Are Senators Prospects A Jinx To Team Canada?

Two Ottawa Senators prospects, Cody Ceci and Matt Puempel should get invites to Team Canada World Juniors camp.  While both stand decent shots to cracks the roster, fans across Canada might be hoping that neither is on the Roster.  That is because Sens prospects haven’t exactly meant ultimate success for Team Canada.

Jason Spezza played for Canada 3 times at the World Juniors, once after he was drafted by the Senators. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

In the past 15 years, a Senators prospect has made Team Canada on 6 occasions (8 if you count Spezza’s 2 before he was drafted).  Only once did Canada come away with the Gold Medal, when Jeff Glass backstopped the 2005 Dream Team to the highest level.  One out of 6 equals out to winning Gold 16.7% of the time with a Sen’s prospect in the lineup.  Over the same time period, on the 9 occasions there was no Senators representative (including the two Spezza played in before he was drafted), Canada won 4 Gold medals (a 44.4% success rate).

Prior to the mentioned 15 year stretch, the Senators prospects actually helped Team Canada to gold.  Alexandre Daigle (’95), Brad Larsen (’96 and ’97) and Chris Phillips (’97) all won Gold at the Christmastime tournament.

This year, Ceci will be in tough to cracks the blue line, but stands a decent shot at making the club.   Puempel also could have the inside track up front, as he plays for Team Canada coach Steve Spott’s Kitchener Rangers.  If either one cracks the roster, it will extend the streak of the Senators having a prospect represent Team Canada to 4 years (Jared Cowen ’10, ’11 and Mark Stone ’12).

Here’s hoping both can make the team and break the jinx, real or not.