When 36 players hit the ice on Tuesday for the three-day national junior team selection camp in Calgary, one of the interesting sub-plots will be what happens in goal.
Malcolm Subban from the Belleville Bulls in the Ontario Hockey League is one of four newcomers battling for a goaltending spot on Canada's team for the world junior championship that kicks off on Boxing Day in Ufa, Russia.
Some observers speculate that Subban, the Boston Bruins first-round draft pick last June, has an early edge for the starting job. The other goalies challenging for a spot are Jordan Binnington and Jake Paterson, also from the OHL, and Laurent Brossoit who plays for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League.
"Obviously you hear a lot of stuff but at the end of the day ... I'm only thinking about what I control and that's playing well," Subban said in an interview on the weekend. "So I don't put too much pressure on myself."
Hockey Canada plans to name three goalies to the team because it would take too long to bring in a replacement goalie, if needed, to Russia because of the distance. The roster will be announced on Thursday night.
The rest... just like Maryanne.
