"Canada is missing a boatload" - NHL analyst believes Team Canada's World Juniors exit criticism unwarranted

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Jan 03, 2024 17:54 GMT

In the aftermath of Team Canada's unexpected exit from the World Junior Hockey Championship, NHL analyst Ryan Whitney has come to the defense of the young squad. On a recent episode of the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, Whitney addressed the criticism surrounding Canada's performance in the tournament.

Whitney acknowledged the disappointment of Team Canada's loss but emphasized the impact of missing key players due to various reasons, including injuries and professional commitments. Whitney also mentioned the strength of the United States team, noting that they too were missing key players but remained formidable:

"Ah, shucks. Canada lost. Now I'll get ahead of this. I'll get ahead of this. If Canada, like every year pretty much in the world juniors, if they had their actual roster, they're going to be the favorites. I think the only player that the United States is missing is Logan Cooley. Obviously, that's an enormous impact. This U. S. Team's loaded though, without him."

Notably, star player Connor Bedard was absent from the lineup, further complicating Canada's bid for a successful tournament.

"Canada is missing a boatload. And I mean, when it's Conor Bedard being the main one, it's like. It's kind of hard to chirp their junior team considering..."

Whitney highlighted the absence of several hockey players, such as Bradley Nadeau and Jagger Firkus, who could have made significant contributions to the team:

"I think there's probably five guys that would be on the team that aren't able to be there. Shane Wright could still be there, for Christ's sake. So they left some guys off the team that really should have been there. One of them is that Bradley Nadeau kid from Maine who's disgusting...

"... and then this other kid, Jagger Firkus, I guess he ended up getting brought over there after they lost to Sweden 2-0. But off the hop, they didn't take him. He's lighting up the WHL."

Ryan Whitney wanted Team Canada in the semis

Team Canada experienced a devastating defeat in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Hockey Championship against Czechia. Despite fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, Jakub Stancl's last-second goal secured a 3-2 victory for Czechia.

Despite being an American fan reveling in Canada's defeat, Whitney expressed a desire to see Canada in the semifinals:

"But you know, even as an American fan who loves seeing Canada lose, I wanted them in the semis."

With star players missing, including Connor Bedard, and a challenging preliminary round, Team Canada faced numerous obstacles. The defeat left players like Fraser Minten heartbroken.