Canada's WJHC Development Camp: Day One

Canada's "Drive for Five" was a success and now it's time for an even greater goal - becoming the first team in the history of the World Junior Hockey Championships to win six straight Gold Medals. The quest for six began tonight in Saskatoon, as the Bridge City plays host to the summer development camp.

It's an opportunity for the coaching staff to get an early glimpse at just who deserves a shot to wear the Red and White.

46 players are at camp, with two unable to participate in on-ice acitivites due to injury. Sitting out are Jared Cowan and Stefan Della Rovere.

Here's the roster breakdowns...

TEAM RED

Goaltenders:

Matt Hackett
Martin Jones

Defence:

Calvin De Haan - Travis Hamonic
Tyler Cuma - Ryan Ellis
T.J. Brodie - Shawn Lalonde
Patrick Wiercioch - Charle-Olivier Roussel

Forwards:

Cody Eakin - Patrice Cormier - Jordan Caron
Taylor Hall - Nazem Kadri - Brandon Kozun
Josh Brittain - Joe Colborne - Greg Nemisz
Philippe Cornet - Adam Henrique - Zack Kassian

Observations:

- Nazem Kadri is small (5'11'' 174lbs) but speedy
- Shawn Lalonde has soft hands; slipping pucks past Matt Hackett quite a bit
- Scary moment when Travis Hamonic and Cody Eakin collided in the corner. Hamonic stayed down for a bit but got up and was ok.
- In between the pipes, Martin Jones definitely looked stronger than Matt Hackett, who gave up a ton of rebounds
- Defence played really well. All four pairings were clicking and frustrated the offence.
- Best line: Hall / Kadri / Kozun

TEAM WHITE

Goaltenders:

Jake Allen
Olivier Bellavance-Roy

Defence:

Marco Scandella - Colten Teubert
Dylan Olsen - Tyler Myers
Cameron Gaunce - Matt Clark
Colby Robak - Alex Pietrangelo

Forwards:

Evander Kane - Cody Hodgson - Jordan Eberle
Brandon McMillan - Brayden Schenn - Scott Glennie
Gabriel Bourque - Matt Duchene - Louis LeBlanc
Luke Adam - Ryan O'Reilly - Kelsey Tessier

Observations:

- Jordan Eberle, in my opinion, was by far the best player on the ice for either team. He was quick, had great hands, scored some nice goals and just looked right at home on the ice.
- Team White had a much more physical practice than Team Red
- Best Line: Kane / Hodgson / Eberle

I spoke with Brayden Schenn following practice and he was pretty happy with how day one went. While it was the first practice and more of an opportunity for the guys to find their legs before things really start to intensify, Schenn took it as serious as possible.

Failing to make last year's team left a bit of a sour taste in Schenn's mouth. Admittedly, he was under a ton of pressure last year - a slow start with the Brandon Wheat Kings, trying to make Team Canada and the possibility of being drafted into the NHL. Skip ahead a few months - he was drafted in the first round, ninth overall by the LA Kings and it's as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

That's not to say that there's no pressure for the youngster. Being the "hometown boy", Schenn would love nothing more than to realize a dream and play for Canada's World Junior Team and do so in front of family and friends in Saskatoon. Needless to say, he's focused and will do everything in his power to crack this roster.

Some other tidbits...

- Only eight players from last year's Gold Medal winning squad are at camp: Tyler Myers, Alex Pietrangelo, Colten Teubert, Jordan Eberle, Cody Hodgson, Evander Kane, Ryan Ellis and Patrice Cormier.

- Of all the players only two do not play Major Junior or College Hockey: Dylan Olsen (AJHL) and Louis LeBlanc (USHL) *note: USHL is the highest level after college in the US but widely considered to be somewhere between Jr. A and Major Jr in Canada*

While speaking with Dylan Olsen, he made it clear that while he may play at a lower calibre of hockey than most of the other guys at this camp - he's just as deserving to be here. He's the same age and plays just as well - afterall, why else would he be drafted in the first round, 28th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. Watch Global Sports tomorrow night for an in-depth story with Dylan Olsen.