World Juniors Hockey Championships 2011: Aftermath – Should Canada Be Concerned? (via THW)

Jeff Skinner (Photo: BridgetDS/Flickr)

Two losses two years in a row in gold medal games at the ultimate prospect tournament on earth - World Junior Hockey Championships have some Canadian hockey fans wondering if the rest of the world is catching up and maybe even surpassing our stranglehold as the talent hotbed for young ice gladiators. I quickly looked at the subject at THW and put this issue to rest. 

Fear not Canadian hockey fans. Canadian hockey at the grassroots level is far from on a downward spiral. While Team USA was missing NHLer Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks) and Sweden were without eligible prospects Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Phoenix Coyotes), Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (Edmonton Oilers) and Jacob Josefson (New Jersey Devils), imagine Team Canada roster with the following eligible players:

• Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers) – The dynamic forward still finding his way in the NHL, but shows glimpses of greatness. Even with Eberle and MPS on board, he is the cornerstone of the Oilers franchise.
• Tyler Seguin (Boston Bruins) – While this season has not been exactly a masterpiece, Seguin will soon be making every rink in the NHL his canvas. He possesses ridiculous upside.
• Jeffrey Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes) – Opportunistic scorer leads NHL in rookie scoring with 31 points in 40 games. Those who questioned his skating looking pretty foolish right about now.

Who else was eligible to play for Team Canada?

Read on at The Hockey Writers...