The World Junior Championship finally gets going tomorrow in Moscow with Canada facing off against Germany at 4 AM on Boxing Day. For Canadians, it’s a holiday celebration following Christmas. You know some of the diehards will set the alarm clocks and wake up at the crack of dawn for TSN’s coverage, which can be seen on NHL Network. They’ll be replaying every Canadian and Team USA game throughout.

As usual, Canada boasts an impressive roster that features captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau, Scott Harrington and Dougie Hamilton. Including Huberdeau, Harrington and Hamilton, coach Steve Spott can rely on six members of last year’s fourth place team to provide leadership. Former Islander No.1 pick Ryan Strome is also back along with Mark Scheifele and suspended forward Boone Jenner, who’ll miss their first three games due to his late hit that ended Sweden defenseman Jesper Pettersson’s tournament.

Injuries have already crept in changing Canada’s roster with Mark McNeill replacing injured forward Charles Hudon. At Tuesday’s practice, 2013 Draft Eligible Jonathan Drouin sustained an injury. His status is unknown. He is one of two Canadian top prospects on everyone’s radar along with Halifax (QMJHL) teammate Nathan MacKinnon. Boasting an impressive roster that features other prominent names, we asked Twitter friend SoYourAnExpert’s Jordyn Moussa about Team Canada and what to expect in #WJC2013.

NewYorkPuck: You’re a passionate hockey fan who’s never afraid to speak your mind. How are you holding up during the lockout?

SoYourAnExpert: I thought I would be really bored during the lockout but there are so many opportunities to watch hockey, especially here in Canada, it’s almost impossible to really miss it. Obviously, the caliber of hockey isn’t as good as the NHL but the lockout has given me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the future stars and to see my favorite prospects without having to pay an obscene amount of money. The lockout has also given me the chance to save some money when I otherwise would have spent it all one tickets an merchandise. My grades have also improved significantly with the small amount of hockey being televised on a weekly basis 😛

NYP: You recently started your own blog. How did that come about?

SYAN: I decided to start my blog because I wanted to get my name out there and show people just how much I really know about hockey. I want to be an agent so the more contacts and connections I’m able to make now, the easier it’ll be for me to start my career once I’m finished school. I don’t get to update my blog as often as I would like and I don’t get to talk about absolutely everything that is going on in the hockey world but I think I provide enough knowledge and support my opinion well enough to show people that I truly care about the sport, not only it’s players.

NYP: If I recall correctly, you’ve been to the WJC before when it was in Ottawa. How much did you enjoy the experience?

SYAN: Being in Ottawa during the World Juniors in 2009 was absolutely electrifying. Ottawa’s a fairly large city but everyone seemed to really come together and support our boys. I remember, I had injured my leg in early December of 2008, before the tournament began and I was in a full leg brace and on crutches. Jordan Eberle’s game tying goal in the semifinal versus Russia was the first time I jumped up in excitement without my crutches and I didn’t care about the pain I was experiencing.

The World Junior Hockey Championship has a way of bringing countries, and cities together that is difficult to describe. Everyone becomes even more patriotic than they already were and you find yourself cheering for players you’ve never heard of before; just because they’re “your boys” for the holiday season. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

NYP: Team Canada is loaded up front, on the blueline and in net. In your mind, are they the favorite? Who are the biggest threats?

SYAN: If you had asked me if team Canada was the favorite to win the tournament a week ago, I would have, undoubtedly, said of course. How could they not be with the strength and depth they possess. Now, not so much. If Canada wants to be a serious contender for gold, they need to get the discipline issues under control. they need find their chemistry and they need to give their top guys (Nugent-Hopkins, Huberdeau, Schiefele, etc) the opportunity to play since they aren’t penalty killers.

As of right now, I would say the favorites to win are Russia, or Finland, based off of what I’ve seen in the pre-tournament games. The Czech’s also have a pretty strong team as well as the Swedes, Canadians and Americans. Russia’s always been a powerhouse and having their top guys available has only made them stronger. Although I wasn’t overly impressed with them in the Subway Super Series, they will always be a major threat in international hockey. But who knows what will happen?

Maybe Canada finds their stride. Maybe USA silences all their haters after almost being relegated. Maybe Finland pulls off the upset and finally wins gold. Only time will tell.

NYP: You were vocal about Boone Jenner’s suspension but also accurately predicted it. Do you think last year’s incident was a factor in the IIHF’s decision to suspend him three games?

SYAN: Boone Jenner’s spearing suspension definitely played a minor part in his suspension this year. The IIHF probably just saw that he was a “repeat offender” and gave him an extra game or two. I, personally, thought the 5 minute penalty and a game misconduct was sufficient for a hit that was barely late, and clean, especially when the Swedish player, Jesper Pettersson was looking directly at Jenner. it also didn’t help that Pettersson was injured on the play. Had he not been hit, I doubt Boone would have gotten anything. But this is the IIHF and they suspend anyone for anything that looks remotely against their rules. The Zack Kassian suspension in 2011 is a prime example.

