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MALMO, Sweden - Ending a four-year run without a gold medal wont be easy for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. [u
MALMO, Sweden - Ending a four-year run without a gold medal wont be easy for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. [u
in Weihnachts-Forum von Planet Xmas 24.10.2019 07:46von jokergreen0220 • 1.635 Beiträge
MALMO, Sweden - Ending a four-year run without a gold medal wont be easy for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. Wholesale Adidas Nmd . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. "Youve got to expect theyll be structured and hard working," coach Brent Sutter said Wednesday after a one-hour skate at the cosy Isstadion, where they face the Germans on Thursday. "Theyll be ready to play. "That game is the biggest game to date we have. It doesnt matter our opponent, its how we have to play. Lets make sure were responsible." You can watch all the action live on TSN beginning at 7am et/4am pt. Pre-tournament exhibition games against Finland, Sweden and Switzerland showed that while the Canadian squad — led by Halifax Mooseheads star Jonathan Drouin — will be among the better teams in the 10-team event, it doesnt have the speed and offensive flash of some of the 15 Canadian teams that won gold in the past. The host team Sweden, with at least 10 players returning from a squad that won silver last year in Ufa, Russia, looks like the team to beat, especially after the 3-0 beating they put on Canada in an exhibition game last week. The Swedes are in the opposite first-round group and will play at the newer, much larger Malmo Arena. Canada has only three players back from the 2013 tournament. They include Drouin, Jake Paterson (who didnt dress for any games in Ufa as the third goalie), and defenceman Griffin Reinhart, who is suspended for the first three games this year from a slashing incident in last years semifinals. The loss in Ufa ended Canadas 14-year run of top-three finishes at the tournament officially called the IIHF world under-20 championship. This years squad is younger than most, and should be a showcase for three players not even eligible to be drafted by the NHL yet. First among them is Connor McDavid, the dazzling 16-year-old playmaker and scoring star of the Erie Otters who will not be eligible for the draft until 2015. There is also forward Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, the younger brother of Griffin Reinhart, along with big defenceman Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts. They may go one-two in the 2014 draft. Sutter has McDavid and Reinhart on the wings with centre Bo Horvat, an imposing Vancouver Canucks prospect from the London Knights. They were the only line to stay together through the teams three pre-tournament games. Reinhart turned 18 in November and is not a true "underage" junior, and Sutter uses him as he would a seasoned veteran. In exhibition play, he played the power play and on the penalty kill. In one instance when Canada was short-handed two men, he was the lone forward on the ice. "Hes an all-purpose player," said Sutter. "He just knows how to play the game. "Hes an intelligent player and his paying attention to details in all sorts of situations is very high. As a coach, youre very comfortable playing him in whatever situation that occurs." Reinhart is used to the ice time with Kootenay and was a captain on Canadian under-18 teams, so he likes the responsibility Sutter has given him. "It gives you confidence for opening night," he said. "We took some games to find our mentality and what well bring to the first one. "We feel confident in our game right now. The focus has turned onto the first game against Germany and were looking forward to it." The exhibition games were a test for Drouin, the third overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning last June. Sutter blasted him for a weak showing against Sweden, even though it was Drouins first game since suffering a concussion in a league game with Halifax on Dec. 8. He was moved from left wing to centre for the final exhibition against the Swiss and played better. "Brent said some stuff," said Drouin, who will likely centre big winger Anthony Mantha and the defensively solid Taylor Leier of the Portland Winterhawks. "I know I played bad and didnt help the team. "I had to step up my game against the Swiss and I think I did. I feel better. The first game was a little rough. Its been three weeks (since he played) and its different from major junior. Its way more fast, but I think the second game was better." Another question to be settled was in goal, and Sutter believes hes found his man in Paterson of the Saginaw Spirit, who will start against Germany. The Mooseheads Zach Fucale will start the tournament as the backup, but Sutter expects both will see action in the tournament. Other lines are likely to have Nic Petan of Portland between Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kerby Rychel of the Gueph Storm; and captain Scott Laughton of the Oshawa Generals with Frederik Gauthier of the Rimouski Oceanic and Josh Anderson of the Knights. Charles Hudon of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens may slot in the Drouin line. The defence will likely be rearranged when Griffin Reinhart returns Dec. 31 against the Americans. Sutter has been trying various combinations for a group that includes Ekblad, Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild, Chris Bigras of the Owen Sound Attack, McDavids Erie teammate Adam Pelech, Josh Morrissey of the Prince Albert Raiders and Derrick Pouliot of Portland. Without a high-powered attack, there has been much talk of playing "Boston Bruins hockey," which despite popular perception does not mean hammering everyone who