The World Junior Hockey Championship will always attract attention because it is an opportunity to meet some of the Canadians’ contenders whose merits we are happy to commend.

They are six participants in this competition that started yesterday in the Maritimes.

Joshua Roy’s name caught the eye at the training camp. He is an example of perseverance and determination. He believes in his talent and is not afraid to take the competition to a higher level when the moment calls for it.

He already stands out among the players in the Canada squad. He was selected by the Habs in the fifth round of the Entry Draft and still made an impression in this competition. This is his second World Championship appearance and what sets him apart from the group is his versatility.

Will he one day break the Canadian’s formation? It can be used in all sauces. He’s a born goalscorer, but he can also do a much appreciated job when his team is outnumbered.

This is an advantage.

We know Roy. At least we’ve seen him at work both in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and in training camp, not to mention his time at the international level.

Fascinating Lane Hutson

Most intriguing is US defenseman Lane Hutson. A second-round pick from the Canadiens, a defenseman said to be in a class of his own.

The catch. His height: five feet nine inches, 150 pounds.

Can you go into the National League with a tool kit as full as the one he carries through the ranks of American colleges? This season at Boston University, he has 18 points, including seven goals, in 16 games.

Since the start of the season, Hutson has garnered a ton of praise from observers. Some claim that his style resembles Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox.

Impressive!

Impressive. But what we want to see during the World Tournament is Lane Hutson, the one who adapts to all situations, the one who progresses at a crazy pace, the one who has an extraordinary vision of the game.

Forget the comparisons. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be swayed by the accounts of certain observers, but sometimes the reality is very different.

I recognize that in Hutson’s case there is a temptation to switch to the observer side. Some even say he’s a hockey genius because he can face adversity with overwhelming confidence.

Cool.

Besides that we cannot deny that its size is enough to raise some questions that lead to certain reservations.

We saw Filip Mesar in training. A talented player who still needs a few more seasons to brush up on his game in the smaller leagues.

Engstrom, Kapanen and Rohrer could use this forum to improve their assessment among the Canadian’s development officials.

Did you forget ?

Quickly, a return to the pre-Christmas game played between the Canadians and the Dallas Stars.

For the first time in ages, Cole Caufield has moved on with a new center, Kirby Dach, in place of Nick Suzuki. A surprising decision, but good. And Suzuki, meanwhile, has caught up with Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia, two players with eh… zero goals overall.

But despite those Martin St-Louis changes, the Canadian played well for nearly two-thirds before slipping into indiscipline again.

Worse, the perpetrators did nothing to convince observers that they were worthy of their trust. Players who have not had any impact in the formation so far.

Expensive penalties

Let me remind you: Drouin is in the penalty area at the end of the second period: a goal for the stars. Third period, Mike Hoffman is in the penalty area: goal for the stars. Then, while playing what might be his best game of the season, Michael Pezzetta suffers a brain spasm and finds himself in the box: goal for the Stars.

But in his case one can hardly condemn his previous engagement.

Oh, Chris Wideman gets a penalty in the third period as we try to level the game with his teammates. And let’s add a misconduct penalty for not making very Catholic remarks to either officer.

Indiscipline shows in every game. One might think that the coaches would have taken action against the skaters’ behavior, but either the players didn’t pay attention to the coach’s comments on the subject, or the coaches attacked the issue without being too insistent.

Upcoming Changes

We are now entering the final phase of the regular timetable. In the weeks and games ahead, the competition is set to intensify and the deadline for transfers in terms of squads will stimulate talks.

There will be changes. There will be star players who change address: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Bo Horvat, John Klingberg… The Connor-Bedard derby invites teams with no chance of making the playoffs to review their business model and let go of some key players from their emergence.

It could be very interesting for the Canadian. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will not turn their backs on an offer that will allow the organization to go further in the ongoing process.

And don’t forget that Hughes has said many times that he needs to be more flexible with payroll.