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EDMONTON, AB - Dylan Holloway need look no further than a fellow Oilers first-round draft pick and Calgary product when drawing inspiration for this year's World Juniors.
The 14th-overall selection from the 2020 NHL Draft was just seven years old on Jan. 3, 2009 when he was huddled around the television with his family at their home in Bragg Creek.
He remembers the play like it was yesterday, though, as Edmonton's 22nd-overall pick from the 2008 NHL Draft scored one of the most famous goals in the history of the U-20 championship.
"Definitely my favourite memory was when Jordan Eberle scored to tie it against Russia with like four seconds left in the semifinals," Holloway said. "They went on to win that game and win gold. That moment was insane. I remember watching it with my family. We were all stressing out because we didn't want Canada to lose but then Eberle tied it and everybody went crazy."

Though the Eberle goal is his favourite World Juniors memory, Holloway said the tournament is always a big deal in his house whenever the holiday season rolls around.
"It's definitely been a tradition in my family household to watch World Juniors every Christmas," he said. "Every game too. Even when tournaments were in Europe, I'd wake up early and watch."
Now 19 years old, Holloway will get his chance to be a hero for Canada as he was named to the team's final roster on Friday for the tournament that will begin Christmas Day at Rogers Place. With no fans in the arena due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said he and his teammates will use those childhood World Juniors memories for extra motivation.
"Everybody who's on this team has had a rich history of watching World Juniors when they were growing up," he said. "This is a big deal for all of us. It won't be hard to get up for these games, even without fans in the building."
Team Canada has pre-tournament games scheduled for Dec. 21 vs. Sweden and Dec. 23 vs. Russia before starting the official round-robin on Dec. 26 vs. Germany.