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Drouin, MacKinnon make statement, so does Colin Smith: Wednesday’s coast-to-coast

Combing all corners of the country and the blogosphere for your junior hockey headlines ...

World junior

Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon are making their age (17) only look like a number, writes Sunaya Sapurji. (Yahoo! Sports, The Q Files)

Mark Scheifele got some advice on playing the wing from his Barrie Colts coach Dale Hawerchuk, who famously moved from centre to help Team Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup. (CBC, Calgary Herald)

Team Sweden will have Anaheim Ducks No. 6 overall pick Hampus Lindholm, who has been playing in the AHL. (AHL)

True, draft-year left wing Hunter Shinkaruk scored in Canada's Red-White game, but he was "used sparingly," as Kristen Odland notes. (Calgary Herald)

Evidently, "the odds that even one of one of the 18-year-olds will make the team are remote" according to a column that omits Sean Monahan and is centred around MacKinnon, who is 17. Same difference. (Toronto Star)

Finally, a counterpoint to these Chicken Little scenarios about NHL teams yanking players off Team Canada if the lockout was resolved in the middle of the tournament. There was never really a threat. (Oil Drop)

Forward Phillip Danault and defenceman Xavier Ouellet bear the cross of having been cut by Team Canada last season. (TVA Sports)

Not that teenagers read a newspaper, but you can imagine the 99 per cent of CHL players not in consideration for Team Canada learning what they do isn't considered "meaningful hockey?" (Ottawa Citizen)

Dean Millard has more hot audio from Canada's camp than you could ever listen to. (The Pipeline Show)

WHL

Colorado Avalanche pick Colin Smith, the most prolific Western leaguer not invited to Canada, scored both Kamloops Blazers goals in a shootout win on Tuesday. In Calgary, no less. (The Canadian Press, Calgary Herald)

Those two points coach Dave Lowry's Victoria Royals picked up in Seattle were huge. (Victoria Times-Colonist, Voice Of The Victoria Royals)

Defence took a holiday in Saskatoon's 7-5 win at Brandon. (Luber's Lounge)

How do you like that? Call-up goalie Steven Myland had a shutout for Swift Current. (Southwest Booster)

First it was Seattle, now goalie Austin Lotz and the Everett Silvertips are winning in Tri-City's Toyota Center. (Everett Herald)

OHL

Niagara IceDogs coach-GM Marty Williamson offers a scouting report on 15-year-old phenom Connor McDavid: "He hasn't quite got the strength to off cycles, but we can't be giving up three-on-twos and two-on-ones. That will kill us." (St. Catharines Standard)

Malcolm Subban's understudy in Belleville, 17-year-old Charlie Graham, seems ready for some extended run as top 'tender for Los Toros. (Belleville Intelligencer)

Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino expounds on the London Knights' 18-game win streak et les autre topics du jour. (The Pipeline Show)

Owen Sound bench boss Greg Ireland has received a five-game suspension for abuse of officials in a game last week. (Owen Sound Sun Times)

Oshawa Generals coach D.J. Smith, who has three forwards expected to play in the IIHF world U20 championship, doesn't expect to have a full lineup until about Jan. 15. (durhamregion.com)

Wait, the ninth-place Peterborough Petes could add at the trade deadline? (Peterborough Examiner)

It sounds like 16-year-old standout defenceman Roland McKeown will miss 1-2 weeks for the Kingston Frontenacs, although it's touch-and-go on how that affects him for the world under-17 challenge. (Kingston Whig-Standard)

QMJHL

Draft-year forward Adam Erne is manning right wing rather than left while the Quebec Remparts cover for world junior absenteeism. (Le Soleil)

The Saint John Sea Dogs snapped a losing streak without suspended Jonathan Huberdeau; wait, he wouldn't have been available regardless. (Cape Breton Post, Station Nation)

Loik Poudrier is probably the most-sought-after among the veterans the rebuilding Shawinigan Cataractes will off-load during the trade period. (Parlons Junior)

Some Eric Veilleux line juggling tricks worked wonderfully on Tuesday for Baie-Comeau, which had a nice night from draft prospect prospect Valentin Zykov. (Le Soleil)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.