Garth McLennan sports@theotherpress.ca Hidden gems get EXPOSUFE 5, csisissin, spas tir © of the greatest parts of the World Junior Hockey Championships is that it gives relatively unknown junior players a chance to shine when the bright lights are on. Most of the spotlight is devoted to the young Canadian stars who continue to deliver in such a pressure-packed environment, but the World Juniors over the years, and in this tournament especially, provide a possible launching pad for often- skilled European and American players who wouldn’t otherwise get the exposure of most Canadian Major Junior players. This year the surprise team of the tournament was ‘the Slovakian side. The Slovaks were a pretty bland team on paper heading in, but downed the mighty United States 5-3 in a monumental upset. They gave Sweden all they could handle in the semi-finals but eventually the odds won out. Still, the outstanding play of goaltender Jaroslav Janus and Tomas Tatar over the course of the event pretty much guaranteed that they’ll be drafted in June when the NHL holds their annual selection process. Janus was the story of the tournament until the gold medal game. Playing for Slovakia, he was often woefully overmatched, but managed to be the driving force for the under-dog team of the competition. While his numbers weren’t terrific, that was due mainly to the fact that he was facing the best shooters of teams like the USA and Sweden most of the time and routinely received in excess of 30 shots per game. While Sweden attacked in waves during the semi- final game, Janus kept his team in the game, and was named to the tournament all-star team after Canada claimed gold. Without a doubt, Janus vaulted up the draft day ladder with his performance in Ottawa. The World Juniors are the most heavily scouted hockey games in the world and Janus succeeded in putting on a show for the whole world to see. While Janus was unquestionably the brightest star for Slovakia, someone had to score all their goals, and that ended up being Tomas Tatar. Despite standing just five feet and nine inches and weighing 176 pounds, Tatar was arguably the top forward of the tourney considering the players he had to work with. Tatar wound up second in goals with seven, more than any Canadian except John Tavares, and displayed incredible clutch play in virtually every game— particularly against the United States in the - quarterfinals— when he scored twice in the historic upset. Like Janus, Tatar is up to be drafted this summer and scouts will surely be looking closer at his Slovak Junior league statistics, where in 2006-2007 he scored 33 times and posted 77 points in just 48 games while being a remarkable +66. These are two guys that wouldn’t have been anywhere near NHL scouting radar without the WJC. ’ It’s one of the many cool stories that have played _out and given talented but unheralded players a real chance to prove themselves. Canucks, and all of Canada, have a beauty in H od g SO n By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor I there were any lingering doubts that <= the Vancouver Canucks made the right move = on NHL draft day 2008 4s by choosing Brampton Battalion star Cody Hodgson tenth overall, Ps there isn’t any now. Team Canada just completed their historic “Drive for five” by defeating Sweden for gold at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and Hodgson was a major reason for the success. After years of drafting futility and dashed expectations when it comes to drafting players, the Canucks can now say that they have one of the game’s best young players in their system. Hodgson, who last year had 85 points in 68 games playing for Brampton of the OHL, led the entire WJC in scoring with 16 points, one more than super-prospect John Tavares. He finished with five goals and 11 assists in six games and was decorated as a tournament all-star, along with Tavares and Russian sniper Nikita Filitov at forward. 14 While Tavares was named MVP, that honour should have gone to Hodgson. Throughout the: World, Juniors— which is one of the most prestigious, pressure-packed sporting events in the world— Hodgson stood out in every single game. Every one. He was dominant offensively and defensively; he finished with a very strong +8; he won key face-offs and was the tournament’s best center man. Canada’s head coach, Pat Quinn, rode the top line of Hodgson, Tavares and Jordan Eberle hard, and they answered the call every time. Hodgson, who now has gold medals for representing Canada at the world U-17’s, U-18’s and World Junior U-20’s, was picked for the team, and by the Canucks, for his tremendous leadership abilities and clutch play—both of which were on full display in Ottawa. In front of the largest crowds in World Junior Championship history, Hodgson served as an assistant captain for Canada and played his best in the biggest games. On New Year’s Eve, with Canada down 3-0 in the first period in their first real test of the tournament against the United States, Hodgson assisted on the first two Canadian goals before scoring the tying one himself on the way to a huge 7-4 Canadian win that guaranteed Canada a bye into the semi-finals. Against Russia in the semis, where Canada won a classic 6-5 in a shootout, Hodgson may only have put up one assist, but he had five shots on goal and was a force at both ends of the ice. He was arguably the top Canadian in overtime, where he won key face-offs and was a monster in his own end. In the gold medal game against Sweden, Hodgson was Canada’s best player. He assisted on the opening goal and scored two others while playing his usual dominant game. He now heads back to the Battalion where he already has an eye-popping 20 goals, 22 assists and 42 points in just 23 games. There is a very strong possibility that Hodgson, 18, will be centering Vancouver’s second line next season. Nobody wants to count their chickens before they hatch, but right now, it looks like the Canucks may have landed the steal of the 2008 Draft. Look out for this kid; he could easily be the franchise in years to come.