'ON A MISSION'

This year promises to be different.
Jakob Pelletier will make it so.
"Last time," sighed the Flames' first-round pick in 2019, "there were so many emotions. It was overwhelming.
"Devastating.
"But this year, I'm ready. I want to do it. I'm going there on a mission."

Pelletier, who on Thursday was named to Hockey Canada's 2021 World Junior Selection Camp roster, was in this very spot one year ago - one camp away from realizing his dream and representing his country in an incredibly prestigious event.
That is, until an ill-timed injury took him out of the running before the opening gun.
The Quebec City native suffered a concussion only days before the December camp in Oakville, Ont., and while he was healthy enough to return by the end of the month, rules are rules - and if you don't show at camp, you can't make the team.
"It made me hungry to make (good) this year," Pelletier said. "The World Juniors are one of the best parts of Christmastime. So, to have a chance to represent my country, and to be that guy that kids will be watching - like I was when I was younger - it's a huge honour.
"I still remember the Jordan Eberle goal against Russia in 2009. I was downstairs with my family and we all exploded when that happened.
"You don't forget moments like that.
"Hopefully I can make the team and create some of my own."

Pelletier has taken big strides in his game since the Flames called him to the podium, 26th overall, on June 21, 2019.
In addition to having a wildly successful year offensively, he says the time off - both from the injury, and the cancellation of the CHL campaign later in March - allowed him to reflect on his game and focus intently on the areas that needed improvement over the off-season.
The result, now, is a quicker, stronger Pelletier that is better balanced and more easily able to strike.
"I'm always a positive guy," said Pelletier, who had 32 goals and 82 points in 52 games as captain with the Moncton Wildcats last year - including 33 points (14G, 19A) in 31 spins, post-injury. "I'm kind of like the morning sunshine.
"There's not much you can do in a situation like that, but move forward. So, that's what I did.
"I worked on my game. Got better.
"I think I can be even a little bit faster, so that's what I'm working on now. But the fact that I'm more stable is going to help me a lot, especially when I get back to camp in Calgary.
"It's been a strange year. In Moncton, we had a team with a great chance to go far and prove ourselves by winning it all. That hurt, that we didn't have a chance to do it, because of the pandemic."

Pelletier finished eighth in QMJHL scoring and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's most sportsmanlike player, thanks to a tidy 16 penalty minutes.
He was then traded by the Wildcats to the Val-d'Or Foreurs, where he was quickly named the skipper of that squad, too.
The 'Q' is the only Canadian hockey league up and running at the moment, and they've certainly faced their share of challenges with the ongoing public health crisis.
The Quebec-based teams - including Val-d'Or - have played only a portion of the 2019-20 season because of rising coronavirus cases in the province, prompting a pause in the schedule three weeks ago.
The Foreurs, though, are set to resume play on Friday against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, where Pelletier looks to expand on his team points lead of six (1G, 5A) in four games.
"I love the team we have in Val-d'Or," Pelletier said. "It's the same feeling I had last year, thinking we have what it takes to win it all.
"But there's a ton of uncertainty, too. Are we even going to have a full season again?
"We played four games and then we had to pause for three weeks, so it's hard mentally. But we're trying to stay positive and see what's going to happen next."
Pelletier, though, is living the moments as they come.
The excitement is already building for the World Junior camp, which kicks off on Nov. 16 and runs through Dec. 13 in Red Deer, in preparation for the real thing in the Edmonton bubble over the holiday season.
He's waited for this for years.
And he doesn't intend on letting the opportunity slip.
"This is an opportunity to represent your country in one of the world's biggest tournaments," he said.
"I'm definitely going to make the most of it."