CALGARY — Mackenzie Weegar is no longer one of the names written on napkins across the country denoting Canada's Olympic roster.
Fans are aware of his team's early struggles and Weegar's own lack of productivity, and they speculate that he is no longer ready to fill one of the eight defensive spots that were theoretically available when he attended orientation camp in Canada.
But don't expect him to give up on his five-ring dreams.
“There are a lot of good players playing good hockey right now, so I don’t blame the fans for not putting me on their list,” Weegar said, citing Matthew Schaefer and Jakob Chykrun as two good examples.
“But I have a month left to see what I can do to try to get my name back on the list and get those who are trustworthy to talk about me a little more.”
For a forward-thinking player whose best chance of making the team lay in his versatility and ability to play both ends, the fact that the 31-year-old right-hander has just one goal, four assists and a league-low 21 certainly didn't help his cause.
A deeper look into his statistics reveals a more complete picture.
His dedication and physical strength allowed him to make the short list of two NHL players in the 50/50 club with 75 hits and 58 blocks.
He leads the NHL in three other little-known categories: 300 defensive plays, 844 rebounds and 189 blocked passes.
No one has absorbed more hits than Weegar (72), and only one player averages more runs per game.
And he did all this with an ever-changing cast of characters, making chemistry a constant work in progress.
“I'm proud of my defensive game right now and I think I'm playing pretty confident,” said Weegar, who was plus-110 in the previous six years, which is what makes this year's overall score so surprising.
“When I look at the games, there have definitely been tough moments, but I don't feel like I've been terrible or have a tough season. I still feel good about my game. I think structurally there can be some hiccups in the game and I think I've just faced some tough parts at times.”
“Sometimes things happen as they are, and if you start to think about it, it's a slippery slope. It can get out of control very quickly. You have to be optimistic because at some point, if you feel good about your game, it will change for you.”
Lately, Weegar seems to have found a consistent partner in Ian Kuznetsov, a rookie who plays good defense and should give Weegar a chance to be more aggressive on a team that desperately needs it.
Both scored their first goals of the season in Florida last week, which Weegar viewed as a sign of things to come.
No, he won't return to the 20-goal form of two years ago.
“I think it was a good year,” he smiled, reflecting on his 20-goal, 52-point season.
“I'm just trying to get the puck towards the net right now and try to find the rebound that will kind of be a springboard and give me back my confidence in my shots.
“This offensive zone has been a little tough, so I'm just trying to put myself in the best position to score. I'm trying to follow Ras (Moos Andersson), who has been great. I honestly watch him every night and try to counter him and see if I can get a rebound or two.”
His goal last week was his 52nd shot on target of the year, symbolizing how difficult it has been for him to catch a break.
In Saturday's 2-0 win over Utah, Weegar led all players with four shots and had a game-high five blocked shots, including one on Nick Schmaltz's shot with six minutes left, earning praise from Dustin Wolf.
He is well-liked in the dressing room and many believe he will become his club's next captain.
The cornerstones of everyone's Olympic roster are Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Morrissey and Shea Theodore.
The next four are not so easy to confirm, although it would be difficult to knock anyone out of the list of four nations.
Drew Doughty returned from a foot injury on Thursday, 4 Nations replacement Thomas Harley had a tough year out of injury, Travis Sanheim continues to see tough, difficult minutes and Colton Parayko is a reliable leader in St. Louis, where Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong sees him every day.
A difficult group that was impossible to crack, even though Weegar had a good start.
Evan Bouchard's ups and downs have become the subject of national debate, Noah Dobson has been reliable in Montreal, Schaefer has taken the league by storm at 18, Brandon Montour is on the radar and Chykrun is already halfway to his 20-goal total a year ago.
Asked before last week's game in Tampa if he was aware of the fact that he was playing against Canada coach John Cooper, he smiled.
“I wouldn't say I think about it too much because I just want to control what I can control,” said Weegar, who played just below his season average of 23:44 on Saturday.
“But I think if it wasn't on my mind, I think it would have been a bigger problem.”
