Team Canada Shows Their Clear Bias With Disappointing Snub in the World Juniors Team Selection
Team Canada showed clear bias by snubbing the Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage from the World Juniors Team selection.
The World Junior Championship is finally near and Canada has officially unveiled the roster that will represent the country in Ottawa at the upcoming tournament.
With no surprises, players such as Gavin McKenna, Oliver Bonk, Sam Dickinson, Easton Cowan, and Berkly Catton are among the selected players for Canada.
However, fans can notice that one of the best players in the NCAA is missing: the Montreal Canadiens' 21st overall pick at the last NHL draft Michael Hage.
Team Canada's management showed clear bias, selecting only two players who aren't playing in the CHL: Matthew Wood of the NCAA and Bradly Nadeau of the AHL.
This can be seen in the team's staff also. All members, from coaches to therapists, management, and media coordinators come from Canadian organizations.
With Hage on the roster, there's no doubt that the team would be better.
Many analysts already consider that the Canadiens made the steal of the draft by selecting him.
He joined one of the most talented prospect pools in the NHL, with Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, and Joshua Roy set to play key roles in the team's success for many years.
Hage, 18, has nine goals and eight assists with the University of Michigan, leading his team in points. He ranks 10th in points in the NCAA, tied with Sam Harris and Ryan Leonard with 17 points, six points behind league-leading Jack Devine.
In addition to his great talent, Hage shows a lot of determination and character every time he steps on the ice. He faced a lot of adversity in 2023 when he tragically lost his father, a long-time Canadiens fan, to a swimming pool accident.
Of course, injuries could force Team Canada to add other players to their roster before the tournament. But considering he's not even invited to the training camp, chances seem slim.
| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 2 | 222 ANSWERS Team Canada Shows Their Clear Bias With Disappointing Snub in the World Juniors Team Selection Do you think Team Canada showed bias by snubbing Michael Hage from the World Junior CHampionship's roster? | ||
| Yes | 170 | 76.6 % |
| No | 52 | 23.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Artturi Lehkonen | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jason Robertson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Blake Coleman | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Casey Mittelstadt | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| David Pastrnak | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Cale Makar | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Josh Norris | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mathew Barzal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Filip Forsberg | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Jensen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 45 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 65 | |
Jets | 46 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 65 | |
Oilers | 45 | 29 | 13 | 3 | 61 | |
Golden Knights | 45 | 29 | 13 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 58 | |
Maple Leafs | 46 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 58 | |
Devils | 47 | 26 | 15 | 6 | 58 | |
Stars | 44 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 57 | |
Hurricanes | 46 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 57 | |
Kings | 42 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 55 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||