Links - McKenzie Competition heats up with Hodgson out of - North River Minor Hockey Association

McKenzie Competition heats up with Hodgson out of camp LOGINREGISTERHELPYOU ARE NOT LOGGED IN NHLNBAMLBCFLNFLCurlingTennisGolfSoccerNASCARFormula OneIndyCar NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNationwideCamping WorldAuto RacingWorld JuniorsSpengler CupMenS WHCWomenS WHCHockey CanadaAHLBoxingCanada GamesCHLCISECHLFigure SkatingLacrosseMMANCAASkiingSummer SportsWinter SportsMoreOlympicsFantasyDaily LineShowsTSN TalentCommunityeotText SizeLosing Cody Hodgson is obviously a big loss For my money he was the best player for Team Canada at last years tournament and could have easily been the tournament MVP John Tavares was terrific but Hodgson was exceptional at every part of the gameHodgson is not going to be there this year so it makes things interesting as far as centreicemen go Patrice Cormier is the other guy that is coming back so theres really only one guy who is inked into the lineupI think Brayden Schenn is a guy that will step up and provide some physical presence and has some offensive ability But Im really interested to find out whether any of the prototypical offensive centres are going to be able to step up and snag a jobStart with Nazem Kadri the seventhoverall pick in last years draft and Toronto Maple Leaf first rounder If this camp were held a month ago he probably wouldnt have even gotten an invitation to it because he got off to a slow start He is going to need to be at his best both in terms of producing points and also by playing a strong twoway gameAlso there is Tyler Seguin the potential firstoverall pick in next years draft There are two guys who could step up and create key rolesHigh Profile PlayersJared Cowen the Ottawa Senators firstround pick from the Spokane Chiefs will be one of them Colten Teubert Ryan Ellis and Alex Pietrangelo are also returnees from last year while Marco Scandella and Travis Hamonic will be looking for shutdown roles That doesnt leave a lot of available spotsCowen is coming off ACL surgery and hasnt had the same performance this year prior to being injured but hes also a bluechipper so they want to give him a good long lookAnd theres also Louis Leblanc the Montreal Canadiens firstrounder who plays at Harvard Its a late season for Harvard in the ECAC so he had to play well right from the getgo to get consideration to be invited to this camp He did that although they are sevendeep at centre so a natural centre like Leblanc could provide energy edge and skill on the wingSizing up the FieldCanada is never an underdog on home ice but theyre not the prohibitive favourite this time around either When you look at the talent thats in the NHL Stamkos Tavares Duchene OReilly represents an whole centre ice core plus Tyler Myers they dont have those guys The Swedes are loaded with guys from last years team the Russians should have a lot of returning playersCanada is a tough out on home i...