Entering his 11 th NHL season, Duclair is more than familiar with Barzal and Horvat as opponents and has the utmost respect for both. There’s a little more familiarity off the ice as well, as Duclair and Horvat were roommates at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where they won gold.

Coach Roy said he hopes by getting his players conditioned well, they can avoid the slow starts they've gotten off to in the past two seasons.