Calvin de Haan’s IIHF tournament came to a close as Team Canada tell to Team Sweden in the shootout of the championship game.
There will be no gold for Calvin de Haan in 2017 — unless, of course, he does the unthinkable and hoists Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The Carp, Ontario native enjoyed a tremendous tournament, but his team fell short of its ultimate goal when it lost to Sweden in the shootout of the championship game on Sunday evening.
While the merits and failures of the skills competition will be continuously discussed over the coming weeks, there’s something we need to turn our attention to: the looming expansion draft.
As a consequence of the format (teams can either protect seven forwards and three defensemen or eight total skaters), there’s a legitimate chance that the Isles could lose de Haan to Las Vegas if they don’t protect him.
Unfortunately, protecting him might not be an option given that the team boasts four defensemen — Johnny Boychuk (NMC), Nick Leddy, Travis Hamonic and Ryan Pulock — who are likely higher on the pecking list than him.
That’s a shame because de Haan really came into his own last season, and emerged as the unquestioned leader many scouts knew he could become.
NOTES
Matt Di Giacomo profiled Shane Prince and explored his no good, very bad season. The verdict: akin to other prospects, he has the potential to succeed, but it likely won’t happen under the bright lights of Brooklyn. He’ll need to either step up and contribute with some secondary scoring, or take his talents elsewhere.
Despite his team falling to Sweden at the IIHF championship game, Team Canada’s Calvin de Haan enjoyed a tremendous tournament and even earned rare accolades from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He wasn’t the only one: Dennis Seidenberg was named the tournament’s best blueliner.
Tough way to lose…most fun I've ever had playing hockey…so fortunate to represent my country with these warriors ?? @HockeyCanada
— Calvin de Haan (@cal_dehaan) May 21, 2017
The Seattle Thunderbirds fell to the Windsor Spitfires, 7-1, as they trail 2-0 in their first-ever Memorial Cup series. Mathew Barzal had a helper on the team’s lone goal, just days after he spoke to NHL.com’s David Hogg about his recent experiences.
