And one would think late June would be a time where they’d have a chance to step back, relax, plan and get ready for what could be a strange and interesting season this fall.
But things never stop when you’re the winningest national hockey organization on the planet, even times such as these.
That’s why even though the National Junior Team won’t be able to gather for what would have been the Summer Showcase tournament at the end of July, there will still be plenty going on for players during the week-long event July 27-31.
“A big part of what we’re doing from a Hockey Canada perspective is sharing information with players in terms of the tournament, logistics and other factors that go part and parcel with playing in a world championship and IIHF rules and all those things. So that’ll be an important piece,” said Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Alan Millar, who is part of the Hockey Canada National Junior Team management group.
The 41 players – including 15 from the Western Hockey League -- will also have a chance to work with coaches in a virtual setting with regards to messaging, habits and style of play in addition to simply building relationships among the coaches, leadership group, returning players and newcomers.
“There’s no playbook for this type of thing, a lot of people have put time into finding the best way to handle this,” Millar said. “We know we can’t have 60 people on a Zoom call for eight hours, so it’ll be spread out in a number of time frames with some guest speakers. It’s still an opportunity for us to get our group together, get to know each other and talk about some ideals in terms of our team. With what we’re dealing with, it’ll be different, but it’s an opportunity to build our process.”
If things were normal, the National Junior Team would be gathering in Plymouth, Michigan for a series of exhibition games with the U.S., Sweden and Finland, offering observers a chance to gauge the progression of potential World Junior players and start planning for the December selection camp.
While the Moose Jaw Warriors won’t have anyone taking part in the event after fielding one of the youngest teams in CHL history last season, Millar was quick to point out that things can – and have in the past – change between the end of July and mid-December.
“You look at the Summer Camp last year, Joel Hofer and Nico Dawes, two goaltenders who were on the team weren’t at the Summer Evaluation Camp,” Millar said, pointing to Warriors such as Ryder Korczak and Daemon Hunt as a pair who could turn heads with a hard and fast start to the season.
“So players do pop during the season, they do work their way into the December camp and give themselves the opportunity to play on the team… just because you’re not one of the 41 guys at this point, there are going to be opportunities for those good young players across the Canadian Hockey League, and those players playing Junior A and college hockey as well.”
