Cale Makar was almost late to his game, but he couldn’t walk away from the TV. The UMass defenseman was 11 at the time, and, like much of Canada, he was caught up in the 2009 World Junior Tournament in Ottawa.
After Jordan Eberle’s iconic goal forced overtime against Russia, he waited through overtime before leaving his house to get to his youth league game that night.
“I got there just 10 minutes before the game,” Makar said smiling Thursday.
Back then, Makar dreamed of someday playing for Canada in the tournament. He’s one step away from fulfilling that dream. He and fellow UMass freshman defenseman Mario Ferraro are among the 32 players in selection camp vying for 23 spots on the Team Canada squad that will compete in Buffalo. The event begins Dec. 26.
“In the past few years it’s been a major goal of mine to make it to that level,” Makar said. “Knowing the history with that team, it’s pretty special.”
Ferro shared his excitement.
“It’s a huge honor. I’m thankful for the opportunity and I’m going to make the most of it,” he said. “Any chance you get to play for your country is an unbelievable opportunity. I’m thankful to be given that. I’m going to enjoy it.”
The World Junior Tournament gets little attention in the United States outside of die-hard hockey fans. Stateside, it gets buried behind NFL playoff pushes, bowl games, NBA and even NHL regular seasons with few highlights on SportsCenter and games relegated to the NHL Network. While most Canadians can remember where they were when that Eberle goal occurred, most American sports fans aren’t aware the tournament is taking place.
“There’s the Stanley Cup and then there’s the World Juniors,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “It’s different than the Olympics because it’s always the best on best. It’s a great tournament, and it comes at a wonderful time of the year when there’s kind of a lull in hockey from Christmas to New Years.”
UMass will complete its first semester play Sunday at Union before an almost month-long break. Makar and Ferraro will go to the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 12-15 for selection camp that will include three exhibition games.
Makar, who has a goal and seven assists for the Minutemen, was part of Team Canada’s summer camp for this event. The Colorado Avalanche first-round pick is one of 11 first-rounders invited to the camp.
Experts on both sides of the border seem to think Makar is a lock to make the team. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun,
Ferraro, who has three goals and three assists, is one of four new additions that weren’t at summer camp, and the only defenseman added to the roster pool. Carvel said for a player from an American college to be added at this stage speaks well of the perception of Ferraro.
“You really have to open some eyes. Hockey Canada called me almost weekly. They saw us play three or four times. They did their due dilligence,” Carvel said. “Mario has a real good chance because there’s not a lot of guys like him, a guy who is going to block shots, win battles and kill penalties.”
Both players, who are on UMass’ No. 1 pairing, were glad to be going together.
“I think being able to go to camp with a guy I’m so familiar playing with is really special,” Makar said. “The bond we have together could go a long way. We’ll see how we do in camp.”
Makar said they’re not looking at each other as competitors for a roster spot.
“We don’t really look at it like that. If you worry about what other guys are doing you’re putting yourself in a bad spot,” he said. “I’m going in there to show what I can do and I’m trying not to worry about anyone else.”
Ferraro agreed.
“It’s going to be real intense. Everybody is fighting for that spot on that team,” he said. “Everyone really wants to be there. I have to try to outbattle everyone at the camp. It’s exciting to have that level of competition that.”
Games begin Dec. 26. The round-robin portion runs until Dec. 31. Medal play begin Jan. 2 and runs until Jan. 5.
Depending if the Minutemen make it or how far Canada advances, Makar and Ferraro could miss at most two games – Jan. 5 at Yale and Jan. 6 at UMass-Lowell.
Even if he does lose them for two games, Carvel said the duo making the team would be beneficial for both them and UMass.
“It’s great for the kids. They’re going to develop and come back as better hockey players,” he said. “It’s great for the reputation of our program. There are only four kids from U.S. colleges and two of them are on our team. It continues to provide credibility for what we have going on. Hopefully they both make it, play together and they talk about UMass on the television.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage