How Will Team Canada's Roster Look?

With selection camp for Canada’s World Junior entry set to open, there are still many question marks surrounding the roster and how it may shake out. There are a number of players sure to make the cut, but many others will begin battling for their place on the team when the camp opens on Sunday. Things got tougher on some of the forwards hoping to earn a spot when Brett Connolly and Devante Smith-Pelley were released by their NHL teams on Thursday night to join Canada for the tournament.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, it’s unlikely that Erik Gudbranson will be getting the go-ahead from the Florida Panthers to play in the WJC. That means he’ll be on the long list of names that we’ll hear plenty of over the next few weeks, as we do every year, especially if O Canada isn’t the final anthem played again this year. There are a number of impact teenagers who are too important to their NHL clubs to be released for this tournament, like rookies Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Johansen, and Sean Couturier, not to mention established players like Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner who would rip this tournament apart.

But they won’t be in the mix unless an NHL team has a shocking last-minute change of heart, so here’s how I predict the final roster will look when it’s all said and done:

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Forwards:

J. Schwartz – M. Scheifele – B. Connolly

J. Huberdeau – R. Strome – T. Toffoli

B. Bulmer – Z. Phillips – M. Stone

Q. Howden – M. Bournival – D. Smith-Pelley

B. Gallagher

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These aren’t necessarily line predictions but I figure the depth chart breaks down something like this. I suspect that Phillips will make it based on his chemistry with Huberdeau, so those two will end up on a line. This gives you two killer scoring lines, along with some good size, grit and scoring ability in the bottom six. This lineup has a decent amount of NHL experience for a junior team, with Scheifele, Connolly, Bulmer and Smith-Pelley all seeing game action this year. Bournival was a late cut last year and might be able to slip in.

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Defense:

B. Gormley – M. Pysyk

R. Murray – D. Hamilton

J. Oleksiak – R. Murphy

N. Beaulieu

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I figure Gormley is the clear number one guy on this blueline. Beyond him, there’s a good mix of offensive and defensive types, with Hamilton, Murphy and Beaulieu likely to log heavy powerplay time. Ryan Murray was a late cut last year despite not being draft eligible until this year, and popular opinion seems to have him making the cut.

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Goalies:

T. Bunz

M. Visentin

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I don’t necessarily believe that Visentin deserves a spot on this roster, but given that he’s the only returnee between the pipes, he’ll likely get one. Louis Domingue has some of the best numbers but his consistency worries me. I figure Bunz ought to have a spot locked up; whether it’s the starting role or not will be determined in camp.

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Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 World Junior Champions, Team Canada. Enjoy the holidays.