BY SCOTT HADDOW
Sudbury Wolves stars Ben Pouliot and Marc
Staal have shown local fans their awesome skills over the years
and now they'll will get to shine in front of a global
audience. Both players were named to the 2006 Canadian World
Junior Championship (WJC) squad Friday morning.
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Pouliot |
Pouliot and Staal made the final cuts after a
harrowing, and at times intense, training camp in Vancouver
this past week.
Staal, 18, will be one of seven defencemen
patrolling the blueline for Canada this year and one of only
two OHL defenders to make the grade. Guelph's rock-steady
point man Ryan Parent also made the squad.
Pouliot, 19, joins a dynamic young group of
forwards, which includes fellow OHL snipers David Bolland
(London), Michael Blunden and Ryan O'Marra (Erie), Steve
Downie (Peterborough) and Tom Pyatt (Saginaw).
This marks the first time Wolves players have
made a Canadian WJC squad since the 2001 team, which featured
Jason Jaspers and Derek MacKenzie. The 2001 team won a bronze
medal in Russia.
The news was great for Wolves head coach and
GM Mike Foligno, even though it means he will be without the
services of his two star players while they are away at the
WJC, which takes place in Vancouver from Dec. 26 to Jan.
5.
"We, as an organization, are very proud
of Ben and Marc," said Foligno. "They both want to
win and they're both very competitive. They both bring
great leadership and play hard every night. It will be an
exciting time for not only them, but for us and our fans in
Sudbury as well. It gives the Sudbury fans something to really
look forward to when watching the WJC this year."
Staal would be a welcomed addition to any
team due to his size, skill and mind set.
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"Marc is a tremendous defender,"
said Foligno. "He can play any game, any style, and play
against any style of player. He also takes a lot of pride in
the defensive zone and not allowing opponents to
score."
The six-foot-three defenceman has seven
goals, 30 points and a respectable +5 rating through his first
28 games in the OHL so far.
Pouliot has breath-taking speed and skills to
set the tournament on fire with his offensive talents.
"Ben can break a game wide open with his
speed, skill and shot," said Foligno.
"Ben's also very reliable
defensively. Ben and Marc are quality players who deserve this
opportunity and we wish them all the best."
The six-foot-three forward has 17 goals, 34
points and an impressive +13 rating in his first 23 games in
the OHL.
Canada's first round-robin game takes
place on Monday, Dec. 26 versus Finland at 4 pm. Canada also
plays on Dec. 28 against Switzerland (4 pm), Dec. 29 versus
Norway (4 pm) and rounds out against the United States on Dec.
31 at 4 pm.
The medal round begins on Monday, Jan. 2,
2006.
The gold medal game goes Thursday, Jan. 5 at
4 pm.
All of Canada's games will be televised
on TSN. Check local listings for times and dates.