NYP: MacKinnon Drouin went down with an injury in practice. Any guess on if we see him? Who do you prefer? MacKinnon or Drouin?

SYAN: It was actually Jonathan Drouin who left practice on Christmas Day with a mild Charlie horse. I think we’ll see him play in Boxing Day’s opening round game solely because I have yet to hear of him being replaced. Since the rosters were all due the evening of Christmas Day, Canada would have had to name his replacement by then and there have been no reports on whether he will be going back to Halifax.

NYP: McNeill replaces injured forward Hudon. Do you like the move?

SYAN: Initially when it was announced that Hudon wouldn’t be able to go to Ufa with the team, I was heartbroken for him. He’s a guy that no one really knew about until the summer Canada-Russia series but he absolutely shone. I proceeded to watch him throughout the season and I wanted nothing more than to see him finally get recognized on a big stage like the world juniors. Luckily for him, he will be eligible for next years tournament in Sweden.

NYP: Spott has decided to start Malcolm Subban tomorrow against Germany over Jordan Binnington. Are you surprised?

SYAN: I can’t say that I’m necessarily surprised that Steve Spott chose to start Subban over Binnington because of who they’re playing. Spott probably wants to use their game as an opportunity to help Malcolm Subban regain his confidence after a lackluster selection camp and a less than stellar pretournament game. The Germans aren’t considered to be great threats to Canada. So this game could be a good chance for Subban to win over the hearts of Canada and regain his confidence. No one wants another Mark Visentin meltdown in a meaningful game.

NYP: Outside of the headliners, give me a guy who flies under the radar.

SYAN: Naturally, I would have said that the guy who goes unnoticed a lot is Charles Hudon but now, I think that award goes to Anthony Camara. Before the Subway Super Series, I only knew of Camara as Mark Schiefele’s linemate in Barrie with the incredible beard who got a hat trick in his first game of the season, in Ottawa. But after watching him throughout selection camp and the two pre-tournament games, he is a solid fourth liner that generates quality scoring opportunities and is able to make physical plays without taking stupid penalties.

NYP: Obviously, you’re not too fond on Team USA. How do you see them faring?

SYAN: It’s not that I’m not fond of team USA, it’s more or less their fans, kind of like Montreal fans. I hate Canadiens fans more than I dislike the team itself.

A main reason why I don’t like many USA Hockey fans is because I have encountered too many fans who have come off as arrogant and rude. I say this because during the World Juniors in 2011 in Buffalo during the Semifinal game between Canada and USA I saw several tweets from bitter American fans stating that Canada’s goalie, Mark Visentin, looked like a cancer patient. I, personally, was extremely insulted by that comment because I have an aunt who has battled cancer twice in 3 years and has gone through the Chemo and Radiation treatment process and not once did I ever refer to the way she looked as “looking like a cancer patient”. I think anyone who has been affected by cancer would be hurt by a comment like that. What bothered me most about that tweet was that I didn’t see any Americans standing up to that person and explaining to them that it was wrong; I only saw Canadians. I believe that people battling cancer are the strongest and, although it’s a generalization, I have trouble respecting a lot of American hockey fans because of that.

There are actually a few players that I really like playing for team USA. That being said, I don’t see them as being a heavy favorite this year despite what Seth Jones said. I don’t know how they say they’re at their best when they have 3 of their best available players on their roster, not even inviting one. In my opinion, them not even naming Henrik Samuelsson to their preliminary roster because he wanted to play for a Swedish team instead of a USHL team is ridiculous.

NYP: What’s your WJC 2013 prediction?

SYAN: My WJC 2013 prediction. I honestly don’t know. As a Canadian, I want to say that obviously Canada will win but as a hockey connoisseur, I have absolutely no idea.

This concludes our interview. Thank you for doing this. Best of luck in the tournament. Follow Jordyn on Twitter @jordyn_m.

TEAM CANADA

G Jordan Binnington
G Jake Paterson
G Malcolm Subban

D Dougie Hamilton*
D Scott Harrington*
D Ryan Murphy
D Xavier Ouellet
D Griffin Reinhart 
D Morgan Rielly
D Tyler Wotherspoon

F Anthony Camara
F Phillip Danault
F Jonathan Drouin#
F Jonathan Huberdeau*
F Boone Jenner*
F J.P. Lipon&
F Nathan MacKinnon#
F Mark McNeil
F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins+
F Ty Rattie
F Brett Ritchie
F Mark Scheifele*
F Ryan Strome*

+Team captain
*Returning member
#2013 Draft
&Undrafted
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