Should Tavares Make It?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Posted by home_town_hero11

One of the biggest questions going into this year's Canadian World Junior Selection Camp is should John Tavares make the team? I would have to lean towards the YES! He is a very, very dominant player in the 'O' and playing with the calibre of players that the Canadian Junior team offers, he will be even more dominant. Even though he is only 16 years of age, he can play with the best junior players around the world. He will be the future of this squad for years to come, why not give him a shot now?

Along with Sam Gagner, Angelo Esposito, and Drew Doughty, they are the future of this team because they are so young and talented. All of these players mean a lot to their respective teams and should get serious consideration for this year's sqaud. Both Tavares and Gagner lead their teams in scoring, Gagner with 60 points in 27 games, and Tavares with 53 points in 28 games.

The argument can be made for Gagner that he is on a fairly strong London Knights squad, but he is a complete player, very good at both ends of the rink, and doesn't shy away from a hit. Angelo Esposito of the Quebec Remparts is also having another stellar year, with 51 points in 29 games is coming off of a great camp last year, and almost made the squad but was a late cut, is another highly skilled 17 year old who would thrive on the international stage, which he has shown already, captaining the Canadian U-18 team to a gold medal earlier this year. Drew Doughty of the Guelph Storm is a player that has quietly developed into a stellar defenseman with a ton of upside. His 28 points in 29 games is quite an accomplishment for a second year defenseman, and he is only going to get better.

Craig Hartsburg has his hands full with all of the great players he has coming into camp, but it is a good thing, because we know that this year's squad is going to be fun to watch with returnees such as Andrew Cogliano, Steve Downie, Kris Russel, Kristopher Letang, Marc Staal, Ryan Parent, Ryan O'Marra, and Johnathon Toews all ready for another go at a gold medal.