If there is one thing Hockey Canada is famous for doing as it pertains to roster selection, it is overthinking it. Whether it is the Olympics, 4 Nations Face-Off or the IIHF World Junior Championship, rest assured they are more concerned with filling roles than they are about bringing the best players. The luxury (and curse) of having so many good players is that you can get too cute with it. Other countries, with less depth, simply take their best players from top to bottom. There is no "well, what about this role or that role?"
It is why the hockey world is subjected to debates on whether certain "tough guys" or Connor Bedard should be at the Olympics, when it's plainly obvious to anyone who has watched hockey this season which player deserves the spot. (Bedard ranks top five in goals and points in the NHL.)
And it is why, every year at the World Juniors, when Hockey Canada inevitably struggles to produce in key situations, the hockey world wonders why Canada left tremendous offensive talent off its roster in favor of role players. It is especially nonsensical at the World Juniors when 95% of available players do not have the maturity, nor the leadership to be considered a "glue guy" or a "role player" because they are all playing top-line minutes for their respective teams.
Canada's habitual "let's leave some of our high-end skill at home for role players" tactic happened last year, when it inexplicably left Zayne Parekh and Michael Misa off the roster. When the cards were on the table, the creativity of both players was sorely missed as Canada failed to medal for the second straight tournament.
That is not to be this year. Funny enough, both players had to be loaned from their respective NHL clubs because they were deemed to be too good for junior this season. Ergo, deemed to be too good for the level of hockey from which their WJC teammates are selected. Surely, after the embarrassment of not medaling on home soil, Canada has learned a lesson or two, right?
AS IS THE CASE every year, Canada will have a number of age-eligible players unavailable to them because of NHL obligations. It starts with Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer, who are too busy trying to earn spots on Canada's Olympic team and would likely dominate the tournament to a level not seen in a long time. Perhaps Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks) is loaned later in the process, but Canada will most certainly be without Celebrini, Schaefer, Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) and Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken), the last of whom is week-to-week with an injury.
Hockey Canada took a step in the right direction with the installment of a full-time GM. But Alan Millar's recent quotes about player selection left something to be desired.
"We built our team around skill, speed, smarts, sense and compete," he said. "We prioritized hard skill over soft skill. Players that are only good with time and space, play on the perimeter and don't compete, don't help you win."
That is an astute assessment, because beating the very best from other countries is going to require the ability to execute in traffic. Then, things went awry...
"You also need different types of players. Size matters. Special teams. Details in the game. Two-way. Matchups. Complete players. Players you trust. Faceoffs. Blocked shots. Those intangibles are invaluable," he said. "What value did we put most in those final decisions? Character. We want players who put the team first. Role acceptance. They're coachable. Humility. We want smart players. Players that lack hockey sense traditionally always hurt a team. We want compete. Noncompetitive players will never help you win."
There is certainly no need to address the "character" portion of Millar's comments, other than to say it is extraordinarily rich for anyone at Hockey Canada to be waxing poetic about the character of the players on the World Junior roster given recent events.
But all things being equal, it would seem the tie goes to the bigger player. It is why Canada struggled to produce offense in key situations. They opted for players who were bigger and faster than the likes of Misa and Parekh, who were significantly more skilled. The object of the game is not who lays the most hits, it is who scores the most goals. If you leave high-end scoring talent at home in favor of physical role players, you better make sure scoring isn't an issue -- and it has been in recent years.
Canada left Marek Vanacker (Chicago Blackhawks), the OHL's goal-scoring leader at home in favor of the role players Millar was speaking about. If the likes of Cole Beaudoin (Utah Mammoth), Cole Reschny (Calgary Flames) or any others in Canada's bottom-six forward group fail to produce and Canada struggles to score, you can bet there will be questions on why Vanacker was left off the roster.
Millar continued, "Players that lack hockey sense traditionally always hurt a team. We want compete. Noncompetitive players will never help you win. And finally, we always ask one question at the end? How do they help us win? That's what it's all about."
Traditionally, this is true. Skilled players are often more than capable of playing checking roles and killing penalties because of their hockey sense. It is why Canada can have first-line players from any junior team playing those roles -- they are smart players.
Furthermore, having skilled players killing penalties forces the opponent to be judicious with its play; in junior hockey where mistakes are more frequent, having high-end players on the penalty kill who can take advantage of turnovers and create short-handed chances is a plus. When strategizing the need to finish a game, having players capable of retaining puck possession prevents the other team from scoring because it is difficult to score without the puck.
AS THE ROSTER takes shape for the tournament beginning Dec. 26, Parekh will surely be running the top power-play unit. That may change if Dickinson is loaned, but for now, it is Parekh's spot. Canada is thinner on the left side, which is why Dickinson would be a game changer.
Elsewhere on D, Jackson Smith (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Cameron Reid (Nashville Predators) are two players with capability to facilitate offense and defend astutely. Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders) feels like a lock because of the compete level and physicality component, but his play style may get him in trouble under the IIHF rules. Undisciplined play has been part of Canada's undoing in recent World Junior play, and while Aitcheson is immensely talented, his physical play style would make him the most likely candidate for penalties.
Carson Carels (2026 draft-eligible) and Ethan MacKenzie are lesser-known players to the general masses, but both have been impressive to start the season, and the final spot on Canada's blue line should be between the two of them. After Parekh on the right side, Canada was fortunate that the Pittsburgh Penguins loaned Harrison Brunicke to them. Those two should play more than 20 minutes per game each for Canada, with Brunicke taking heavy matchup and penalty-killing duties. Ben Danford (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Keaton Verhoeff (2026 draft-eligible) provide defensive depth on Canada's right side.
Up front, the "3Ms" are expected to carry the load. Misa is likely to center Gavin McKenna (2026 draft-eligible) and Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers) on Canada's top line this year, and this trio will be relied upon to produce at even strength and on the power play.
Misa is capable of playing in any manpower situation. After him, Canada has opted more for two-way centers than offensive play drivers, with Jett Luchanko (Flyers), Caleb Desnoyers (Mammoth), and Sam O'Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning). Jake O'Brien (Kraken) is a tremendously skilled, offensive driver who should play an offensive role in Canada's middle six. Using O'Brien for his offensive abilities instead of burying him lower in the lineup in favor of two-way players could make a major difference for Canada. His ability to facilitate should see him play a role on Canada's power play, too.
CANADA'S LACK OF SUCCESS in recent World Juniors has not been because they were unable to defend. It has been due to undisciplined play and an inability to create offense. After leaving Misa and Parekh off the team last year, both will be counted on to drive offense at even strength and on the power play.
One caveat to that: Players loaned from the NHL in past tournaments have tried to do too much at the World Juniors. Simply put, the pressure to show why they are NHLers seems to get to them. Misa, Parekh and Brunicke have dealt with injuries and/or lack of playing time in the NHL, making this the perfect opportunity for them to regain confidence in their game.
These players have the unique opportunity to provide a significant boost to their World Junior teams -- but only if they play the right way. Each of them needs to bring their professional NHL habits with them, instead of reverting to the oft maligned "junior habits." That means making smart, simple plays, not trying to do too much with the puck and setting the example in practice and games with their compete level, details and preparation.
That is the type of leadership and impact all of these players should be expected to bring. In doing so, it should naturally elevate the habits and approach of their teammates, having a positive impact on the team.
Given all three of these players have been overlooked by Hockey Canada in the past, one would have to believe they are itching to show their ability to elevate their teammates and demonstrate to Hockey Canada exactly what they bring to help their team win.