The 2018 World Junior Championship couldn’t have been much better for the Colorado Avalanche. When Cale Makar and Conor Timmins received their watches after Canada’s semi-final win over the Czech Republic, it made official what was already clear. The two young defencemen – along with Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson – were Team Canada’s best players in the tournament. Makar was the championship team’s most potent offensive weapon, while Timmins was its most stalwart defender.
Both came up huge at key points in the tournament, never more so than Timmins gold medal winning assist with less than 2 minutes left in the 3rd period against Sweden.