Kelowna's Cal Foote forced to wait to follow in all-star father's footsteps

Every year the Canadian junior team has to deal with the nuisance of its top teenagers being too talented and unavailable for the world junior hockey championship because they're in the NHL.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Philadelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner will not be available this time around. There are slim hopes Arizona Coyotes teammates Lawson Crouse and Jakub Chychrun as well as New York Islanders left Anthony Beauvillier will be released to play for Canada. 

Added to the frustration this year is the case of Kelowna Rockets defenceman Cal Foote.

The son of two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Foote was born in Englewood, Co. when his dad played in Denver for the Avalanche. But he wanted to follow in his father's skateprints and play for Canada.

Pa Foote played in 3 Olympics

The elder Foote, a development consultant with the Avalanche, won Olympic gold with Canada in 2002 and was a key shutdown defenceman in Canada's World Cup of Hockey victory in 2004. In total, Foote played 32 games for Canada at three Olympics (1998, 2002, 2006) and two World Cups (1996, 2004).

Even though Cal has dual Canadian and American passports, the International Ice Hockey Federation stipulates that a player has to live in the country for which he wants to play for 16 consecutive months and play for a team in the same country for two complete seasons.

The younger Foote has lived in Canada for 16 months, but is only a couple of months into his second season with Kelowna. Hockey Canada petitioned the IIHF to allow Foote to play for Canada but was turned down.

The IIHF made a similar ruling with Toronto native Jake Walman a few years ago. Walman wanted to play for the U.S. at the world juniors. His mother is an American, but Walman, now in his third year at Providence College in Rhode Island, had not spent two full seasons with Providence. So he was forced to sit on the sidelines.

"Cal is disappointed, but fine with the decision," Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton said of the young Foote. "He's a pretty good judge of things. He's well-grounded and you can see with his game that he has an idea of where he's at and what he needs to improve on."

Could play for U.S.

With the IIHF's decision, Foote could turn around and play for the U.S. But he attended the Canadian junior summer camp, played two games for the WHL team against Russia in exhibition games earlier this month and will wait to play for Canada a year from now.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Foote is a projected top-10 choice for the 2017 NHL draft. Hamilton said his sophomore defenceman would not have been a lock to play for Canada at the world junior in Toronto and Montreal next month, but definitely would have "pushed" for a spot on the roster.

"He stepped in right away for us last year," Hamilton said. "He's a defence-first player, which is rare for kids today. We'd like to see him contribute a little more offence.

"He has size-16 feet and has yet to fill out. But some NHL team is going to get a promising draft pick with him."

Cal plays in Kelowna with his 16-year-old brother Nolan, a 6-foot-3, 177-pound left wing, who Hamilton predicts will be another top-drawer NHL pick in his draft year.

The Footes could have played in the OHL, where Adam, a native of Whitby, Ont., played with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. But the Foote family liked what it saw with the Rockets program, a defenceman factory with alumni such as Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Luke Schenn, Tyler Myers, Alex Edler and current Avalanche blueliner Tyson Barrie. This season, Hamilton hired former Oilers and Ottawa Senators defenceman Jason Smith as head coach and Foote has flourished.

Mom splits time between Kelowna and Denver

Adam's wife, Jennifer, lives part-time in Kelowna to look after her teenagers, while Adam travels back and forth for his job between Denver and San Antonio, where the Avalanche's AHL team is housed, and to watch his sons in Kelowna.

I'll always remember what the late Pat Quinn told me about why he thought so highly of Adam and his character. After an opening 5-2 loss to Sweden at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City Quinn had doubts whether his talented group of Canadians would pull together.

"We had a little trouble with some stars who wanted to play their own way," Quinn said. "Quite frankly, after that first game we would not have gone on to win if it wasn't for the leadership of guys like Adam, Joe Sakic and [Mario] Lemieux. Coaches can get up and say all they want, but it took the leadership of key players like Adam.

"He was a leader and he was so dependable. I know there were other defencemen who got more credit on that team and in 2004 at the World Cup, but Adam made a difference."

Hamilton sees similarities between Cal's game and his all-star dad. Unfortunately, Cal Foote will have to wait a year to make his statement.