On the latest episode of Off The Post, Postmedia Hockey Columnist Bruce Garrioch, The Province and Vancouver Sun Canucks reporter Patrick Johnston and Postmedia’s Rob Wong chat about who deserves the most blame for Canada’s failure at the World Juniors and what is actually going on in Vancouver with Canucks forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Petterson.
For the second straight year, Canada’s entry at the World Junior Hockey Championship failed to play for a medal after losing 4-3 to Czechia in the quarterfinal.
It’s the first time Canada has missed the medal round in back-to-back tournaments since the 1980 and 1981 tournaments.
There has been lots of discussion about which players Hockey Canada decided not to select for their final roster. It was a group that included recent high NHL draft picks like Oshawa Generals star forward Beckett Sennecke and Saginaw Spirit defenceman Zayne Parekh as well as Parekh’s teammate, Michael Misa, who is one of the top scorers in the OHL and is projected to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks are in a state of disarray, with just three wins in their last 10 games and rumours abound about the icy relationship between teammates J.T. Miller and Elias Petterson.
After winning the Pacific Division a season ago under Jack Adams Award winning head coach Rick Tocchet, the Canucks have failed to carry over that momentum into this year, currently sitting fourth in the division and in the second wild card spot, just two points ahead of the Calgary Flames.