Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Team Canada’s Ian Mitchell aims to school world junior opposition

Maybe it was meant to be that defenceman Ian Mitchell is in the Canadian junior hockey team training camp in Victoria, which concludes with pre-world championship games at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre tonight against Switzerland and Friday against S
VKA-juniors-1053.jpg
Head Tim Hunter and Team Canada take on Switzerland on Wednesday in pre-tournament action.

Maybe it was meant to be that defenceman Ian Mitchell is in the Canadian junior hockey team training camp in Victoria, which concludes with pre-world championship games at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre tonight against Switzerland and Friday against Slovakia.

It isn’t lost on Mitchell he is in the hometown of Colorado Avalanche blue-liner Tyson Barrie, the player he grew up idolizing, and who this week recorded his 207th career assist to tie him with John-Michael Liles on the all-time Colorado-Quebec franchise list for defencemen.

“I modeled my game after Tyson Barrie because I’m a smaller and mobile puck-moving defenceman and play a similar style game to him,” said the five-foot-11, 175-pound Mitchell.

It also doesn’t hurt that as a University of Denver player in the NCAA, Mitchell gets to watch his fill of Juan de Fuca minor hockey-graduate Barrie, either live across town at the big NHL rink, or on TV during the plethora of Denver in-market Avalanche games.

Mitchell has yet to meet Barrie but has a chance to best his role model, and 2011 world junor silver-medallist Island product, if Canada wins gold on Jan. 5 at Rogers Arena.

Mitchell is the lone player on the Canadian team for the IIHF 2019 world junior championship tournament not from the Canadian Hockey League major-junior ranks.

“I took the road less travelled and am excited to get this opportunity,” he said.

“I was a smaller guy growing up and thought the Junior A [Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL] and NCAA route was best for me,” said the native of Calahoo, Alta.

“And schooling was very important in our household.”

The path less taken certainly hasn’t hurt the Denver sophomore. Just ask the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected Mitchell in the second round of the 2017 NHL draft, and have him projected on their blue line of the future.

“It all worked out,” said Mitchell, of his career decisions.

Meanwhile, Island fans will get to see the crease tandem considered the strongest in years for Canada in the world junior championship when Vancouver Canucks prospect Michael DiPietro gets the start tonight against Switzerland and Toronto Maple Leafs-signed Ian Scott the nod Friday against Slovakia in the pre-tournament games at the Memorial Centre.

As goes goaltending, so goes the fate of club teams in the playoffs and national teams in world championships.

Defending gold-medallist Canada seems well served in that regard for the 2019 world juniors with DiPietro of the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67s and Scott from the Western Hockey League’s Prince Alberta Raiders.

“Every goalie is different said Canadian head coach Tim Hunter. He cited DiPietro, who was signed by the Canucks to an entry-level NHL contract in May, for his competitiveness and Scott for his calmness.

“Michael [DiPietro] is so competitive that he will stick in to challenge three or four rebounds during practice, while I have to get the next drill moving,” said Hunter.

“Ian [Scott] is calm in net. Teammates see that and get a sense of calmness. That is important.”

But there can only be one No. 1 in net. That is a difficult decision on the national team because both these goalies are stars on their club teams and top-rated in their leagues.

“We want to be fair with the pre-tournament starts,” said Hunter.

“We’ll make our assessments after that.”

It will have to be done by Boxing Day, when Canada opens the world junior tournament against Victoria Royals forward Phillip Schultz and Denmark at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

“You learn how to deal with pressure and manage the stress level,” said DiPietro, a Canucks third-round selection in 2017.

“No matter how big the stage, it only matters what happens on the ice. Anytime you put on the Canada jersey is exciting. I’m excited but not overthinking it. [The pre-tournament] is just the next step in the process.”

Canada, which opened camp last week at The Q Centre, closed the CFB Naden portion of camp Tuesday in Esquimalt.

“It’s great we could play a small part in Canada’s gold-medal dreams,” said Kevin Zalba, the Naden arena and fields facilities manager.

ICE CHIPS: Forward and first-round Los Angeles Kings draft pick Gabe Vilardi, selected 11th overall in 2017, was ruled out of the world junior tournament for Canada because of injury.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com

Twitter.com/tc_vicsports