Daniel Brière criticizes ÉCJ leaders for the use of their prospects.

Dose
Crédit:

At the beginning of January, Canada lost in the quarter-finals of the World Junior Championship against the Czech Republic for the second consecutive year.

The leaders at Hockey Canada have been criticized for the decisions made in forming the team, which is understandable.

When you overlook guys like Michael Misa, Zayne Parekh, Carter Yakemchuk (and others), it’s logical to see that it raises eyebrows.

Even Daniel Brière decided to throw stones at the leaders.

The Flyers’ GM is not happy with how the coaches used Oliver Bonk (defenseman) and Jett Luchanko, and he stated this openly today at a press conference.

Brière did not mince words in sharing what was on his mind:

The Flyers’ GM did not like seeing two of his prospects being placed in disadvantageous situations and wanted to address this in front of Flyers reporters.

He would have liked Luchanko to have a bigger role (which would have made sense since he played in the NHL this season) and he wished that Bonk could have been placed in a role that suits his strengths on the ice.

It’s rare to see an NHL general manager speak this way… Especially so openly.

But at some point, Brière’s disappointment is understandable because he wants the best for his players.

The World Junior Championship tournament can be important in a player’s development (even though the event is not long) because young players experience something different.

There is more pressure, and leaders want to see what their players have in them in situations like that.

Considering all the criticism over the past three weeks, it’s clear that the chances of seeing this coaching staff return for the 2025 tournament are slim.

Now it remains to be seen who will have the job of bringing the gold medal back to the country… And the leaders will give themselves a chance if – and only if – the selected players are the right ones.

In Brief

– Cole Caufield is here!

– Wow.

– Nice surprise!