Katherine Henderson shares within the disappointment. The Hockey Canada president and CEO provides the nationwide sport group will do what’s essential to keep away from a repeat.
The nation was bounced from the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa on the quarterfinal stage for the second time in 12 months earlier this week — an unpleasant first for this system.
Henderson and fellow executives held a information convention Saturday forward of a pair of semifinal video games the match hosts will watch from the sidelines.
“Canadians do anticipate to see our nation play for a medal every 12 months, and all of us take that expectation very critically,” Henderson stated in her ready opening remarks.
“There will likely be time for reflection and dialogue on subsequent steps for our program.”
Senior vice-president of excessive efficiency and hockey operations Scott Salmond was located two seats down from Henderson in what amounted to a public vote of confidence regardless of Canada’s back-to-back losses to Czechia within the quarters, together with Thursday’s 4-3 loss on house soil.
Canada captain Brayden Yager (11) stands on the blueline with teammates after dropping 4-3 to Czechia within the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinal, in Ottawa, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
Adrian Wyld/ The Canadian Press
“I will likely be sitting down with Scott,” Henderson, who pointed to success at different ranges, stated when requested what she’s seen from the lads’s under-20 staff the final two years. “We’re going to discuss how we strengthen our applications for this specific match that we all know could be very, crucial to Canadians.
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“I do know (Salmond) will work tirelessly to be sure that this doesn’t occur once more.”
What occurred was a staff that fell far beneath expectations. Canada assembled a roster that left a boatload of offensive expertise at house in favour of what was considered by administration as a extra well-rounded roster.
The outcomes have been disastrous.
The Canadians began robust with a 4-0 victory over Finland on Boxing Day earlier than a shock 3-2 shootout defeat to Latvia, an unconvincing 3-0 victory over Germany and a 4-1 loss to america on New Yr’s Eve. That pushed them into the quarterfinals towards Czechia as an alternative of a lesser opponent.
An absence of offence — 13 objectives in 5 video games — and an undisciplined parade to the penalty field was Canada’s final undoing.
“I perceive anger, I perceive disappointment, and I share it,” Salmond stated. “I apologize. There ought to be full buildings within the subsequent two days filled with Canadians, cheering on a Canadian staff. That’s our job. I apologize for that.
“We are going to make modifications and we will likely be higher.”
Salmond was requested later what that may entail.
“We’ll take a look at our choice course of,” he added. “We’ll take a look at how we construct groups. We’ve executed that previously. We’ve had a mannequin traditionally the place we constructed groups based mostly on some kind of a ghost roster the place we had expert gamers, we had checking gamers, we had gamers that introduced power.”
Salmond then repeated “talent” when it comes to the roster after Canada clearly targeted on a wider vary of things and attributes with this failed iteration.
“We’ll be criticized and possibly ought to be criticized about how this staff was constructed,” he added.
Salmond stated the contract of Peter Anholt, who led the under-20 mind belief on the final two tournaments and can also be normal supervisor of the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, is ready to run out, whereas head scout Al Murray has one 12 months left on his deal.
“We’ll return and take a look at choices,” Salmond stated. “We’ll take a look at general the best way through which we construct our groups.”
He added the efficiency overview contains unbiased evaluation, participant interviews and a deep dive on analytics.
“We have to take a look at the method, not simply the consequence,” Salmond stated. “We have to make modifications to that to enhance. We try this win or lose, however we’ll spend a bit extra time and dig a bit deeper into what that appears like this 12 months in order that we’re higher ready subsequent 12 months.”
ATHLETE COMMITTEE
Hockey Canada introduced eight present and former gamers have been elected by their friends to type its new nationwide staff athlete committee.
Billy Bridges, Michael Mastrodomenico, Tyler McGregor, Bailey Mitchell, Markus Phillips, Alyssa Regalado, Kyle Turris and Kendra Woodland will every serve multi-year phrases.
Hockey Canada stated the committee — set to symbolize high-performance athletes throughout males’s, ladies’s and para — will meet quarterly at a minimal and be empowered to make suggestions on points impacting their fellow nationwide staff athletes.
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