moves, but rather working the puck up the ice in tight, five-man units and playing a controlled two-way game. "It is the makeup of our team," said Sutter, who won gold with a similar group in 2006. "We have to support each other. "We cant be a spread-out team thats playing one zone and two zones ahead. We have to be coming out of zones together and using each other. When one guy has the puck, the other four have to be options and be available for plays. And we have to be smart when were hitting the red line. We cant have turnovers." The game against Germany is a chance to see flashy forward Leon Draisaitl, who is Morrisseys teammate in Prince Albert. Draisaitl is a projected top-10 pick in 2014. They played against one another at the under-18 championship, and Morrissey said they have been joking about meeting again at the world juniors. "Hes a really skilled player," the Calgary native said. "Weve become almost best friends on our team. "Hes got phenomenal vision. I think he plays like (Anze) Kopitar. He likes (Pavel) Datsyuk a lot. All I can say is hes an unreal player." Buy Adidas Basketball Shoes Online .J. -- Patrick Sharp is on one of those streaks. Adidas Nmd Shoes Near Me . Calgarys Bo Levi Mitchell and Montreals Troy Smith will be the starting quarterbacks in a CFL season-opener for the first time in their careers. Both want to reinforce their No. 1 status. You can watch the game live in the first half of a doubleheader on TSN and TSN GO at 3:00pm et/Noon pt. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/ . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand.INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- The No. 1 overall pick is still looking for basket No. 1. Anthony Bennett, the first player taken in this years NBA draft, hasnt scored a field goal for the Cavaliers. Through four games, Clevelands burly forward from Brampton, Ont., has missed each of his 15 shots from the field, including eight 3-pointers. He appears lost with the ball in his hands, causing some to wonder if the Cavs made a mistake with their choice. Hes O-for-the-season so far. According to STATS, Bennett is just the fifth rookie -- playing a minimum of five minutes -- to begin his career without making a field goal in the first four games. None of the other four, though, was selected ahead of every player in the draft. Cavs coach Mike Brown said there are several reasons for Bennetts drought. "Hes probably pressing to a certain degree," Brown said after practice Tuesday. "So its probably a little of that and a little bit of being on a big stage now in the regular season with it counting. Theres probably some of where his opponents are looking at him and saying that theyre going to come at him. They may not care that hes the No. 1 pick." For comparisons sake, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Michael Carter-Williams has 26 field goals already, and eight other rookies who have attempted at least 15 shots have put one shot through the rim. Bennetts alarming field-goal deficiency extended to four games Monday night when he went 0 for 3 in 10 minutes during a 93-92 win over Minnesota. He was not available to speak to reporters following practice as he quickly dressed and went home to take care of personal business before the Cavs flew to Milwaukee. The 20-year-old showed flashes of offensive firepower during the exhibition season, but the regular season has been nothing but a series of missed shots. He is 2 for 4 at the free-throw line, with each attempt coming in his NBA debut against Brooklyn. The Cavs insist its too early for them to be overly concerned about Bennetts scoring woes. Brown dismissed any thought of sitting the first-year player to clear his head. Wholesale Adidas Nmd Mens. However, Bennetts inability to score -- hes averaging 12.8 minutes per game -- could show that hes going to need some extra time before he can be counted on as a major contributor. "I look at it as hes a guy that can grow slowly into his role with us and thats the exciting part of it," Brown said. "I just want him to keep going out there and playing, and if you can take advantage of your opponent on either end of the floor, go ahead and do it." And while Bennett hasnt delivered on the offensive end, the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder has provided some solid defence and rebounding. At Indiana last Saturday night, when he tried to flip in a layup and had it roll around the rim and out, Bennett grabbed six boards. "Defensively, hes been better than what I thought," Brown said. "I actually thought he was going to struggle defensively -- bad. But hes picked up on the concepts and hes been tougher and stronger than what I expected. "At the end of the day, and Ive seen it with my own eyes, he can score. He can score from all three levels and once he figures out how hard he has to play offensively in order for it to happen on a possession by possession occurrence, hell be good." Until then, Bennett is getting support from his teammates. Theyre urging him to keep his chin up and the shots will eventually go down. "We just keep encouraging him," point guard Jarrett Jack said. "We want him to understand, You made it this far because you are a special player and dont ever forget that. The one thing you do have to have in this league to be successful is confidence, and once that starts to waver, its going to have a snowball effect. "There was going to be a time this season when he was going to have a tough three-game stretch. Its just that it started in the first couple of games. There are 78 more to go. Once were in January or February and hes being his old self, Ill go over to him and say, You did all that worrying for nothing." First, though, Bennett needs to make a shot. ' ' '
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