World Juniors notebook: Who will make Team Canada among 2020 draft class?

Canada’s preparation for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship began in earnest on Monday, with the 32-man selection camp roster taking part in their first practice.

The final roster is expected to be determined by Thursday, head scout Brad McEwen told The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and with this deadline in mind, this week’s camp holds greater importance than usual.

Ahead of Thursday’s tentative deadline, here is a roundup of the major storylines to keep an eye on as the week progresses.

Veleno available for selection camp

Hockey Canada announced that Detroit Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno has been made available for the tournament, but he won’t be participating immediately. Veleno will reportedly join Canada later in the week, as he’s currently in the midst of a road trip with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, according to Wheeler.

Veleno will certainly bolster Canada’s attempt at recovering from an embarrassing sixth-place finish at the 2019 edition of the tournament in Vancouver, posting two assists in five games last year. It’s too early to write anything in stone, but Veleno will likely be atop the team’s primary scoring line alongside 2020 draft-eligible standout Alexis Lafreniere (more on him below) and provide veteran experience on the top-six.

Canada is also waiting to see if Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach, Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton and New York Islanders defenceman Noah Dobson will be made eligible by their NHL teams. It appears unlikely that any of the trio will be loaned out by the Dec. 19 deadline, but if they are, it will certainly bolster a Canadian team that returns just three players from 2019’s outfit.

Who will survive among the 2020 draft-eligible players?

Lafreniere is one of three returning players, becoming the ninth-youngest player to make Team Canada when he cracked the roster last winter. Like most first-year eligible players before him, Lafreniere struggled, posting just one goal. Not everyone makes it look as easy to play against competition three years older than they are as Wayne Gretzky or Connor McDavid. All eyes will be on the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft as he looks to spearhead Canada’s offence.

Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves has been pencilled in as the prospective No. 2 selection in next summer’s draft and could possibly catch Lafreniere if he submits a monster tournament. Gifted with excellent size, speed, power, shooting ability and accuracy, the forward plays like a heightened version of Rick Nash and is a near lock to make the team, currently ranked 2nd in OHL scoring with 22 goals and 57 points.

This is where it gets tricky for the rest of the 2020 class. It would take a spectacular effort from Connor Zary, Dylan Holloway and Dawson Mercer to supplant a very deep forward corps at selection camp, though all three players will certainly be invited back if they’re not in the NHL next year.

A pair of young OHL standouts have a more realistic chance of making it this year, though. Cole Perfetti of the Saginaw Spirit is one of the most dynamic wingers in the league. His high-end skill set should translate well on international ice that the Czech Republic will offer, especially if given time and space to create fluidly. Perfetti ranks 8th among OHL scorers with 15 goals and 45 points. He’ll be afforded every chance to make the roster.

Jamie Drysdale of the Erie Otters is another candidate to crack the lineup, but with two returning defenceman in Ty Smith and Jared McIsaac pencilled in, the 17-year-old will face stiff competition to make the roster. If he does, he may only feature as a power-play specialist — with his game comparable to that of Nashville Predators star Ryan Ellis.

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