Hockey Canada still hasn't released its full roster for the upcoming World Championship, but some huge names got added to the roster on Friday:
Troy Stecher will also reportedly suit up for Canada, bringing us to six Canucks in the tournament this year.
Jim Benning has had a tough time adding quality defensemen to the Canucks lineup, but he hit a home run with Stecher when he signed him as a free agent right after North Dakota won the Frozen Four in 2016.
At the time, we were focused on Thatcher Demko, who was wrapping up his junior year and reached the tournament semifinal with Boston College. His season ended on April 7, and he took a little time to let the sting of the loss subside before deciding he would turn pro. He signed his entry-level contract on April 20.
Meanwhile, Stecher and Brock Boeser lifted the trophy on April 9, and both were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Drake Caggiula was named most outstanding player in the tournament and after some consideration, chose to sign with the Oilers on May 7. Boeser, of course, returned to school for his sophomore year before joining the Canucks while Stecher needed no time at all to make up his mind. He inked his entry-level deal with the Canucks on April 13.
Even in his first Vancouver training camp in 2016, Stecher was steady enough to warrant consideration for the final roster. He didn't get cut until the end of preseason, one day before the roster deadline. And he was an easy move down to Utica—he didn't need to clear waivers and hadn't been promised a shot on the big club like Philip Larsen and Nikita Tryamkin had been that year.
According to
my blog at that time, Alex Edler, Ben Hutton, Chris Tanev and Erik Gudbranson were the locks as camp wound down, which left Sbisa, Larsen, Pedan, Tryamkin, Biega and Stecher fighting it out for the last two spots.
Andrey Pedan ended up being the other player who was cut. Sbisa and Larsen started the season as the third pair, with Tryamkin and Biega as the extras, but Stecher played just four games in Utica before being recalled a mere two weeks later.
After Chris Tanev suffered his first injury of that season, Alex Biega subbed in for one game because he was already with the Canucks before Stecher arrived from Utica.
He never played in the minors again, finishing his rookie season with 3-21-24 and 19:59 of average ice time in 71 games, then following that up with 1-10-11 and 18:49 in his first year under Travis Green, then expanding his role to 2-21-23 in 19:55 last season. Stecher's plus-nine was also tops on the Canucks last season and he was second in takeaways (42) and fourth in blocked shots (96).
All told,
Hockey Reference lists Stecher as the sixth-most valuable Canuck this season in terms of contributing points to the team's outcomes based on both offensive and defensive play. Here's the top of that list, which seems to reflect what we saw this year:
1. Jacob Markstrom: 11.1
2. Elias Pettersson: 7.8
3. Alex Edler: 6.4
4. Brock Boeser: 6.3
5. Bo Horvat: 6.2
6. Troy Stecher: 5.1
That also makes him great value: he's midway through a two-year deal that carries a cap hit of $2.325 million a season.
In my mind, Stecher also gets bonus points for his personality development. He was a shy, stare-at-the-ground type when he first arrived in Vancouver, but has blossomed into an insightful, no-nonsense quote in the dressing room—a guy who tells it like it is, good or bad. And he's doing it in his hometown. Ask the Montreal Canadiens or John Tavares about the extra pressure that comes along with that designation.
Stecher's a tremendous local-boy-made-good story. It's awesome to see him getting a chance to suit up for Canada for the first time in his career.
Another bit of good news: Mikey DiPietro's unbeaten run continues. The Ottawa 67s are through to the OHL Final after sweeping the Oshawa Generals with a 2-1 overtime win on Wednesday.
DiPietro got hot at the right time. After winning the OHL's goaltender of the year award in 2017-18, apparently he didn't receive a single vote this season from the league's general managers, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of Sudbury's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. DiPietro and the 67's eventually swept the Wolves in the playoffs' second round.
Next up: the winner of the Western Conference bracket. The Saginaw Spirit currently lead the Guelph Storm three games to two after Guelph stayed alive with a 4-0 shutout win on Friday night. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday in Guelph, then Game 7 will go on Monday if necessary, in Saginaw.
Also, a quick congratulations to the Vancouver Giants—through to the WHL Final for the first time since 2007 after their five-game win over Spokane. They'll play the winner of the Eastern Conference Final, currently led 3-2 by the Edmonton Oil Kings over the Prince Albert Raiders.
Finally—a coupel of shockers over at the World U18 tournament.
In the early game, Team USA fell 3-2 in the shootout to Russia, thanks to heroics by 16-year-old goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.
Cole Caufield had both goals for the Americans, and Jack Hughes, picked up another assist, so both players will continue to push for a spot in the record books in their bronze-medal game on Sunday.
Russia will now play Sweden for gold after Canada dropped a 4-3 regulation decision to the host country in the second game.
Despite Russia's win, one player who hasn't shown especially well in this tournament is Vasili Podkolzin. Ranked by many not far behind Hughes and Kappo Kaako earlier this year, Podkolzin has just two assists in the tournament and may be playing hurt.
Would you take him if he drops to 10? He was dynamite at last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup, with 11 points in just five games.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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