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Team Canada stayed off the ice on Tuesday, holding a series of team-building events in Vienna. TSN's Mark Masters has more. 

Dylan Cozens is about to make history by becoming the first player born and raised in Canada's territories to play at the World Juniors. His non-traditional backstory has created a buzz among teammates. 

“I asked him the other day where he’s from and he told me, ‘The Yukon,’ and I didn't know and I was in shock,” said Flint centre Ty Dellandrea. “So, credit to him for persevering and just working hard to get here.”
​Cozens grew up in Yukon’s capital of Whitehorse and in June became the first player from the territory to be picked in the first round of the NHL draft, going seventh overall to the Sabres. But there's still plenty of work to be done when it comes to putting Yukon on the hockey map.

“I always thought, you know, they would be staying in igloos all night,” said Owen Sound forward Aidan Dudas with a smile. “So I really don't know.”

“People ask, you know, about polar bears and stuff and if they're roaming around,” said Cozens. “The big one is igloos, if people live in igloos, and I have not seen an igloo up there.”

He hasn't seen a polar bear either, for the record. 

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Cozens, a forward with the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, laughs off the questions, but is deadly serious about his hometown pride.

Yukon has the lowest population of any province or territory in Canada, around 36,000 residents per the last census, with most (just over 25,000) living in Whitehorse, where the high temperature today is minus-13.

“It's obviously a small city and, you know, it’s pretty cold,” Cozens said. “There wasn’t the most hockey competition up there and that’s why I had to move away when I was 14, but I wouldn't choose any other path. I’m so proud to be from there, so proud to represent there and I just love being from there.”

What does he love most? 

“Being in the outdoors. Every summer going out camping where there's no service so your phones don't work, just going out on the boat and fishing and just getting away from everything. Getting away from all the white noise and stuff you have to deal with and just going out there and enjoying the outdoors.”

But the dream of playing in the NHL pulled Cozens away from his hometown. Always a step ahead of his peers, Cozens consistently lined up against older players to try and develop his skills, but eventually simply outgrew the talent pool.

“I always planned on moving away at some point, but when I was 12-, 13-years old playing against grown men in a rec league and I break my leg, that’s a signal that, okay, we got to get out of here,” Cozens recalled, "we got to change something up, this isn't real hockey. So, that was a turning point there that said, ‘I need to get out of here and play against some kids my own age and start getting my name out there.’”

At 14, Cozens ventured south to Delta Hockey Academy in British Columbia, eventually getting picked 19th overall by Lethbridge in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. He was the WHL rookie of the year in his first season before exploding for 84 points in 68 games (1.24 per game) in his draft season.

He's already up to 46 points in 30 games this year (1.53 per game) and is poised to fill a key role for Team Canada.

“He's playing so fast,” said assistant coach André Tourigny. “He might've been our best player in the last two practices. He’s really fast and what I like is he’s as fast with the puck as without the puck. He wants to make the difference every time he touches the ice.”

“He’s probably one of the fastest players I've ever played with and practised against,” said Erie Otters defenceman Jamie Drysdale. "It's really incredible what he can do out there and doing that at his top speed. He can make plays, be a threat to burn you wide or deke through you or shoot through you, so when you have all those threats it’s really dangerous.”

Cozens has lined up as a centre (his natural position) and on right wing during Canada’s camp. On Monday, he skated in the middle with draft-eligible dynamo Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves on the left and Halifax’s Raphael Lavoie​ on the right. When Joe Veleno joins Team Canada from the AHL, it seems likely he'll replace Lavoie on that line.  

Cozens has earned the top-six role, impressing teammates with both his talent and his commitment.

“What’s most important is he’s one of the hardest workers on the ice all the time,” observed Dellandrea, “so put all that together it’s hard to stop and hard to defend against.”

That dedication and work ethic was instilled during those long winters growing up on an outdoor rink in Whitehorse. Now, it's time to pay it forward. 

“He’s really excited to set the path for the people up there,” said Tourigny, who also coached Cozens at the under-18 level.

“I love all the support I’m getting,” a beaming Cozens noted, “those are the people who made me who I am, so I owe a lot to them.”

Cozens’ parents (Michael and Susan) and his two younger brothers (Connor and Luke) will be making the trip to Ostrava, Czech Republic for the World Juniors. But Cozens feels like he'll have the whole territory in his corner. 
“It means so much,” he said. “I know that there's a big fan base up there that loves watching the World Juniors, so now that they got someone from the Yukon playing in it, it’s going to be pretty special for them. I'm so proud to represent the Yukon and the North.”​

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Team Canada stayed off the ice on Tuesday holding team-bonding activities instead, including lunch at Figlmüller, a restaurant billed as, “Home of the Schnitzel.” The players were given the green-light to enjoy some fried food. 

