Team Canada has all the ear markings to be the favorite to win the upcoming World Juniors tourney gold medal on Canadian soil.
On Friday, Team Canada announced its leadership group.
Chicago Blackhawks winger Kirby Dach (third overall 2019) has been selected team captain for the 2021 Canadian National Junior Team. Team Canada will play Team Germany on Boxing Day at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship (December 25-January 5) in Edmonton. Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (seventh overall 2019) and Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche, fourth overall 2019) have been chosen as alternate captains. Cozens and Byram helped Canada win the gold medal for Canada at the 2020 World Junior tourney.
“These three players are all leaders in their own right who have the respect of their teammates. Kirby has set a standard for himself through his commitment and determination, which is a great example for the others on our team,… said head coach André Tourigny. “He (Dach) has a strong desire to represent his country. Bowen and Dylan are veterans who know what it takes to win at this tournament, and their voices will be important in our leadership group.…
Dach was impressive last season as a 19 year old NHL rookie scoring 8 goals and 15 assists. In 9 playoff games, Dach scored one goal and five assists while skating alongside Patrick Kane for the Blackhawks.
Having another strong showing on the World Juniors stage will go a long way to Cozens earning a top nine winger roster spot for the Sabres.
Cozens is Buffalo’s second line center of the future. Cozens is 6’4… and 200 lbs. of muscle and is hard to knock off the puck. The kid has the silky mitts of a jewel thief which allow him to make plays and score from the home plate region in the offensive zone. Cozens can skate like the Yukon wind. Cozens does not shy away from the physicality. The plan is for Ralph Krueger to get Cozens involved at the NHL level with a simplified assignment at the wing. The Sabres traded for veteran 2C Eric Staal during the off season. Staal will warm the 2C seat behind Jack Eichel for Cozens to take it over after the 2021 season. In 51 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, Cozens scored 38 goals and 47 assists. In 2019-19, he scored 34 goals and 50 assists in 68 games played.
Cozens is Canada's number one center man while Dach and Jack Quinn (Sabres 2020 first round pick) are the top line wingers.
In a bizarre twist of fate, it was Dach and Cozens that were both singled out by their head Coach André Tourigny before a team practice on November 19. Dach and Cozens were granted permission by the team to see the medical staff before the team's practice session. Things got weird when Dach and Cozens attempted to enter the skate. That's when Tourigny foolishly told the players they weren't skating due to their quote unquote tardiness.
Talk about awkward. Tourigny was trying to be a hardo and "sent a message to his captain and alternate captain". Tourigny clearly made a rookie error in judgement that day while Dach and Cozens shook it off like National Leaguers.
Note: Cozens and Dach were on time, not late. They were getting medical treatment prior to 11:30am skate. Nice of the head coach to manufacture a problem for two of his best players https://t.co/fgeTvkWuiz
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 20, 2020
Byram, a modern-day puck mover, can flat out fly up and down the ice from his left defense spot. Like Cozens and Dach, Byram doesn’t have anything left to prove in major junior hockey. Byram will likely make the Avalanche opening night roster this season. Bryam has scored 40 goals and 83 assists in 117 regular season games played for the Vancouver Giants the past two seasons. In 22 playoff games last season, Byram scored 8 goals and 18 assists.
**
Canada will begin its defense of the 2020 gold medal against the uber talented Germans on December 26 at 6:00pm. On Friday afternoon, eight members of Team Germany test positive for COVID-19 while inside the Edmonton-based World Junior Championship Bubble.
Since the teams have entered the competition bubble, a total of over 2,000 tests were conducted on all players, staff, and game officials.
In total, there were 10 positive tests involving two teams:
Team Germany: 8 players tested positive for COVID-19 Team Sweden: 2 staff members tested positive for COVID-19
The Event Medical Team, a five-member panel of Canadian and International medical experts, reviewed each case on an individual basis.
Based on the pre-event medical plan and in consultation with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the following steps are being taken:
Team Germany will remain in quarantine until December 24, while Team Sweden will remain in quarantine until December 21, with the exception of players and staff who are exempt from serving a longer quarantine period based on previous PCR positive COVID-19 test that provide a personal immunity and no threat of infection to others.
The treatment guidelines are under the guidance of Alberta Health Services and the IIHF medical staff in order to comply with the most current medical protocols.
All other teams will be released from the quarantine period only once all test results have been confirmed. Among the tests conducted on game officials as well as IIHF, Local Organizing Committee, and broadcasting staff there have been no confirmed positive cases reported.
The Event Executive Committee released the following statement: The Event Medical Team and Executive Committee will ensure that the affected individuals get the care they require. Our number one priority is the health of the individuals and to ensure that we isolate these cases to keep the entire community and event safe.
The medical plan was built with a quarantine period for participating teams before departure and upon arrival in Canada. We worked closely with Alberta Health Services and the Canadian Government to build a plan that is endorsed by medical experts and supported by all levels of government and health.
The goal of the event was to get players and staff into the bubble as early as possible in order to ensure that we could isolate any positive cases, and allow the impacted individuals to complete a mandatory quarantine period, rejoin their team and participate in the tournament.
Our team continues to work with the Organizing Committee and all competing teams, and we will evaluate the status of all players and staff daily. Our goal remains to work through the quarantine period and establish a safe bubble for players to achieve their dream of competing in the World Juniors.
All teams and staff will continue to receive daily COVID-19 tests, and the IIHF will continue to provide regular updates on the progress of the event. Due to privacy reasons, the identities of the affected players and staff will not be released, and there will be no further comment by the IIHF and the Event Executive on the announced cases at this time.
With the quarantine period being extended to December 21 for Sweden and December 24 for Germany, the Executive Committee is currently reviewing the pre-competition schedule. A revised schedule will be released within the coming days.