CALGARY – The World Junior Hockey Championship is considered a tournament for 19-year-olds, but that doesn't mean that an under-age player can't jump up and make the usually very deep Canadian team.

Last year, Lawson Crouse joined Connor McDavid as draft-eligible players on the roster. The previous year, it was Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad playing above their age group along with a 16-year-old McDavid. Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin accomplished the feat three years ago in Ufa, Russia when Canada brought a lockout-boosted roster.

This year, only one draft-eligible player was brought to Team Canada's summer camp: Julien Gauthier. The Val-d'Or forward, who racked up 73 points in 68 games last season in the QMJHL, was surprised when Hockey Canada called to invite him.

Ryan Jankowski, Hockey Canada's director of player personnel, on the other end of the line.



"It was really awesome," said Gauthier, who will turn 18 in October. "It's not every day you receive a call like that so I think it was one of the best calls I've ever had in my life. I'm too old for the under-18 team, so I was worried I wouldn't be on a Hockey Canada team this year.

"I didn't know what to say. At first I was like, 'Ohhh, thanks!' And after that I was really excited for the camp."

There is no shortage of speed and skill on display at Canada's camp. Twenty of the 39 players here are first-round picks. But Gauthier, who cites Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry as role models, stands out due to his size.

"When we first threw this roster together and looked at where we're a little bit weak, well, we're not the biggest team," Jankowski said. "We do have skill, we do have speed, but Julien brings a lot of those things we don't have and even though he's a younger player, he put up a lot of points this year in Val-d'Or. He had a very successful year and it will be fun to watch him through this process and see how he stacks up with his peers."

Gauthier and Crouse are the tallest position players at the camp at 6-foot-4, while Gauthier is the heaviest position player at 212 pounds.

Gauthier, the nephew of former NHLer Denis Gauthier, said his peers at camp have been pumping his tires.

"All the guys are like, 'Oh, wow, you're the only 2016-eligible player here so you're going to be good.' It's real nice to hear that."

Gauthier isn't just auditioning for Team Canada; he's also trying to boost his draft stock. Plenty of NHL scouts and team executives have descended on Calgary to watch the games.

"The guys are pretty cool here and they said to me, 'You need to work hard and it's going to be great,' and, 'You got a lot of visibility here,' so I think it's great for me," Gauthier said.

When it comes to cracking Canada's roster, the pressure is on Gauthier to prove he deserves a spot over a more seasoned player. He has played in two games so far this week. Even though Canada has scored 11 goals in the pair of games, Gauthier has yet to pick up a point. He does, however, have three penalties as he tries to skate the thin line between being physical and breaking the stricter IIHF rules.

On Thursday night, as the camp wraps up with game against the Czech Republic, Gauthier gets another chance to prove he belongs.

"I'm the youngest guy at the U20 this year so I think I need to step up my game a little bit," he said. "I don't think I have a right to make some mistakes."