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Didn't make world junior team? Don't worry.

December 15, 2009 01:38 PM | Posted by   Cassie Campbell  

I absolutely love the world junior tournament during the holiday season. However, there's one part I don’t particularly love - when we have to see the kids getting cut. You can tell their hearts are shattered, and that for most of these players, it’s the first time they’ve faced major adversity in their young hockey careers.

But, to those kids who have been released from Team Canada, don’t worry. Here's a list of top 10 NHL players who never made the Canadian world junior team, but who’ve gone on to have solid NHL careers.

#10 – Jean-Sebastien Giguere – Giguere played for the Halifax Mooseheads and in 1996-97 season had played 50 games and had a record of 28-19-3. The two goalies that made the team and went on to win gold were Marc Denis and Martin Biron. Team Canada finished with a gold medal and Marc Denis was named best goaltender.

#9 – Adam Foote – The Colorado Avalanche captain and two-time Stanley Cup winner was not on the world junior team. He played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 1990-91 season and had 69 points in 59 games. The defencemen who made that Canadian team were Jason Marshall, Karl Dykhuis, Chris Snell, David Harlock, Patrice Brisebois, John Slaney and Scott Niedermayer.

#8 – Duncan Keith – In 2002-03 season, Keith split the season between Michigan State and the Kelowna Rockets. He played 112 games and scored 71 points. The junior team lost to Russia 3-2 in the gold medal game. Here were the defencemen on the team: Brendan Bell, Carlo Colaiacovo, Steve Eminger, Alexandre Rouleau, Nathan Paetsch, Ian White and Jeff Woywitka.

#7 – Mike Green – The Washington Capitals blue-liner was cut from the “Dream Team” of 2005. This team went on to win gold in a dominant fashion in North Dakota and boasted the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jeff Carter and Ryan Getzlaf. The list of defencemen who made the team ahead of Mike Green? Shawn Belle, Braydon Coburn, Dion Phaneuf, Brent Seabrook, Danny Syvret, Shea Weber and Cam Barker!

#6 – Cam Ward – In the 2003-04 season Ward played for the Red Deer Rebels and played 56 games while posting a 31-16-8 record. That year, Team Canada lost to Team USA 4-3 in the gold medal game. The goalies for that Canadian squad were Marc-Andre Fleury and Josh Harding. Al Montoya of the U.S. went on to win the top goaltender award.

#5 – Doug Gilmour – Sorry Leafs fans, but “Dougie” did not make the world junior team. He was playing with the Cornwall Royals during the 1982-83 season and had scored 177 points in 68 games. Here are the forwards who made the team instead Mike Eagles, Sylvain Turgeon, Tony Tanti, Dale Derkatch, Steve Yzerman, Dave Andreychuk, Mark Morrison, Pat Verbeek, Paul Cyr, Pat Flatley, Gord Shervan and Mario Lemieux. The team finished third.

#4 – Al MacInnis – He started the 1982-83 season with the Kitchener Rangers putting up 84 points in 51 games. And even though he never made the world junior squad, he managed to finish the season with the Calgary Flames playing 14 games. The Canadian team placed third and boasted this group of defencemen: Joe Cirella, Larry Trader, Gary Leeman, Paul Boutilier, Brad Shaw and James Patrick.

#3 – Eric Staal – Unlike his brother Jordan, Eric was invited to a junior camp, but he never got the chance to play in the tournament. After not receiving a tryout for the 2002-03 team (even after amassing 98 points in 66 games for the Peterborough Petes), Eric was still eligible to play in the 2003-04 tournament. But instead, Staal played 81 games for his current NHL team the Carolina Hurricanes where he put up 31 points in his rookie season. That 2002-03 Canadian team finished with a silver medal and boasted forwards such as Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Gregory Campbell, Boyd Gordon, Brooks Laich, Joffrey Lupul, Jay McClement, Daniel Paille, Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Derek Roy, Matt Stajan, Jordin Tootoo, Scottie Upshall and Kyle Wellwood.

#2 – Patrick Roy – In the 1984-85 season, Roy played for the Granby Bisons in the QMJHL. He played 44 games for his team and had a 16-25-1 record. He also played one game in the AHL that season for the Sherbrooke Canadiens notching a win. The Canadian junior team won gold that season and their goalies were Craig Billington and Norm Foster. Billington went on to be named top goaltender. Roy went on to win the Stanley Cup four times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy three times.

#1 – Martin Brodeur – One of the worst finishes for Team Canada at the world junior championships occurred at the 1992 tournament. The team finished sixth and the best goaltender honour went to Mike Dunham of Team USA. At that time, Brodeur played for St. Hyacinthe Lasers in the QMJHL and in 48 games had a 3.39 goals-against average. Brodeur, of course, went on to win three Stanley Cups and continues to break league records to this very day. The goaltenders for Team Canada in 1992 were Calgary Flames draft pick Trevor Kidd and Vancouver draft pick Mike Fountain.

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