McMillan’s eye on the prize
r By Larry Fisher – Kelowna Daily Courier
r
r It wouldn‘t be the world junior hockey championship without a Kelowna Rocket. At least not lately.
r
r Brandon McMillan is about to join a long line of Rockets to play in the prestigious tournament, being named to Team Canada‘s 22-man roster on Wednesday.
r
r McMillan is following in the footsteps of former teammates Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) and Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), who helped Canada win a fifth consecutive gold medal at last year‘s event in Ottawa. Luke Schenn (Toronto Maple Leafs) also played a pivotal part in Canada winning the 2007 title in the Czech Republic.
r
r Now, it‘s McMillan‘s turn to shine, with a chance to capture Canada a record sixth straight gold in Saskatoon and Regina, beginning Boxing Day and concluding with the championship game on Jan. 5.
r
r “I always wanted to play on this team,” said McMillan, a 19-year-old left-winger who grew up in Tsawwassen, outside Vancouver. “I‘m proud to be where I‘m at, and I‘m really excited to get the tournament going.”
r
r McMillan got the good news on Wednesday morning in Regina, where Hockey Canada officials made their final nine cuts from selection camp and greeted the 22 remaining players with gift packages. Myers and Benn were among those to call and congratulate McMillan, who previously won gold with Canada at the 2008 world under-18 champion-ship in Kazan, Russia.
r
r But for McMillan and his new teammates, the real work is still to come.
r
r With Canada‘s recent success at the under-20 tournament, the expectation has become gold or bust, especially on home soil.
r
r “For sure, the real pressure is on now,” McMillan said. “When you put that jersey on, it‘s nothing less than gold. . . . I‘m looking forward to bringing back another one.”
r
r McMillan‘s role in making that goal a reality could be a big – and ever changing – one. His versatility, after all, was one of the main reasons he made the team.
r
r In the first intrasquad game, McMillan skated on a checking line with veteran Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron, both of the QMJHL‘s Rimouski Oceanic.
r
r In the second intrasquad game, he was bumped to a top scoring line with returnee Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats and Brayden Schenn, Luke‘s younger brother, of the Brandon Wheat Kings. He was effective in both capacities, and, with his strong showing, McMillan was able to sit out Tuesday‘s exhibition contest against a collection of university players.
r
r Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton wasn‘t surprised by McMillan‘s selection.
r
r “I was quite confident he‘d make it,” Hamilton said. “He brings quite a few things to the table that other kids don‘t. He can play defence too, so if they get short-handed, he could always go back. Also, he‘s just such a great skater, and, at that level, that‘s what the game is all about.”
r
r On McMillan‘s role, Hamilton said, “I would bet that he‘ll be one of the guys playing against the other team‘s best players. But whatever coach (Willie) Desjardins gives him, that‘s what he‘ll do.”
r
r McMillan concurred.
r
r “I don‘t know what they see me as right now,” he said. “I‘m just going to keep working hard and keep trying to play a key role on this team.
r
r “Playing against other teams’ best players and shutting them down, that‘s something I‘ve prided my game on. But I‘m up for anything right now.”
r
r While nothing is set in stone, McMillan added he might start the tournament with Eberle and Schenn.
r
r “That‘s the way it‘s looking,” he said. “We found some good chemistry together. Both those guys are very high-end, skilled scoring guys, and they make it really easy to play with them.
r
r “We‘re all from the Western league, we all work extremely hard, and I think if we can keep it going, we could have a really strong line.”
r
r The line combos and captains will be determined throughout the pre-competition schedule, which sees Canada play Sweden on Sunday, then Finland and the Czechs next Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
r
r Canada opens the tournament on Boxing Day against Latvia (TSN, 1 p.m.).
r
r ICE CHIPS: McMillan, an assistant captain with Kelowna, has tallied nine goals, 30 points and 24 penalty minutes in 27 games for the Rockets. He‘s third in team scoring behind rookie centre Shane McColgan and blue-liner Tyson Barrie, who are tied with 36 points. . . . Heading into Team Canada‘s selection camp, McMillan said, “I was a little bit nervous, but I got a lot of experience with big-time games, with the Memorial Cup and playing in the Under-18s before. I knew I could play on this team, I knew I had the abilities to, so I just came into camp and tried to relax and just play the game I could play.” . . . McMillan scored Canada‘s seventh goal in an 8-0 rout of the host Russians in the U-18 gold-medal game. As for the U-20 squad, McMillan said, “We have a really dynamic team. We‘ve got a strong defensive core, great goaltending and a lot of forwards that are going to be willing to work hard and chip in offensively as well as play good on the defensive side. We‘re going to frustrate teams with turnovers and hopefully we‘ll capitalize on those chances.” . . . Hamilton noted it‘s not only Canadian kids the Rockets have sent to the world juniors, with Stepan Novotny suiting up for the Czech Republic and Mikael Backlund starring for Sweden at last year‘s tournament. Hamilton was as happy as anyone to see McMillan continue that trend, adding, “We‘re honoured and we‘re very proud of him. It speaks well for our organization, but it speaks mountains for Brandon and how hard he‘s worked to be what he is.”
r
