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Edmonton Oil Kings’ Tristan Jarry makes his case to guard Canada’s blue paint

If Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Tristan Jarry wasn’t in the mix to represent Team Canada at the world junior championship in the summer, he definitely is now.

Jarry has played like a mad man for the Oil Kings since the beginning of October, posting a .938 save percentage and 1.62 average while capturing three shutouts throughout 16 games. Moreover, he only gets better as the season goes on as he has maintained a .952 save percentage and 1.30 average in his last 10 contests.

As for why Jarry has been on a tear since a somewhat rocky September, where he posted a .855 save percentage and 4.38 average in four games, the Pittsburgh Penguins second-round pick credits his ‘practice habits.’

“I think (I’ve been playing well lately) because I play like I practice,” says Jarry. “I’ve cleaned up my practice habits from the very start of the year. I’ve been just cleaning up the little things that make a difference. I’ve noticed it in games and I just need to continue to practice hard to have success in games.”

Jarry’s outstanding play has been seen firsthand by Team Canada’s architect and head coach, Brent Sutter, as he also holds those roles for the Red Deer Rebels, a division rival of the Oil Kings.

“In the last two weeks he has been on a different level,” says Sutter. “He’s a young goalie that’s shown he deserves a look. Going forward he just needs to continue as he has been playing and stay consistent. Right now before camp it’s too early to say where he sits to make the team (Team Canada), but he’s been playing well enough to get in the running.”

One of Jarry’s best games on the year happened to occur right in front of Sutter’s eyes. On Oct. 18, the Delta, B.C., native posted a 21-save shutout in Red Deer’s Enmax Centrium.

“Sutter coaching Red Deer was in the back of mind,” says Jarry, who was named one of Team WHL’s two goalies in the Subway Super Series. “I tried not to think about it. But it is one of those things that you think of before the game and then after it. I just tried to treat it as any other game because you don’t want to overthink things.”

Even though Jarry had incredible numbers in his portfolio last season, posting a .936 save percentage and 1.61 average in 27 games, he was somewhat on the outside looking in for Canada’s blue paint jobs heading into this year. He wasn’t invited to Canada’s summer camp with the invites going to the Tri-City Americans’ Eric Comrie, Saginaw Spirit’s Jake Paterson and Halifax Mooseheads’ Zachary Fucale. Obviously, Jarry wants to prove his doubters wrong, but the snub from the summer camp didn’t put a chip on his shoulder.

“I kind of saw it coming, so it wasn’t that disappointing (not to receive an invite to the summer camp),” says the 18-year-old goalie. “I knew there were a lot of other good goalies (who were in the running). It never really gave me extra motivation or anything because I didn’t focus on it.”

Fortunately for Jarry, he will have a better idea on what to expect at the tryout camp if he does indeed receive an invite. His former puck-stopping teammate Laurent Brossoit gave him the inside scoop on what the camp entails after he couldn't crack the team last year.

“We talked about it when it was going on a bit,” says Jarry. “He told me how it kind of works and stuff he went through. I’m happy I got to play with someone who went through the process.”

It goes without saying that guarding the blue paint for Team Canada in the world junior championship is a stressful job. More times than not, the goalie is blamed for Canada’s struggles. Just ask Mark Visentin for proof of that. But this isn't news to Jarry; he knows it's important for him to not let his critics get to him if given the opportunity to represent his country in Malmo, Sweden.

“You can’t worry about what people think,” says Jarry. "In a tournament like that, I think you have to just play and not overthink stuff. I just try to go out play and focus on the game."

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen