Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney makes light-hearted public pitch for services of Bo Horvat ahead of 2015 IIHF World Junior Tournament

With 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship set to kick off in Toronto and Montreal on Boxing Day - Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney made a light-hearted public pitch for the services of Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat.

Renney, who was in attendance at Air Canada Centre for Saturday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canucks, was asked about how Team Canada's roster is taking shape in a 1st period interview that aired on the scoreboard video screen during a TV timeout.

"We're pretty complete except for a maybe player out on the ice," he said with a cheeky smile while adjusting his collar. "I won't mention any names."

Renney, who was in town celebrating Hockey Canada Day with the Maple Leafs, was obviously refering to Horvat.

The rookie centreman highlights a list of names such as Anthony Duclair (New York Rangers), Jonathan Drouin (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators) who are talented enough to play regularly for their NHL club but are also eligible to play in the under-20 tournament due to their age.

It has become an annual tradition in this country for hockey fans and the media to question the plausibility of who might stay with their NHL team and who will be made available to represent the nation.

Maple Leafs fans may remember that a year ago that there was plenty of debate on the chances of talented defenceman Morgan Rielly representing Canada in Sweden.

In the end, the Maple Leafs chose to keep him.

The prevailing banter is that Horvat will not be made available by the resurgent Canucks prior to the Dec. 19 NHL Roster freeze.  Quite simply, he is too valuable an asset.

Whether he was focused on the game or he just has a great poker face (most likely the later), Horvat said he wasn't aware of Renney's comment but did acknowledge the thought of a possible return to tournament.

He had 1 goal and 2 assists over 7 games in Canada's 4th-place finish last year.

"It's always in the back of your mind," he said after Vancouver fell 5-2 in a rare road loss.  "Right now I am just focused on helping this team win and do whatever I can to stay here."

Horvat has 1 goal and 4 assists in 14 games this season while averaging 10:02 ice-time.  However,  his poise in the faceoff circle has been perhaps the most impressive part of his game so far.

When it comes to winning draws, Horvat leads the team with a 59%  succes rate (84-for-143), albeit he has taken a lot less faceoffs than fellow centremen Henrik Sedin, Nick Bonino and Brad Richardson

Hockey Canada will hold its selection camp Dec. 11 - 15 in Toronto.

Follow Neil Acharya on Twitter @Neil_Acharya