OverDrive - Cameron on Canada's World Junior roster, McKenna's spotlight in the tournament and the foundation of the team

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

Canada Head Coach at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Dave Cameron joined OverDrive to discuss the roster for the World Juniors, the team's foundation of success, Gavin McKenna's spotlight in the tournament, Easton Cowan's skill set for the team, playing in your host nation and more.

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or visit askkelvin.ca here's dave cameron how you doing dave good thanks how'd you feel about your effort last night uh there was a lot to like i mean it was was I think it was your typical first game. It was first 10 minutes was a little feeling out process. Then we were able to generate some emotion through offense and we kind of built and we finished strong. So it's

always good. You evaluate for this tournament your team at different stages and it's not until you get against outside competition that you get a real handle off of what you have and whether the plan you have in place has any chance of working. You can do the inner squad stuff all you like, but this exhibition series takes us to another level,

and we're excited about it. So what do you think you learned then from that game last night that maybe you didn't know prior to it? Well, you always wonder when you assemble a team best on best and you've got the elite of the elite. And, of course, when you pick your team, you're picking your team based on just that, a team. And so you have different players in different roles.

And when you see them get into a game and we realize for us to beat the best teams and win this tournament, we're going to have to be pretty solid away from the puck as much as we're going to be able to create when we have it. To see Easton Cowan and Tanner Howe tracking back in a 7-1 game like it's a 1-1 game, a real good sign of a buy-in early

and that they realize it's just important to play on both sides of the puck. Dave, was it easy to pick your leadership group as far as captaincy and stuff like that? It was difficult, but it was easy. What I mean by that was that it was difficult but it was easy what I mean by that was that it was difficult from the point of view is that we have a large number of guys that wear letters on their team so we have quite a crew to pick out

and when you pick them from the elite there's no real defining thing that says these three guys are heads and tails above anybody else. But it's also easy, you know, from the point of view is that regardless of who you pick, you know that there's other leaders in that room and there's going to be great support from coming underneath because, as you know, the leadership goes way beyond the three guys wearing ladders. With Dave Cameron, the head coach of the World Junior team, World Junior is beginning Boxing

Day here on TSN. You mentioned Easton Cowan and, you know, the back coach of the World Junior team, World Junior's beginning boxing day here on TSN. You mentioned Easton Cowan and the back pressure he was showing late in the game. He also obviously was pretty good with the puck on a stick. He had a hat trick last night. A lot of people here in Toronto, very excited to see him on this type of a stage. We're well aware of what he did in junior last year, what he was looking like at Leafs camp and early in the year in London. But what would you expect out of Easton, you know, not just based on last night,

but what are you hoping his game looks like and how much of an impact do you think he can have on your team come the real stuff starting on Boxing Day? Well, you know, the Leafs should be excited, you know, that they have Easton. And, you know, I think he's got a 56-game point streak The Leafs should be excited that they have Easton. I think he's had a 56-game point streak in the CHL with the London Knights and the OHL. There's more than luck involved there when you go on that run, but he's such a competitor. He's really, really competitive.

What separates guys from being good players to elite players to going on to play pro is that they can perform at such a high level and they're a step or two ahead. Throw in the fact that Easton has that and is real competitive on top of that. That's a real good tool set to have. He's going to play a big role

on our team. He was one of the guys that could have very easily gotten the letter, but we're going to rely on him for leadership also. So when you win a Game 7-1, and obviously it's a game that's just a feeling out process, are you more as a coach just trying to evaluate the process of how the habits of the guys are, the chemistry of who you're going to play each other with. It's more of an evaluation other than just the wins or losses in the pre-tournament games.

