The doc is in.
Okotoks Oilers alumnus Jacob Bernard-Docker will form part of Team Canada’s seven-man defence corps as the lone collegiate hockey player on the roster as the Canadians open the 2020 World Junior Championships in Czech Republic on Boxing Day.
Bernard-Docker, a sophomore defenceman at the No. 1 ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks, was one of the final cuts from last year’s world juniors entry. He’s the first Oilers alum to play at the world juniors.
"It’s a new experience for me at a big competition that will have all of Canada watching,” Bernard-Docker told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
"[The World Juniors is] something I watched as a kid growing up, I wouldn’t miss a game. It’s a huge honour for me to be on the team.”
The Ottawa Senators first round pick from 2018 is no stranger to wearing the Maple Leaf.
The Canmore native teamed up with fellow-Oilers grad Dylan Holloway to win gold for Canada West at the 2017 World Junior A Challenge in Nova Scotia.
Holloway, eligible for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was one of the later cuts from Canada’s selection camp. The freshman forward at Wisconsin is expected to be an early first-round pick in June.
Okotokian Peyton Krebs, the Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick, 17th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, was also at the selection camp having recently returned to the lineup for Winnipeg ICE after recovering from an Achilles injury in the off-season.
Bernard-Docker played with the Oilers from 2016-18, amassing 27 goals and 63 points in 103 games and earning CJHL Top Defenceman honours in 2018.
Through the final preparations for World Juniors, Bernard-Docker has been paired with Kevin Bahl, an Ottawa 67s blueliner who was traded to the New Jersey Devils as part of the Taylor Hall transaction. Bernard-Docker is also expected to feature prominently on Team Canada’s penalty kill.
The 2020 World Junior Championships air on TSN from Boxing Day until Jan. 5.
Canada’s schedule is as follows:
Dec. 26, 11 a.m. (MST) — Canada vs. U.S.A.
Dec. 28, 11 a.m. — Canada vs. Russia
Dec. 30, 7 a.m. — Canada vs. Germany
Dec. 31, 11 a.m. — Canada vs. Czech Republic
Playoff round. Jan. 2-5.
