Talking World Juniors With Peter Loubardias

He may now be the voice of the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet, but there is no better person to talk about junior hockey in this country than my good friend Peter Loubardias. He was in Regina last week to take in a couple of the Team Canada practices and games. I asked him a few questions about what we can expect over the next few days.

Q: Canada has won this tournament the past five years. They go into this one without the likes of John Tavares, Cody Hodgson, Evander Kane, Matt Duchene, etc, etc who are now doing their thing in the NHL. Is Canada still the overwhelming favourite?

PL: Canada is always a favourite to win this tournament, but I think this year it is wide open. Canada is hurt by the loss of the players you mentioned and that will give teams like Sweden and Russia an advantage. Don't forget about the Americans. They are also a team you must contend with. I would think Russia is the best team in the Regina pool, but Sweden will give them a battle and so will Finland if they can get the goaltending.

Q: Canada has had some marquee goaltending in the past from guys like Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and going way back Jimmy Waite and Stephane Fiset. Will they get it this year?

PL: Everyone asks about goaltending every year. People knew Dustin Tokarski won a Memorial Cup last year, but they had question marks about him. Look at how he performed. Jake Allen was one of the last cuts last year and is a very good goalie while WHL fans should know what Martin Jones can do. I don't know who Willie Desjardins--who is one of the best junior coaches out there--will do in Game 1 against Latvia when it comes to his starter, but be confident in either Allen or Jones to get the job done.

Q:Is Pats forward Jordan Eberle the marquee guy at this tournament this year?

PL:He would be the closest thing. There are a couple of guys on the Russian team you will want to watch as well including Nikita Filatov. However when it comes to Canada's hopes, Eberle is the guy. His success is absolutely critical. When the big games are on the line this guy always answers the bell and will again.

Q: You love this tournament, I love this tournament. What makes it so special?

PL:It means so much to the kids. That's one of the great things about it for me and maybe most of all just how good the hockey is and the passion it is played with when the event reaches the semi-final stage. Some of the best hockey you will ever see comes out of this event and I expect the same thing this time around.