Being the only 17-year-old at the Team Canada World Junior Selection Camp didn’t bother Mathew Dumba heading in, but it may have ended up costing him a spot on the roster.
Dumba, who is from Calgary and played a season with the Edge School Mountaineers in 2009-10, was among the first seven cuts made by head coach Don Hay on Dec. 13.
Canada named its final 22-man roster for the upcoming 2012 World Junior Championship on Dec. 14.
“I really wanted to make this team,” Dumba said. “It was really hard to wake up this morning and pack my stuff up. Emotional, but I’ll get through it. Just the experience is great.”
“They’re always tough decisions,” Hay said. “Whenever you’re dealing with elite players and real good players, the decisions are tough. I thought Matt did very well.
“Matt Dumba is an elite player. We knew he would do well here, but is he ready for this tournament at this time? We don’t think so.”
Dumba still has two more years of eligibility for Team Canada’s junior team and could play at both the 2013 tournament in Ufa, Russia and the 2014 tournament in Malmo, Sweden.
The Red Deer Rebel defenceman is also considered by many to be a top prospect for the 2012 NHL Draft.
He was the youngest skater at the Selection Camp, but didn’t manage to make enough of an impact to the coaching staff in the two Red and White intra-squad games, Dec. 11 and 12 at WinSport Arena in Calgary.
“My confidence level was pretty good after the two games,” Dumba said.
“I think I did what the coaches asked of me. I went out there and kept it simple and played good two-way hockey. I made sure I played well in my D-zone, but still thought I was moving the puck up to the forwards well also.”
Dumba said it benefited him to have the Selection Camp held in his hometown, regardless of the outcome.
“It was really nice to have family and friends come out and support me,” he said.
“It was awesome. Growing up, I was always just having fun. My dad made the rink in the backyard and we were always getting out there and working hard on the ice. I think some of that carried over for sure.”
