Canada's world junior returnees battling for jobs: 'No freebies'

Brayden Yager had a visitor this fall.

Hockey Canada player development coach Scott Walker was in town.

And after the country's stunning fifth-place finish at the previous year's world junior hockey championship, the points of emphasis from the program's brain trust couldn't have been less complicated.

"You can't take it for granted," Yager said. "You gotta earn everything you get."

The Winnipeg Jets prospect is among Canada's six returnees from the 2024 tournament in Sweden — seven when counting defenceman Tanner Molendyk, who missed out due to injury after making the initial roster — with selection camp underway this week at TD Place.

"Part of the message is we're not building an all-star team," Yager said. "Everybody's got a ton of skill to win this tournament. You've got to have players that can play roles. You can't take it for granted."

There are absolutely no guarantees in the nation's capital, even for the players sporting battle scars from that disastrous quarterfinal exit against Czechia in Gothenburg.

"They're going to have to make the team," Peter Anholt, who leads Canada's under-20 program, said of the veterans. "There's no freebies."

Canada crashed out before the medal round last year, losing 3-2 to the Czechs, with a group that never really got out of second gear.

Star defenceman Oliver Bonk — another returnee — also met this fall with Walker, who is part of head coach Dave Cameron's staff.

"Laid down what we needed," said the 19-year-old blueliner and son of former NHLer Radek Bonk. "Couldn't agree more ... just make sure we've got the team more prepared.

"We need to step up and be ready to go."

Yager, Molendyk, Bonk and forward Easton Cowan — not practising in Ottawa for precautionary reasons this week