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17.11.2014 - 12:23
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UFA, RUSSIA – Jonathan Drouin never stops going. Steve Mcnair Cyber Monday Jersey . "I always use the analogy that it feels like I brought my little brother along, because hes always bouncing off the walls out of control," said Canadian centre Ryan Strome, who started the World Junior Championship with Drouin on his line. "Seriously, its something special. I dont know how he turns it off or if he ever turns it off. Hes always got a [soda] or caffeine in his hands so we try and keep him away from the caffeine." "Hes definitely a hyper little guy," said Mark Scheifele, Drouins roommate during last months selection camp in Calgary. "Hes always talking. Well be playing Xbox and he screams when he scores. Its just hilarious to hear him. He brings a lot of energy to everybody, because he has that little kid in him." Right now nobody knows this better than defenceman Morgan Rielly and left winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who are rooming with Drouin in Ufa. "Hes always chatting away," said Rielly. "Hes pretty wired. Hes a goof." As you can imagine getting to sleep in that room isnt easy. "Sometimes we got to tie him up to the bed and hell get better when hes tied down," Huberdeau said with a wry grin. "He makes us feel old and were only 19-years-old," said defenceman Scott Harrington. "Hes bouncing off the walls 24/7 and I think its infectious." The person in Ufa, who is best equipped to weather Hurricane Drouin is Nate MacKinnon. The pair are best friends off the ice and linemates on it when they play for the Halifax Mooseheads. And even MacKinnon has noticed that Drouin has taken his Drouin-ness to a new level. "Actually hes louder here than in Halifax, surprisingly," MacKinnon said. "The guys are asking me, you know, if hes like this in Halifax and hes not. I think hes just fired up to be here and hes having a great time." THE TURNING POINT That boundless energy allowed Drouin, a draft-eligible dynamo, to not just make Canadas world junior team in a lockout year, but take on a starring role. On Monday, he made head coach Steve Spott look brilliant for promoting him to the first line by scoring Canadas third goal in a 3-1 win over the host Russians. "I dont consider that a gamble when youre dealing with a player like Jonathan," said Spott. "Hes just a world-class player and some players can handle that type of opportunity and he handled it very well." Thats an incredible statement when you consider Drouin wasnt even a safe bet to get invited to Canadas selection camp. When Spott visited Halifax to do some scouting Drouin was out with an injury. But Spotts Team Canada assistants – Rouyn-Norandas Andre Tourigny and Drummondvilles Mario Duhamel, who get to see Drouin in the QMJHL and Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast – lobbied for him. "They said, This boy has to come to our camp. He has to," Spott recalled on Wednesday. And when he hit the ice in Calgary he made a major impact. And thats why Strome wasnt shocked when Drouin cracked the roster. "Once I saw him at camp, the first day, I said to [Niagara IceDogs winger Brett] Ritchie, This guy is going to make the team, he was that good," said Strome. "It was no surprise." "I was a little surprised, because its a lockout and a lot of 19-year-olds were supposed to make it," said Drouin. "But I had a pretty good camp and I think I showed what I needed to show and they rewarded me." After making the team Drouin was slotted in as a second-line player, but there was no guarantee he would stick in the top six forward group. What sealed his place was one specific play in the final pre-tournament game against Sweden. Drouin was asked by Spott to serve Boone Jenners major penalty for charging (the Oshawa Generals centre was also ejected) and was supposed to come to the bench after leaving the box. "Thats probably a turning point, because he came out of the box and he looked me off and he saw something that I didnt see and thats why [he] will be in the NHL and that was a key moment in the game and a key moment for him where I saw something that a lot of the NHL scouts and the guys on my staff had told me theyd seen," Spott said. Drouins speed and skill are evident on the ice, but its his hockey sense that may be the most impressive thing about him. "I saw him look at me and he told me to come to the bench when the five minutes ended, but I saw [Ty] Rattie, who made a pretty nice pass to me and I buried it," said Drouin. "I think it turned out pretty good even though he gave me a dirty look on the way." HES WITHOUT FEAR Drouins goal against the Russians showcased