After a strong start to the World Junior Championship, Connor McMichael has been promoted to Team Canada’s first line.
The Capitals’ 2019 first-round pick was placed on the left wing and skated with center Barrett Hayton, Canada’s captain, and right wing Nolan Foote during Canada’s 4-1 win over Team Germany, Monday.
Washington Capitals 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael officially realized a dream on Saturday. After Halifax’s Benoit-Olivier Groulx was released, McMichael officially made Team Canada’s 2020 World Junior Championship roster.
The nod comes after McMichael had a spectacular opening to the season. The center scored three hat tricks and tallied 59 points in his first 27 games (2.19 ppg). McMichael has led the OHL in scoring for large swaths of time and still sits second despite participating in Team Canada’s WJC selection camp and playing six fewer games than first place Arthur Kaliyev, who plays on the Hamilton Bulldogs.
“Every Boxing Day, you tune in with your family and watch Team Canada go to work, so it’s a dream come true,” McMichael said to DurhamRegion.com’s Brian McNair. “I don’t really care where I play, it’s just a dream even making the world junior team, so I’m excited.”
Washington Capitals prospect Connor McMichael is one step closer to making Team Canada’s final World Junior Championship roster.
The center survived nine cuts made to the team Thursday by head coach Dale Hunter during Canada’s World Junior Selection Camp. Hunter, a former Capitals player and head coach, also serves as McMichael’s coach on the OHL’s London Knights.
Connor McMichael’s groundbreaking (or I guess, icebreaking?) year continues.
Monday, the 18-year-old Capitals prospect was named to Team Canada’s World Junior Championship Selection Camp, where he will have an opportunity to make Canada’s 2020 U-20 World Junior team.
The nod is another honor for McMichael this calendar year which includes being a first-round pick (25th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, signing his first NHL contract, and participating in his first NHL training camp (where he was dominant at times in games).
Team Canada won the 2018 World Junior Championship on Friday night after defeating Sweden 3-1.
After the game, the players, who are all under 20-years-old and born around the year 2000, celebrated in the only way they knew how.
On Friday afternoon, the IIHF held its first ever outdoor game in World Junior Championship history. Team USA took on Team Canada at New Era Field in Buffalo, New York. The hockey game was an instant classic. The game ended with a shootout under blizzard-like conditions.
With up to three inches of snow falling during the game and temperatures in the teens, the game was an experience unlike any other for the players and fans alike. 44,594 people were in attendance, setting a new World Junior attendance record.
We collected some of the best snowy scenes from the game.
By Cara Bahniuk 6 years ago
Wednesday, Team Canada announced their national team rosters for two pre-Olympic tournaments in Russia, the Sochi Hockey Open and the Nikolai Puchkov tournament. Several of the names will be familiar to Caps fans.
Former Capitals Andrew Gordon (12 games), Sean Collins (two games), and Justin Peters (12 games) were named to the rosters as well as former Hershey Bears Patrick McNeill, Jacob Micflikier, and Chay Genoway.
With the NHL not participating in the Olympics, Team Canada will be fielding essentially a B-team that consists of its best countrymen playing in the AHL and overseas.
Team Russia and Team Canada faced off this evening in the World Cup of Hockey semifinals. Despite the final 5-3 loss, Team Russia took a 2-1 lead at the end of the second period thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov.
By Elyse Bailey 7 years ago
Braden Holtby hasn’t played or dressed in a single game for Team Canada during group play of the World Cup of Hockey. Tuesday night, however, the Holtbeast made a huge impact from the stands.
By Elyse Bailey 7 years ago
Team Canada has made its way to Pittsburgh for its World Cup of Hockey exhibition game against Team Russia, and it seems the Team Canada coaches have decided to form a biker gang.
By Elyse Bailey 7 years ago
