Hockey Canada announced the final roster for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships on Sunday and Maple Leafs 2015 draft choices Mitch Marner and Travis Dermott are among the 23 players to be led by head coach Dave Lowry.
Marner was considered a shoo-in to make the club but the only thing in question was how prominent a role the fourth overall pick would have. The 18-year-old is expected to play right wing on the top line with Florida 2014 first rounder Lawson Crouse and Arizona 2015 top pick Dylan Strome.
Team Canada has been officially named for the #WorldJuniors 🇨🇦
Roster: https://t.co/HwWtVomAwF pic.twitter.com/HZSMxKBLAT
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 20, 2015Dermott (selected 34th overall by Toronto) was thought to be on the bubble of being one of the club’s seven defenseman, but may have put himself over the top with a goal and an assist in a 7-1 exhibition win over Belarus on Saturday.
The Erie Otters blueliner beat out Boston prospect Jeremy Lauzon and Montreal first rounder Noah Juulsen to make the club. The bulk of Canada’s defense is 19 years old, only 2015 Ottawa first rounder Thomas Chabot and Dermott made the squad as 18-year-olds.
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The Leafs made a trio of roster moves in advance of back-to-back road games prior to their four-day Christmas break. Injured goaltender James Reimer and forward Nick Spaling were placed on injured reserve to make room on the roster for the recall of forward Rich Clune.
Reimer has been out since re-aggravating a groin injury in a 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on December 3rd. Head coach Mike Babcock indicated that Reimer has been working with goaltending coach Steve Briere to get back in the lineup, but after being rushed back into service earlier in the month, the Leafs are opting to be extra careful.
Spaling was injured in the first period of the overtime loss to San Jose on Thursday and is expected to be out until after Christmas with an upper body injury that appeared to be in the neck area after a faceoff with Sharks center Joe Thornton.
Clune has been called up twice this season and is scoreless in two games with the Leafs, along with five goals and seven assists in 22 games for the AHL Marlies, who will be out of action until Saturday when they face the St. John’s Ice Caps in the annual Boxing Day matinee at Air Canada Center.
With Spaling on IR, Toronto had only 12 forwards on the roster and with games in Colorado on Monday and Arizona on Tuesday, Clune was added as insurance in case of injury.
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The Maple Leafs are keeping a keen eye on the struggles of former leading scorer Phil Kessel and the Pittsburgh Penguins, as their success or failure over the next two seasons impacts what draft picks get as part of the deal for Kessel.
The assumption was that the addition of the five-time 30-goal scorer would vault Pittsburgh into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, but injuries to Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury, Beau Bennett, the retirement of veteran forward Pascal Dupuis and subpar production from Sidney Crosby and Kessel have resulted in head coach Mike Johnston being fired and Mike Sullivan starting out with an 0-4 record.
Pittsburgh is six points behind Detroit and Ottawa for the wild card spots in the East and the return of Letang and Fleury is not expected until late December/early January.
The Leafs received a conditional draft pick along with defenseman Scott Harrington and 2014 first rounder Kasperi Kapanen for Kessel, who is on pace for 23 goals (his worst season since 2008). If the Pens miss the playoffs this season, Toronto would not receive Pittsburgh’s 2016 top pick (as it is lottery protected) and would retain the Pens ‘16 second rounder acquired in the Daniel Winnik deal last February.
If Pittsburgh makes the playoffs in 2016-17, the Leafs would get the 2017 first rounder and surrender their second rounder, but if Pittsburgh misses the post-season for a second year in a row, Toronto would not get a first, but the Pens ’17 second round pick.
The scenario that could be the worst for the Leafs is Pittsburgh making the playoffs next season and Toronto finishing once again in the bottom 5. The difference between the Penguins top pick if they get to past the first round of the playoffs and the Leafs second rounder could be as little as 10 to 15 draft slots.
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