Connor McDavid gets green light for contact in practice with Team Canada

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — The yellow jersey is gone. Instead, on Monday afternoon, Connor McDavid wore a white practice sweater like his other teammates.

The 17-year-old junior star has been cleared for contact which meant he was able to fully participate in drills at Team Canada’s selection camp.

The change came some five weeks after he broke a small bone in his right hand during a fight in an OHL game on Nov. 11. Even though McDavid received the go-ahead for contact, his teammates looked like they were holding back slightly when it came to jostling with the star centre.

“I think when they see him they want to make sure they don’t hit him on his glove,” said Team Canada coach Benoit Groulx after practice at the Meridian Centre. “They’ve got to be careful, but overall I thought the guys went pretty hard.”

It’s no surprise Canada’s players sided with a little caution when it came to McDavid – he’s the projected top pick for the 2015 NHL draft and is considered by many to be a generational hockey talent. To put it bluntly, he’s the golden ticket at the 2015 world junior championship and everyone knows it.

“You can’t go into a tournament without your key player,” said Groulx. “It’s a big boost for the confidence, it’s a big boost for not only your five-on-five game but also for your specialty team and you know what it’s always nice to have one of your top guys being healthy and feeling confident.”

Part of keeping Team Canada healthy also meant players received inoculations on Monday against the mumps, which has sidelined a number of NHL stars of late, including Sidney Crosby. Canada’s assistant coach Scott Walker, a former NHLer himself, was diagnosed with mumps in November.

“We have to be careful,” said Groulx, who noted he’d be getting a shot, too. “It’s better to be cautious then to be having problems after.”

Groulx would not say whether McDavid would be able to play in Canada’s first international exhibition game on Friday against Russia. For now, said the coach, they’ll be taking a cautious approach heading into the 10-day tournament which begins on Dec. 26.

After the practice, McDavid said he felt good and that everything is going according to plan in terms of his rehabilitation from injury. He had been skating with his OHL team, the Erie Otters, so McDavid said his conditioning wasn’t an issue.

“I've been almost bag-skating for three weeks. My legs feel great. The legs aren't too much of an issue at all,” he said. "Obviously still getting the hands back is coming along, getting a little better. The only thing that's going to come is timing. The only way to do that is through competition and through contact. That's going to take a little time to get back."

During practice McDavid centred the second line with wingers Robby Fabbri of the Guelph Storm and Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks. Fabbri and McDavid have known each other since they were kids – seven or eight years old – so they already have familiarity and some chemistry. The pair also skated together at summer camp, alongside Nick Ritchie who is also at this selection camp.

“I’ve played with Fabbri since I was a little guy,” said McDavid. “I love playing with him and obviously (Petan) is an unbelievable player. Hopefully we’ll have some success and we’re able to find some chemistry here this week.”

Groulx said he liked what he saw from the trio, though he wasn’t committing to keeping them together for Canada’s slate of exhibition games.

“The three of them are pretty quick with speed, skills,” said Groulx. “So we’ll see how they fit together.”

With the non-stop hype machine working on McDavid heading into the tournament, particularly setting up the showdown between him and American star Jack Eichel, Groulx wanted to reiterate the importance of team. It’s clear he wants to shield McDavid from the lofty expectations that others have placed on the young star.

“I don’t think it’s the Connor McDavid Show,” said Groulx. “Connor is one of our players, obviously one of our good players, but he’s still a young man. … Our goal is to build a team and we’re working at this.

“I don’t feel myself as a coach that he’s got to make the difference. … I don’t see it as if he’s not there we have no chance or if he’s on the ice, I expect a goal all the time. That’s not the case. I expect him to be himself and play like he’s been playing and that’s it.” 

To be sure, this pressure is not a construct of McDavid’s own design. He’s soft-spoken even at his most boisterous and has the appearance of a down-to-earth kid. There is no hint of swagger off the ice and even his teammates seem to appreciate it.

“He’s really good about it,” said Fabbri. “Nothing gets to his head. We have some laughs about (the attention) but other than that everyone’s cool.”