Even though Dawson Mercer played in last year’s tournament and won gold with Junior Team Canada, his role doesn’t seem like it has been cast in stone this time around. Even the Chicoutimi Saguenéens striker was one of the two extra forwards in training, before the team entered the Edmonton bubble.
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In Sunday’s training session, the last before arriving in Edmonton, the lines went as follows: Dylan Cozens pivoted the first line along with Kirby Dach and Jack Quinn, Connor McMichael was in the middle of Cole Perfetti and Peyton Krebs, Quinton Byfield was flanked by Philip Tomasino and Connor Zary while Alex Newhook, Dylan Holloway and Jakob Pelletier were united in the same trio.
So that left Mercer and Ryan Suzuki in “extra”.
Versatile player
For the head coach of the national team André Tourigny, Mercer is “a victim of his style of play”.
«Merc, it’s a flex player. He can play just about any position and in any situation. He brings a lot of energy, so it’s easy to get him in the role he has and put it in just about anywhere after that. He can handle a very good duo, bring energy, go to the net, play well defensively, he works very hard in addition to being good at collecting free pucks and he can play center and wing. He is easy to walk from one line to the other and he is therefore a victim of that, ”he explained.
The coach went on to recognize that the depth of offense he has in his hands this year makes the choices difficult.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re going to have in this role (that of 13e or 14e striker), I don’t think anyone is going to be able to say that it is fair and that there is no problem. There are always going to be arguments for it to be other players. It’s the kind of team we have this year. ”
Dach ready to contribute
Among those whose role is certainly not in play, we can mention the name of Kirby Dach. The Chicago Blackhawks forward was dominant in inter-squad encounters, scoring seven points in four games.
For him, it will not only be a chance to win gold, but also to prepare for the next NHL season.
“With the pandemic, I will have the chance to play matches before the season [de la LNH] and be at my best while others are at training camp. The Blackhawks see it as an advantage, and so do I. Now I have to take the opportunity and play my best hockey to be ready for the season. ”
In addition, the 10 teams that will participate in the World Junior Hockey Championship from December 25 have all set foot in Edmonton. Everyone is currently in compulsory segregation until Friday.
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