he ended up being the best of the bunch.
Subban was definitely the best Canadian D-man, with Myers and Aulie behind him. Ellis was an absolute force on the powerplay, while Hickey and Goloubef did their jobs without looking spectacular. Teubert had issues at times.
Offensively, this team had a ridiculous amount of talent. Tavares is probably the best player Canada has had on the team in some time. It was not just the amount of points he put up, it was also the fact that when Canada looked down and out, or at least in serious trouble, Tavares was either a key player or the catalyst to bringing them back up.
Combine that with Eberle lighting Canada on fire, Hodgson's consistently terrific performances, and a supporting cast that includes Ennis, Kane, Benn and Esposito, and you had yourself a good Team Canada that also produced in the clutch.
Cormier was injured most of last year, but he's been really good in the AHL this year. After a slow start, he has really heated up and earned himself a call up for the last game against the Isles. He would have made the Jets out of training camp if not for the waiver claim of Brett MacLean.
I hope Della Rovere makes the NHL. I actually just made a proposal to try and get him to the Jets. Him and Cormier back together could be great on the 4th line.
