December is one of the best months for hockey. Not only can you play hockey outdoors and enjoy watching NHL games, but the World Junior Hockey Championship starts on Boxing Day.
The tournament is still a little while away, but on Wednesday Hockey Canada that they have invited to World Juniors Selection Camp.
There are a lot of names fans should be familiar with, but there are a few that weren't invited to camp that fans know from the NHL.
Teams have until December 19th to decide whether they'll loan their junior-eligible players for the tournament and here are six names fans of Team Canada should keep an eye on as the 19th approaches.
Nolan Patrick, Philadelphia Flyers
The second-overall pick from the 2017 draft has six points in 19 games in his first season with the Flyers. Patrick didn't get to play in the tournament last year due to injury.
Victor Mete, Montreal Canadiens
Mete making the Canadiens roster was a surprise to many, but he's proven why he deserves to be in the NHL right now with his play so far this season.
Tyson Jost, Colorado Avalanche
Jost has battled through injuries this season with the Avalanche, but he's healthy now. The University of North Dakota product represented Canada last year in the World Juniors.
Jakob Chychrun, Arizona Coyotes
Chychrun played in his first game of the season Sunday for the Coyotes. He scored a goal and logged nearly 23 minutes of ice time, so chances are the Coyotes won't be loaning him to Team Canada.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Columbus Blue Jackets
Dubois also played for Canada last year at the tournament and has played well with the Blue Jackets so far in his rookie season with 11 points in 28 games.
Samuel Girard, Colorado Avalanche
It's been quite the year for Samuel Girard. The 19-year-old started out the season with the Predators before being traded to the Avalanche.
Girard is averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game with the Avs thus far and figures to be a big part of the team's future.
(H/T: Bob McKenzie, TSN.ca)