Yeah, exactly, Jimmy. We sit down and we have a plan and we put combinations together, but until such time that you let them play and play against competition, you're not quite sure. And we know this tournament that there's, it's best on best, but there's some discrepancy in the balance of some of the teams versus the teams, you know, that are top of it. But these kids, because most of these kids come up through

the under-17 program, the under-18 program, and some returning from the World Juniors last year, you know, they have a good understanding of that concept. And so when they win a game 7-1, I think they don't get too excited. There's some real balance there to know that there's a lot of heavier challenges coming down the road. Dave, this is not your first rodeo at the World Juniors. You've been through this a number of different times,

and I think you're aware of how the country kind of attaches themselves to one player in particular, especially if it's a young superstar that's coming, and that would be Gavin McKenna in this instance where he just turned 17 today. Literally, it's his birthday today. He's 17. He made the team out of camp. I'm curious what your plan is and what your message is to him in terms of what kind of role you intend on him playing

and what is a reasonable expectation? The whole country wants to know more about this kid. What is a reasonable expectation once you get to the real stuff? Well, you know, once you get over the off factor of watching these young guys come in, I've counted Bredar too. We watch these young guys come in, I've countered that too. We watch these young guys come in at such a young age, and you're just yearning off and things like that too. And then a big part of this tournament isn't just the play.

It's being able to deal with the pedestal you put on and the pressure that comes with this tournament and the excitement off it and all that. So you have to be really conscientious of it's a two-part equation for these players it's bringing their skill in that but it's also bringing it under the bright lights and for a lot of them that this is the highest level they've played they've played at so far i mean outside of of callum and and jet who started this year in the nhl that this is the highest level. And so what the young guys basically have learned through the tournament is that it's all right to ease them into it.

You know, it's all right to let them catch their breath or let them breathe and, you know, bring them along. And then when you start that way, you know, their play then will dictate, you know, where it goes from there. I thought Gavin played last night. He played real good with the puck on the stick.

The only complaint I would have is I thought he was too selfless. He could have shot the puck a couple of times because he's the one who had the shot too. It'll be a work in progress, and we'll bring him along, and we'll let the play dictate as we move through this tournament and the competition gets tougher.

With Dave Cameron, head coach of the World Juniors, Canada's starting on Boxing Day in Ottawa. So it's on Canadian soil, which is always an incredible scene to see because the games are going to be in prime time, the building's going to be packed, and it's going to be 100% Canadian support every single time you play. So I think the benefits of playing on home ice are probably pretty obvious. I'm curious, as a coach, what you might guard against, or is there anything you might concern yourself with

in terms of playing in Canada for a tournament like this? Well, I mean, I think you always are a little bit careful about, you know, the excitement and the build-up. TSN does such a great job with it, and that kind of can switch and flip over into pressure. And so you want them to be able to certainly enjoy it and, you know, the emotion level, and that's going to be up. But you also got to just kind of keep reminding them that at the end of the day, all that matters is how they play. And, you know, this is a tournament that there's no easy games.

This is a tournament, you know, that's decided on sudden death games. And so it's going to come down to two or three hops. And whoever gets those breaks or whoever executes those tight plays is going to go out and win the tournament. But, you know, my experience tells me, not just in this tournament, but in sports and playoffs in general, is it comes down because it's best on best. The talent pool is pretty equal amongst the top teams. So it's going to come down who is the best team, who turns that skill over to the team.

And then you need a little bit of luck on top of that, and, you know, we'll go game by game. You've got some good young goaltenders. You know, do you have a plan in place, kind of a maybe soft plan in place, of how you want to deploy your goaltending throughout the tournament early on or just kind of play it one game at a time type of thing? No, we sit down and we have a plan, and it's a long-term plan, but it's also judged day by day.

And on any given day, it's... So we have a plan in place. But early on, we want to give all three a shot. We want to give them a look. We want to get them in. And then, like everything else, we'll evaluate after each performance. And when you have three elite, that's rare in itself. Just three really good goaltenders.

And so we'll work through that. The players dictate. And we're quite comfortable that all three of them are quite good. Well, you threw one tune-up game. You'll be back at it before you know it. And Boxing Day is rapidly approaching. So we all await the start of the tournament we can't wait for it and we wish you nothing but success as always dave thank you for doing this

my pleasure really appreciate it thanks you got it dave cameron the head coach of the canadian world junior team