both his quick feet and incredibly deft touch as he beat goalie Andrei Makarov to the post on a wraparound. "Hes such a special player," said Scheifele. "I was honoured to be on the same line as him. He opens up so much space and is so good down low, such good hands, so quick." "Hes awesome," said Huberdeau, who lost his top-line spot to Drouin. "Hes 17 and you cant see it on the ice even though hes wearing a full visor, it doesnt matter." Despite never practicing on the same line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Scheifele before Drouin seemed to find a rhythm with them right away. "We kind of play similar games a little bit and I think that kind of helps out," said Nugent-Hopkins. "Right away I think we found some chemistry." Despite his status as the second-youngest player on the team, Drouin never seems to let the moment get to him. "Hes without fear," said Spott. "Hes not afraid of the puck. He doesnt turn it over and I think that says a lot about his mindset as a hockey player that he has that elite ability to want to keep the puck and make plays and thats not natural for a guy like that." I DONT THINK THERE ARE ANY HOLES IN HIS GAME Coming into the World Junior Championship it was MacKinnon, who was considered a hotter draft prospect. American defenceman Seth Jones, Finnish forward Aleksander Barkov and Swedish forward Elias Lindholm were also generating a lot of buzz. But it is Drouin, who has used this big stage to help himself the most. "I think hes going to be in the top three if he keeps going the way hes going," said Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke, who is in Ufa taking in some of the games. "He has a dad and brother, who are both taller than he is [5-foot-10.5]. We think that he can still grow some, but really theres not a weakness in his game. Maybe his d-zone coverage can get a little better and certainly he needs to get bigger and stronger, but I dont think there are any holes in his game." Burke recently went to Halifax to watch MacKinnon and before the game was even over had called his head of amateur scouting, Dave Morrison, and told him wherever they had Drouin rated they should move him up. "I think sometimes when you play with a great player people attribute your success to that player, but this is a guy who does a lot on his own," said Burke. "He distributes the puck well. He has a real high hockey IQ. Hes got really soft hands and he can finish so he is rapidly climbing the charts." Pernell Mcphee Cyber Monday Jersey . -- Jurgen Melzer is playing so well again that not even a broken toe could slow him down. Cheap San Antonio Spurs Jerseys .ca! Kerry, In the Canadiens/Oilers game Thursday night - third period - Lars Eller crosschecked Taylor Hall directly from behind, face first into the boards. http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-Baltimor...er-Mond ay/ . His current teams 10-run inning was something special. Gonzalez drove in three runs with a single and double in the big seventh inning and the hot-hitting Boston Red Sox rolled to a 14-5 win over the struggling San Diego Padres on Monday night. Dwan Edwards Black Friday Jersey . It is the second straight off-season Cobourne has been released by the team. Cobourne was the teams leading rusher last season with 737 yards on the ground mainly sharing time with rookie Chevon Walker. Mo Alexander Black Friday Jersey . LOUIS -- Up eight runs after three innings, Clayton Kershaw went right after the hitters.The Ottawa Senators are going to be without goaltender Craig Anderson at least into the early part of next week. Senators general manager Bryan Murray said on Friday that his number one netminder was experiencing pain in a different part of his ankle than he felt Thursday night, but he could be back between the pipes in three to four days. On that recovery timeline, Anderson could possibly return next Thursday against the Boston Bruins, the first of a five-game road trip. The 31-year-old goaltender was injured early in the third period of Thursdays 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers when forward Chriis Kreider was tripped in front of the net and slid into him. Custom Oakland Raiders Jerseys Black Friday. Anderson was then helped to the locker room and replaced by backup Ben Bishop who would go on to collect the victory. "My heart sank into my stomach when it happened," said Senators defenceman Marc Methot after the victory on Thursday. "Its the last thing we need. Hes basically been the heart and soul of our team, or at least a large part of it. Its unfortunate, but its the luck were getting right now as a team." Anderson leads the league with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. ' ' ' |
