OHL Notebook: Notable names not at Hockey Canada selection camp

It’s that time of year again.

“Why wasn’t (insert favourite player here) from (insert favourite team here) invited to camp?”

Hockey Canada announced on Monday the 29 players that will participate in the selection camp for the Canadian National Junior Team.

The prominent names not on the list include notable Ontario Hockey League forwards Dylan Strome of the Erie Otters, Josh Ho-Sang of the Niagara IceDogs and Mitch Marner of the London Knights.

The World Junior Championships is widely seen as a 19-year-old tournament.

Most countries bring teams made up of primarily 19-year-olds with a few underage players mixed in.

In comments made in the media, Hockey Canada Head Scout Ryan Jankowski said the trio, among others “weren’t quite there yet.”

“If you look at Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Nick Merkley, Josh Ho-Sang, Jared McCann, they’re all very talented players,” Jankowski said in comments on Yahoo Sports. “However there's a certain level of world class that you need to play at this tournament and they weren't quite there yet. Every player that's coming to this camp, we feel has the ability to make this team. And those players were just a little bit behind.

“That has a little bit to do with their age. That has a little bit to do with their size and strength. There is no discrediting their skill level but they're not quite there yet and they'll have their opportunity moving forward.”

The Soo Greyhounds have been well represented as preliminary rosters were being announced as three members of the West Division leaders were named.

Defenceman Darnell Nurse earned an invite to the Hockey Canada camp after being left off the invite list last winter.

“It’s something I’ve worked for over the course of the year,” Nurse said. “(Not being invited last year) was a big motivating factor. It’s something I’ve looked forward to and I know I’ll be ready.”

Goaltender Brandon Halverson was invited to the Team USA camp and participated in USA Hockey’s summer camp.

“It’s a pretty amazing feeling,” Halverson said of being invited to the selection camp.

“It was pretty amazing,” Halverson said of the summer camp. “It was my first chance at being around a group of guys like that. To wear the USA jersey for the first time was a pretty cool experience. I learned a lot while I was there. It takes a lot to make it.”

Rounding out the trio high-scoring forward Sergey Tolchinsky was invited to the Russian camp.

“It’s always nice to play for your own country,” Tolchinsky said. “I’m just really happy about it.”

One of the other interesting notes from the Canadian camp is the inclusion of just two goaltenders – Eric Comrie of the Western League’s Tri-City Americans and Halifax Mooseheads (Quebec League) Zach Fucale.

Hockey Canada will also be monitoring the injury situation of Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid. McDavid, out with a broken bone in his hand, played in the tournament last year and his timetable for returning takes him right up against the deadline to have rosters finalized.