Alex Formenton and Maxime Comtois know what it takes to capture world junior hockey gold and now theyB次元官网网址檙e sharing their wisdom with a whole new squad.
Both of the young forwards were part of the Canadian team that captured the championship in Buffalo, N.Y., last January.
They each keep the championship rings they earned next to their beds, a hefty memento to provide daily motivation.
B次元官网网址淓very time I wake up, I just want to be better than I was the day before,B次元官网网址� Comtois said Monday in Kamloops, B.C., where heB次元官网网址檚 on the Canadian roster at this summerB次元官网网址檚 world junior showcase.
Canada has 39 players at the event, a group that will eventually be whittled down to the team playing in the annual world junior tournament in Vancouver and Victoria this winter.
Comtois and Formenton are the only ones at the showcase who were also part of last yearB次元官网网址檚 gold medal-winning group. St. Louis Blues prospect Robert Thomas was invited, but is reportedly recovering from an ankle injury.
Being a veteran means taking on a leadership role, Formenton said.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not a very vocal guy, but I want to lead by example out on the ice and help out my teammates as much as I can,B次元官网网址� said the 18-year-old Ottawa Senators prospect, who got into one NHL game at the start of last season.
Formenton said tournament experience taught him that the play is faster than what most young guys are used to.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e playing against top guys of every country,B次元官网网址� he said.
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Despite last yearB次元官网网址檚 success, the new team starts from the bottom with a clean slate and will have to put in major work to win, said Comtois, who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2017.
For the returnees, that work will include taking the experience and using it to help guys who are new to the roster.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be our job to build the chemistry of the team,B次元官网网址� said the 19-year-old.
The young men playing for Team Canada at the showcase hail from across the country, from South Surrey, B.C., to Summerside, P.E.I. But many have played together previously, in development camps, junior hockey clubs and university teams.
Coming together as a group will be key to winning, said Tim Hunter, head coach of the junior national team.
This is HunterB次元官网网址檚 first year at the helm, but heB次元官网网址檚 been an assistant coach for the last two years.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to be a different team than the past two years where we won silver and gold and had a lot of success,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淪o these guys are going to have to come together as a group, get really close B次元官网网址� because close teams win B次元官网网址� and write our own story.B次元官网网址�
The tight-knit bond of last yearB次元官网网址檚 squad was evident to Morgan Frost, even as the centre watched at home.
B次元官网网址淵ou could just kind of tell,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址漈hey had such good chemistry on the ice and they wore teams down, they worked hard and they played for each other.B次元官网网址�
Defenceman Ty Smith saw a high-speed, physical game as he watched last year. Being part of that action is something heB次元官网网址檚 wanted since childhood.
B次元官网网址�(Playing in the world juniors) is kind of something that you always dream about as a kid. I watch it every year on TV at Christmas time,B次元官网网址� he said.
Smith and Frost said theyB次元官网网址檝e both had other players tell them how special the experience is, and believe playing on Canadian soil will only amplify that feeling.
Whoever makes the team will have big skates to fill. Canada has won gold 17 times in the 42-year history of the world menB次元官网网址檚 under-20 championship.
Frost said everyone at the summer showcase plans to add to that legacy.
B次元官网网址淚 think every guy in that room that will make the team will expect to win gold,B次元官网网址� he said.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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