“Summer hockey,” that’s a quote we heard all week at the World Junior Summer Showcase that was held last week at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota Campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It ran from Friday, July 25, to Saturday, August 2, with practices and games throughout the week for four of the big teams that will be part of the World Junior Hockey Championship in December.
Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States all took part, with several big names making an appearance, like Cole Eiserman and James Hagens for USA, Matthew Schaefer and Gavin McKenna for Canada, Aatos Koivu and Heikki Ruohonen for Finland, and Jack Berglund and Liam Danielsson for Sweden, among many others. In this article, we’ll take a look at how this showcase is a step in the overall process of what it takes to make the final cut for Team USA. However, all of these teams use a similar process, and this showcase is the first step.
Showcase Allows Teams to Familiarize Themselves
Last week was just the start of basically a four-month-long process of evaluations for these players trying to make the team. USA head coach Bob Motzko repeatedly said all week that this is a process and it’s just the beginning. While they have returning players from last year, a lot of players are new, and they have to not only get used to each other but the coaching staff, as well, which is what this showcase gives them a chance to do.
“The coach is going to tell you great, but it’s not December, this is just the first process of what we’re doing. We’re identifying players right now. I still am trying to get to, I know the players on the ice now, and I’m walking around with my sheets trying to get to know them off the ice. One of our other coaches said I said the wrong name today, I called the guy someone else, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re still getting familiar,” said Motzko about the intense rivalry between all the teams.
It’s one thing to watch players participate on different teams; it’s another thing to figure out where to put them on your own team and which players should stay and go. Obviously, the coach knows what he needs, but he has to find players that fit those areas, and in just a week, that’s a hard thing to do. So the showcase isn’t a lot about individual goal-scoring skills, but where they fit in as a whole team, then individuals can get noticed, plus knowing who can fill in if someone else gets…
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