Reports: Canada's Olympic hockey long list taking shape
We have some new names to consider for Canada now that the NHL has officially pulled out of Olympic participation.
Scott Wheeler of the The Athletic shared a series of tweets Tuesday with the names of those reported to be on Canada's long list as the nation's governing body prepares to unearth talent outside the world's top division.
Most notably, Wheeler named five players from Canada's 2022 World Juniors roster, which had its bid for U20 supremacy interrupted after positive COVID-19 cases cancelled the tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer three days into competition. That group includes captain Kaiden Guhle, No. 1 overall draft selection Owen Power, and former lottery choices Kent Johnson, Mason McTavish and Cole Perfetti.
There are also a few recent NHL draft picks and former juniors currently playing in the American Hockey League, including Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn and Devon Levi.
Beyond that, it's an assortment of former NHL players or prospects who are either toiling in the minor leagues, have since moved on to other opportunities in Europe, or remain free agents. Former Olympian Eric Staal leads a list that also includes Cody Franson, Devan Dubnyk, Michael Del Zotto, Adam Cracknell, Josh Ho-Sang, Daniel Carr, Daniel Winnik, Jason Demers, Brendan Leipsic, and Jake Virtanen as some of the more familiar names.
Here's the full thread from Wheeler:
Sources: The following players are on Team Canada’s long list for consideration for the Olympics (1/2):
Cole Perfetti
Owen Power
Mason McTavish
Kent Johnson
Eric Staal
Phillippe Desrosiers
Cody Franson
Devan Dubnyk
Brad Malone
Jack McBain
Peyton Krebs
Kaiden Guhle
Scott Wilson— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
Sources: The following players are on Team Canada’s long list for consideration for the Olympics (2/2):
Jack Quinn
Tyler Wotherspoon
Michael Del Zotto
Adam Cracknell
Chris Terry
Josh Ho-Sang
Chris Bigras
Cal O'Reilly
Devon Levi
Brendan Leipsic
Jake Virtanen— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
Two more names I can report are on the long list being considered for Team Canada at the Olympics:
Jimmy Oligny
Matt Tomkins— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
One more name I can report is on the long list being considered for Team Canada at the Olympics:
Daniel Winnik— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
One more name I can report is on the long list being considered for Team Canada at the Olympics:
Jason Demers— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
One more name I can report is on the long list being considered for Team Canada at the Olympics:
Daniel Carr
Sounds like a bunch of the Canadians playing in Switzerland were on the original list in October. Carr and Winnik are the only ones I’ve been able to confirm so far.— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) January 5, 2022
TSN's Darren Dreger has also been the beat, confirming the likes of Power, McTavish and Dubnyk on the current long list, while also adding netminder Edward Pasquale to the mix. Dreger, however, did pour cold water on the notion that Krebs, Quinn and Perfetti, among others, were eligible due to the fact that all three are signed to NHL contracts despite playing in the minor leagues.
One interesting name is Ho-Sang, who signed a minor-league contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the season. Without an NHL deal, it's likely that Ho-Sang would have the eligibility Krebs, Quinn and Perfetti are without despite competing in the same league.
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