No Justin Carbonneau in WJ

[somni]

Scott Wheeler shared this on Twitter:

New full-time Team Canada GM Alan Millar started the presser with a long opening statement outlining how he set out to build this World Junior team. It pulls back the curtain a little on their current thought process.

In full:

"First off, it's not an all-star team. We have to build what is a true team. The World Junior championships are hard. There's a type of player and person that you need to help you win at this level. As a group, you need to have a vision and a mindset of what you need when it's hardest — to play a top team in a quarterfinal, a semifinal, a gold medal game.

We built our team around skill, speed, smarts, sense and compete. We prioritized hard skill over soft skill. Players that are only good with time and space, play on the perimeter and don't compete, don't help you win. ... There are players that produce points and have success offensively but you can't trust them to help you win at this level.

You also need different types of players. Size matters. Special teams. Details in the game. Two-way. Matchups. Complete players. Players you trust. Faceoffs. Blocked shots. Those intangibles are invaluable. We talked about performance when it matters. When do players perform? Home and aways, special teams, quality of opponent, game score. Those things have value to us.

We trust the process. U17, U18, a number of players have history in our programs. Their experience and success — it's a process that spans back 2-3 years, it's not only about the past few weeks or months.

What value did we put most in those final decisions? Character. We want players who put the team first. Role acceptance. They're coachable. Humility. We want smart players. Players that lack hockey sense traditionally always hurt a team. We want compete. Non-competitive players will never help you win. And finally, we always ask one question at the end? How do they help us win? That's what it's all about."

In the end, he’s not wrong. And Carbo, while very talented, brings a lot of empty calories to his game unfortunately.

To me, the bigger snub was Marek Vanacker.

Canada is just absolutely loaded this season though. I’ve been saying since July I didn’t think Carbo would make the team.

Too bad Carbonneau didn't go the college route. It seems that would've really helped his game more than pounding goals in the Q.

[John Cocktoastin]

I might be in the minority, but I take no shame in a young player like Carbo missing out on the Canada team.

He can shoot and stickhandle around defenders. Maybe the best in his draft class and especially at slot 19. Two skills that really provide immense value.

Do I wish he was like Snuggerud who also showcases that vision/passing ability...sure. But that's what makes Snuggerud so special in his own right (and an absolute steal at his draft position).

Carbo was a very good pick at 19. And he'll be fine when he gets the call.

[John Cocktoastin]

DeFranks article today expands on Carbo. Basically:

- Working on his 200 foot game to be NHL ready. Blues staff asked him to work on this.
- Coach says he wins a lot of 50/50 battles because of his competitiveness and desire
- Uses size to gain entry and does so between the dots due to his skill

Hopefully gets the call like Snuggerud did following his season.

[a smell of green grass]

The good news is that Carbonneau is a one-man wrecking crew.
The bad news is that he is a one-man wrecking crew, and that only works in the NHL if you are Connor McDavid or MacKinnnon.

I think Carbonneau should have gone the college route to pick up the teamwork skills. He is a hard worker. Hopefully he can fix this.

[BalotelliMassive]

They didn't pick the leading scorer in the OHL two years in a row.

Play Freebird!

[LGB73]

The good news is that Carbonneau is a one-man wrecking crew.
The bad news is that he is a one-man wrecking crew, and that only works in the NHL if you are Connor McDavid or MacKinnnon.

I think Carbonneau should have gone the college route to pick up the teamwork skills. He is a hard worker. Hopefully he can fix this.

I agree that college would have been the better route to develop his game. Don't recall what the reasoning was for him going back unless he's happy being the big fish in the small pond instead of pushing himself to see what he can be in a bigger pond.

[a smell of green grass]

The good news is that Carbonneau is a one-man wrecking crew.
The bad news is that he is a one-man wrecking crew, and that only works in the NHL if you are Connor McDavid or MacKinnnon.

I think Carbonneau should have gone the college route to pick up the teamwork skills. He is a hard worker. Hopefully he can fix this.

I agree that college would have been the better route to develop his game. Don't recall what the reasoning was for him going back unless he's happy being the big fish in the small pond instead of pushing himself to see what he can be in a bigger pond.

If I remember, I think Carbonneau said that he has unfinished business, and he owes it to his teammates to see it through. The plus for the Blues was that he could participate in camp, and he could take his chance at making the bigs this year. You know. Throw the fans a bone, SOMETHING/ANYTHING.

Admirable on the face of it, but not sure how smart.

I certainly hoped that the Blues recommended the College route, but nothing would surprise me with the Army bunch.

His next move should have been to pick up his missing skills. If that is not what is happening in the Q, he and the Blues made a mistake.

[Natl20]

I’m only half joking, but Carbonneau might be what this team needs, if he is a shooter and not a playmaker. We have a whole team of forwards that think they are all Adam Oates, they could use some selfishness when it comes to actually shooting

This! Forgot what game it was but Sunny was about 10 feet from the goal, clear shot, decided to pass it to someone else 5 feet away, that guy missed it and the puck ended up in the corner.

Who was that guy we had a few years ago, Hoffmann? Didnt give an eff, he'd shoot it if he were standing in the 300 section

[DawgDad]

Seems to me Carbonneau is unlikely to be NHL-ready next season. He might get a few games.

[John Cocktoastin]

Tim Taylor had this to say this week...

Well, as people may know, Team Canada got announced, and Justin Carbonneau was not on it, which we’re disappointed. But you don’t know exactly what they’re thinking. It’s changed dramatically on how the management is going to pick the team. So you hope your guy is picked, but I’m not sure what they’re looking for. I’m not going to speak on their behalf. I will speak for our organization — we’re very happy with him.

[Rollin' on the River]

Looks like they haven’t learned still and they’re content with bringing another soft roster to the WJC again.