Wiercioch to return to Denver

Wiercioch has said he will be returning to College this season according to a report in the Denver post.

http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_12879736

That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

Didn't stop him from getting the invite to camp last year.

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

Didn't stop him from getting the invite to camp last year.

It might have stopped him from making the team though.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

He's already been invited to the juniors camp and should easily be picked over a lot of the other guys.

As a matter of fact, I looked up the list:

T.J. Brodie
Matt Clark
Jared Cowen
Tyler Cuma
Calvin de Haan
* Ryan Ellis
Travis Hamonic
Shawn Lalonde
* Tyler Myers
Dylan Olsen
* Alex Pietrangelo
Colby Robak
Charles-Olivier Roussel
Marco Scandella
* Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch

In bold are the guys who will be making the final cuts. Six of those guys will for sure be playing on the team, and since IIHF rules allow 20 skaters and two goalies to play in international competition, I imagine they'll be carrying an extra forward and an extra defenseman.

Pietrangelo and Teubert have a better than average chance of making the jump to the NHL next year. If that does happen, the six defensemen that I think will be chosen should be (in no order):

Cowen
Cuma
Ellis
Myers
Weircioch
Olsen
de Haan

SeawaySensFan wrote:
It might have stopped him from making the team though.

I don' think it's that simple.

Wiercioch had just turned 18 when that camp was held. He was competing against older guys like Aulie, Hickey, Subban, and Goloubef, who were all 19, often bigger, and all certainly with more experience. The only guy younger than Wiercioch to make the team was Ellis.

Since that time, too, Wiercioch has established a bit of a name for himself. His NCAA performance last year caught a lot of eyes. And he's bulked up considerably.

I'm not 100% sure because I don't really follow junior (other than this one tournament a year), but I think that those four older guys I just named can't play for Team Canada this December because of age requirements. That alone has to help open the door for Wiercioch, I'd say.

PKC wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

He's already been invited to the juniors camp and should easily be picked over a lot of the other guys.

As a matter of fact, I looked up the list:

T.J. Brodie
Matt Clark
Jared Cowen
Tyler Cuma
Calvin de Haan
* Ryan Ellis
Travis Hamonic
Shawn Lalonde
* Tyler Myers
Dylan Olsen
* Alex Pietrangelo
Colby Robak
Charles-Olivier Roussel
Marco Scandella
* Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch

In bold are the guys who will be making the final cuts. Six of those guys will for sure be playing on the team, and since IIHF rules allow 20 skaters and two goalies to play in international competition, I imagine they'll be carrying an extra forward and an extra defenseman.

Pietrangelo and Teubert have a better than average chance of making the jump to the NHL next year. If that does happen, the six defensemen that I think will be chosen should be (in no order):

Cowen
Cuma
Ellis
Myers
Weircioch
Olsen
de Haan

It would be really exciting if both Wiercioch and Cowen made the team. Anyone even remember the last time OTT had defenceman on a Team Canada Junior team???

And I'd say that if Wiercioch is only slightly better than a CHL candidate vying for a last spot on that team, he doesn't make it.

We'll see.

rooneypoo wrote:

PKC wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

He's already been invited to the juniors camp and should easily be picked over a lot of the other guys.

As a matter of fact, I looked up the list:

T.J. Brodie
Matt Clark
Jared Cowen
Tyler Cuma
Calvin de Haan
* Ryan Ellis
Travis Hamonic
Shawn Lalonde
* Tyler Myers
Dylan Olsen
* Alex Pietrangelo
Colby Robak
Charles-Olivier Roussel
Marco Scandella
* Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch

In bold are the guys who will be making the final cuts. Six of those guys will for sure be playing on the team, and since IIHF rules allow 20 skaters and two goalies to play in international competition, I imagine they'll be carrying an extra forward and an extra defenseman.

Pietrangelo and Teubert have a better than average chance of making the jump to the NHL next year. If that does happen, the six defensemen that I think will be chosen should be (in no order):

Cowen
Cuma
Ellis
Myers
Weircioch
Olsen
de Haan

It would be really exciting if both Wiercioch and Cowen made the team. Anyone even remember the last time OTT had defenceman on a Team Canada Junior team???

It would be so exciting. And that doesn't even include the fact that we still have Karlsson, Petersson, and Silfverberg representing Sweden and the possibility of Chris Wideman representing team USA.

Not sure if I missed anyone else, but that could potentially be a very impressive crop of youngsters coming up in the ranks.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

He's already been invited, and once that's done, the only thing keeping him out of the lineup is his performance at camp versus the other guys. NCAA can only make a difference as far as the invite is concerned.

Well, I'm happy for him and for the Pioneers fans. But man, would I have loved to see him in the lineup opening night. Might still see him late in the season for a callup.

rooneypoo wrote:

PKC wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

PKC wrote:That's fantastic for his development. Very happy to see this, and will also give him lots of time to prepare for the World Juniors where he should be dominant.

Don't hold your breath. He might be passed over for being in the NCAA.

He's already been invited to the juniors camp and should easily be picked over a lot of the other guys.

As a matter of fact, I looked up the list:

T.J. Brodie
Matt Clark
Jared Cowen
Tyler Cuma
Calvin de Haan
* Ryan Ellis
Travis Hamonic
Shawn Lalonde
* Tyler Myers
Dylan Olsen
* Alex Pietrangelo
Colby Robak
Charles-Olivier Roussel
Marco Scandella
* Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch

In bold are the guys who will be making the final cuts. Six of those guys will for sure be playing on the team, and since IIHF rules allow 20 skaters and two goalies to play in international competition, I imagine they'll be carrying an extra forward and an extra defenseman.

Pietrangelo and Teubert have a better than average chance of making the jump to the NHL next year. If that does happen, the six defensemen that I think will be chosen should be (in no order):

Cowen
Cuma
Ellis
Myers
Weircioch
Olsen
de Haan

It would be really exciting if both Wiercioch and Cowen made the team. Anyone even remember the last time OTT had defenceman on a Team Canada Junior team???

I'm pretty sure it was Phillips, but that was before my time, at least before I gave a hoot about the World Juniors.

Was Spezza our last player on the Canadian World Juniors team?

PKC wrote:It would be so exciting. And that doesn't even include the fact that we still have Karlsson, Petersson, and Silfverberg representing Sweden and the possibility of Chris Wideman representing team USA.

Not sure if I missed anyone else, but that could potentially be a very impressive crop of youngsters coming up in the ranks.

EDIT: Lehner as well on Sweden I would imagine.

This certainly should end the speculation of whether or not he will play in Ottawa. At least it won't happen to start the season. I can't see him playing pro at all this season based on what I read in the article. He seems to be committed to bringing a championship to Denver and not too concerned about turning pro to soon.