Brett Connolly didn't have his makeup on when Team Canada head coach Dave Cameron arrived at his hotel room door with a TSN camera crew early Wednesday morning with news he'd made Canada's world junior hockey team.
Shaken from his slumber, shirtless, his hair disheveled, with one eye closed, Connolly was positively beaming inside. The Prince George Cougars captain is one of 22 players who made the cut at the team tryouts in Toronto.
"I'm ecstatic," the 18-year-old Connolly said. "It's a great feeling. Obviously, to represent your country at this magnitude is pretty cool. There's been a lot of great players who have played in this tournament and I'm definitely looking forward to getting started.
"I think there's 30 million-plus people who will be watching this thing and I'm really looking forward to it. Every kid who has ever played hockey watches this tournament and to be chosen to be a part of it is an honour and I'm definitely looking to make people proud and trying to win a gold medal."
Other Western Hockey League notables who made the team include defencemen Tyson Barrie (Kelowna), Jared Cowen (Spokane) and forwards Carter Ashton (Tri-City), Cody Eakin (Swift Current), Curtis Hamilton (Saskatoon), Quinton Howden (Moose Jaw) and Brayden Schenn (Brandon).
"I know the guys from the Western League quite well and it's good to be on the team with those guys again," he said. "It's definitely going to be a bigger team. In the (team) picture this morning, the middle row is all guys that are over six-foot-three.
"We'll find out (today) in practice who we're playing with and I'll go from there. I'm willing to play any role that will help the team."
The six-foot-two, 202-pound Connolly is the first Cougar to make Team Canada since Dana Tyrell, Connolly's former linemate, cracked the 2008-09 squad. Tyrell hurt his knee in a pre-tournament game and did not play, and Canada went on to win gold in 2009. No other Cougar who played for Canada has won the world junior title, a list that includes Eric Brewer, Tyler Bouck, Blair Betts, and Dan Hamhuis.
"It's a double-whammy, it's special for our organization but also for the city," said Cougars general manager Dallas Thompson. "The world junior tournament has grown to be such a big event and it seems the country gets behind these guys. We're excited for Brett to be there representing us and the city."
Connolly, picked sixth-overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2010 NHL draft, has 22 goals and 36 points in 30 games this season to lead the Cougars. He will become the second Prince George minor hockey graduate to play in the world junior championship since defenceman Stew Malgunas did it in 1989.
"Stew trained me when I was younger and to be the second behind him is pretty cool," said Connolly. "For kids in the community, it's definitely doable if you put your mind to it and work hard."
Forward Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins, a native of Prince George, was invited to the tryouts for the second straight year but was among the 17 players cut. Howse, 19, was released Tuesday morning and played for Chilliwack later that night in Calgary.
"He worked hard and I thought he had a good camp and I'm disappointed for him but he's got a good hockey career ahead of him, so he shouldn't hang his head," said Connolly.
The tournament will be played in Buffalo, which borders southern Ontario, a virtual guarantee all of Team Canada's games will be sold out.
"I think it will be similar to when it was in Grand Forks and most of Winnipeg was down there cheering on Team Canada," said Thompson. "It's always nice to have the crowd behind you and certainly anybody that's from the north going down, if they can get tickets they will be there."
Connolly was the 10th overall pick in the 2007 WHL bantam draft. Back then, the Cougars knew they'd latched on to a good one. He was the top rookie in all of major junior hockey in 2008-09 with 30 goals and 60 points, but the following season missed all but 16 games with hip injuries.
The Cougars also have defenceman Martin Marincin playing for Slovakia in the world junior championship. The first-overall pick in the 2010 WHL import draft played last year in the WJC as a 17-year-old and had a lock on a job as a returning player.
"It's nice for Martin, I know he's excited," said Thompson. "He's had an amazing first half, he's leading the scoring for defenceman while adjusting to a new league and a new country and some of the challenges we go through with our travel. He's adjusted well but you can tell he's a bit homesick and seeing some of his mates is going to be real good for him."
Marincin and Connolly will miss five WHL games with their national team commitments. They'll be back with the Cougars at home on Jan. 7 to face the Vancouver Giants.
