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Team Canada practised Monday at the Albert Schultz Eishalle in Vienna. TSN's Mark Masters has more. 

Aidan Dudas returned to practice on Monday showing no ill effects from the left hand injury that had sidelined him since Nov. 29. 

"I felt great," the Owen Sound Attack forward said. "Been conditioning the past week or so so my legs weren’t too bad. Hand's good now, it was day-to-day before and I just got cleared to play so it felt good. I'm not going to jump right back in to wiring pucks. Obviously, it’s a progression, but it felt really good."

Dudas skated on right wing on a line with Flint ce​ntre Ty Dellandrea​ and London's Liam Foudy. That trio projects to be a speedy, dependable energy line for Team Canada. 

"He was flying out there," said assistant coach André Tourigny. "I think he was excited. Brought a lot of energy. He was really good. I didn't feel he was rusty or whatever. I did not talk to the trainers yet, but he didn’t look like he felt any pain so it’s positive."

"He’s very high-energy," said Dellandrea​, "and he’s fast and all over the puck so I think he brings a lot of speed and hard work to our team."

Does Dudas, who wore the 'C' for Team OHL in the Russia series games, have any doubt he'll be ready for Boxing Day? 

"No," the Kings project said quickly. "I'll be ready to play."

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Although Dudas admits that at first he was a bit concerned when he sustained the injury a few weeks back. 

"These things are tough to tell how fast you recover," the Parry Sound, Ont., native said, "it depends on the person and how bad, but I knew it was healing pretty good and I was skating the past few days and it felt good."

Dudas is also expected to play an important role on Canada's penalty kill and on Monday he took reps alongside Halifax's Benoit-Olivier Groulx on the second unit. 

"He brings energy, passion and he wants to get it done," said Tourigny​, who has been working with the penalty killers. "It’s a willingness to put your body on the line, to have the energy and to take the right decision and he brings all of that so he’s a great fit for us right now."

If Dudas is indeed ready to go, Team Canada will need to release one more forward. At Monday's practice, Niagara's Akil Thomas and Drummondville's Dawson Mercer split reps on the fourth line. 

 

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Jamie Drysdale is poised to become just the seventh 17-year-old defenceman to make Team Canada since 1991 joining ​Aaron Ekblad (2014), Ryan Ellis (2009), Jay Bouwmeester (2001), Chris Phillips (1996), Wade Redden (1995) and Scott Niedermayer (1991). Hockey Canada is still awaiting a final decision from the Islanders on whether Noah Dobson will be loaned out to play at the World Juniors, but for now Drysdale has hold of a roster spot.  

"It's unbelievable," he said. "I'm just absorbing everything and watching everything go on right now and being a part of it is just an unbelievable experience and I’m so happy to be here ... If you were to tell me at the start of the year that I’d be here I don’t know if I'd believe you."

But make no mistake about it, Drysdale has earned this spot. Projected to be the top defenceman taken in June's draft, Drysdale rarely fails to impress and he was among the noticeable players in both selection camp scrimmages last week. 

On the day the camp opened, Hockey Canada head scout Brad McEwen explained how Drysdale had forced his way onto the radar. He captained Canada to a silver medal at August's Hlinka Gretzky Cup, played well in the Russia series games and was a standout in Erie. 

"He just does too many things too well to not to bring him and see where he could possibly fit," McEwen concluded.

But the key is his mind and how he thinks the game. That's how he consistently performs well against bigger and older players. 

"He’s a genius out there," said Tourigny. "Seriously, he's so smart. He reads the play really well, he’s learned the game, he’s studied the game, everything you teach, he does it right away."

At 5-foot-11, Drysdale isn't an imposing figure. He isn't just Canada's youngest defenceman he is also the lightest at 170 pounds.

"He's so smart," noted Dellandrea​, "and makes up for his size with his speed and his brain so he's always in the right spot making the right play. He’s going to go on to be a really good defenceman one day and he already is."

"A lot of it is confidence," Drysdale explained, "it’s just taking your time and not rushing things and just making the play you see, that’s the big thing, just not being afraid to make a play if it’s there. I think a lot of times people just throw pucks away and stuff like that, but I think you have to be confident in your abilities and if you see a play make it."

Drysdale has always been a gifted skater and his high hockey IQ allows him to maximize that asset. 

"I'm jealous," said Tourigny when asked about the way Drysdale moves on the ice. "He’s a really good skater, and his brain as well, he’s always a play ahead so he can read the play and react and skate like the wind, so it’s a good package."

"It’s deceptive," Dellandrea said, "you know, he’s taking long strides, but I notice every stride is so powerful and he’s just so smooth. He’s one of the best skaters I’ve seen."

So far, Drysdale has been skating as the seventh defenceman at practice, but no one would be surprised if he works his way into a bigger role as the process plays out. 

"I call him, 'My son,'" Dellandrea says with a laugh. "I try to take him under my wing a bit, but the only thing that makes him seem young on the ice is the cage otherwise you wouldn't know."

"Whatever you will ask he will do it," said Tourigny. "He brings a lot right now to our D corps. He brings energy and his enthusiasm is contagious.”

"I'm really grateful to be here," Drysdale said. "I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win."

 

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The practices on Monday and Tuesday featured plenty of defensive-zone work. 

"We want to make sure we always collapse the middle and close the middle," said Tourigny, "and, as well, the communication gets better, we got on details and stick work and different stuff like that. 

Tourigny​ was happy with the process calling it the best defensive-zone work the group has done so far.  

"We worked on our tracking and making sure we come back in the middle first and expand after. We really want to clog the middle so I think today was really positive. The players were tuned in."

The practice was split into two 45-minute segments with the second part focused on special teams work.  

The team will stay off the ice on Tuesday with some team-bonding events planned. 

 

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Lines at Monday's practice:

Lafrenière - Hayton - Foote

Byfield - Cozens - Lavoie

Foudy - Dellandrea - Dudas

McMichael - Groulx - Thomas / Mercer

 

McIsaac - Smith

Bahl - Bernard-Docker

Byram - Addison 

Drysdale 

 

Daws

Hofer

Rodrigue

 

Absent: Veleno (AHL)

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Special teams units at Monday's practice: 

Power play

Addison

Lafrenière - McMichael - Hayton

Cozens

 

Smith

Byram - Lavoie - Foote

Byfield

 

Penalty kill

Foudy - Dellandrea

Dudas - Groulx

Thomas - Mercer

 

McIsaac - Bernard-Docker

Bahl - Drysdale