“The guys make a lot of good decisions with their health so this is a chance for them to sample the local flavour a bit,” said Ryan Hamilton, Hockey Canada's mental performance consultant. 

Players and staff also split into groups to explore the Austrian capital. The activity, a scavenger hunt of sorts, was designed to build chemistry, but also get the group outside its comfort zone. 

“We know how we want to play,” Hamilton said. “We know what it means to be Canadian and play the Canadian way, but we also have to open ourselves to things that are different and really embrace those things that are different so that they aren’t adversities, they're just part of our process and what we’re going through.”

Canada has failed to reach the podium in the last three World Juniors held in Europe, finishing sixth in Helsinki in 2016, fourth in Malmo, Sweden in 2014 and fourth in Ufa, Russia in 2013. The adjustments overseas are plentiful. 

“Time change, the feel of the rink is a little bit different, the food is different, the languages and so on,” Hamilton said. “So it’s just small things to adjust to, but none of them are problems. They're all just blessings in disguise that will help us grow.”

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Team Canada finished a disappointing sixth last year in Vancouver and Jamie Storr believes playing overseas will actually be helpful.

“Playing over there, I think it's going to be a little bit easier for the kids because you don't have all the noise from everything going on around,” the former Kings goalie said during a recent interview at Canada's selection camp in Oakville, Ont. "When you play overseas you don’t realize how big it is in Canada, all the media attention and the coverage, so I think they're going to have a lot of success over there.”

Storr backstopped Canada to gold at the 1994 World Juniors in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, which is also hosting Canada’s group this year.

“I remember when we first went there, it was a bunch of no-name kids," Storr said. “We weren’t drafted yet, it was a younger team and there was a lot of unknowns. So, when we went there, there was not a lot of expectations. They weren’t sure how we were going to do. As we got through the tournament, we faced some adversity, but we ended up putting ourselves in a position to win it in the final game against Sweden. And a lot of great players came from that team, you know, you had Mike Peca, a lot of great players, Jason Allison, there was lot of different guys that ended up having successful careers, who made a name for themselves at that tournament. It was an unbelievable experience.”

This year’s Team Canada is also a bit younger, with nine players who are 17 or 18. 

“I was 18 and when you’re 18 years old you don’t realize the pressure," Storr recalled of the 1994 run. “We were just playing hockey. If we won or lost it was just part of the game, and we wanted to win because we just wanted to win the game. When you get older you realize that your junior career, especially playing at the World Juniors, it’s one of the highlights of your hockey career. If you get a chance to represent Team Canada and play at this tournament, whether you win or lose, it’s an amazing feat. So just to get here, these kids are going to have memories for the rest of their lives.” 

Storr also won it all with Team Canada in 1995 when the tournament was played in Red Deer, Alta.

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Drysdale, the top defensive prospect in the upcoming draft, has found inspiration close to home, listing Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly as his NHL role model.

“Watching a lot of him and how he works at both ends of the ice is really fun,” said the 17-year-old Toronto native. “I try to model my game after him and see what he does out there and see little things that I can pick up for my game.”

Rielly led all NHL defencemen with 20 goals last season en route to finishing fifth in Norris Trophy voting. Rielly produced 72 points despite consistently being matched against top lines. 

“One of the things I love about him is his two-way game," said Drysdale. "He can play both ends and that's the player I want to be at the end, just a two-way d-man not just an offensive guy. So, just picking up how he plays, how he puts himself positionally in the D-zone and stuff like that, I think is stuff I can learn a lot from and what I look to do."​

Much like Rielly, Drysdale is blessed with a smooth skating stride, which helps him fly up the ice. In fact, that ability was something that helped him secure a spot with Team Canada. 

“He really makes a lot of good zone exits,” observed Hockey Canada management group leader Mark Hunter. “And he cuts off (plays) in the neutral zone, both things he does really well. You know what? Every game and every shift he seems to be involved in good things happening.”

Drysdale’s place on Canada's roster was confirmed on Tuesday when Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello announced New York would not be releasing Noah Dobson for the World Juniors. 

“Because of the way he's played and also with the injury that came about with (Nick) Leddy, we cannot take a chance, so Dobson will not be going,” Lamoriello told reporters in New York. 

 

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE: 

Wednesday Dec. 18 - Practice at the Albert Schultz Eishalle in Vienna 

Thursday Dec. 19 - Morning skate in Vienna before travelling to Brno, Czech Republic for a pre-tournament game vs. Switzerland

Friday Dec. 20 - Practice in Brno, Czech Republic 

Saturday Dec. 21 - Practice in Brno, Czech Republic 

Sunday Dec. 22 - Practice in Brno, Czech Republic 

Monday Dec. 23 - Second and final pre-tournament game vs. Finland in Ostrava, Czech Republic