TORONTO, Cananda - As expected, Jonathan Drouin was not of on the ice as Canada's world junior championship team took the ice Friday for the start of a three-day camp at the Mastercard Centre — the Toronto Maple Leafs practice rink.

The high-scoring Halifax Mooseheads forward is recovering from a concussion suffered in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game last week. The 18-year-old is expected to recover in time for the Dec. 26-Jan. 5 world junior event in Malmo, Sweden.

The third overall pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning at the NHL draft in June was to be examined by team doctors on Thursday night. Coach Brent Sutter said he didn't expect Drouin to be ready to skate but said it would not hinder preparations for the tournament.

It left Frederik Gauthier of the Rimouski Oceanic and Josh Anderson of London Knights without a left-winger for the practice, although the lines Sutter and his staff used on the first day of camp are likely to change.

If he is healthy, Drouin will likely play on whatever is the top offensive line.

Connor McDavid, the 16-year-old sensation from the Erie Otters, had Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice on his right wing. The two played together at the world under-18 championships and at the national team's summer camp and look to have developed a special chemistry. Kerby Rychel of the Guelph Storm was on left wing.

Like most national teams, there is an overabundance of centres, so some will play out of position.

Anthony Mantha of the Val d'or Foreurs, the QMJHL scoring leader, is a left-winger who found himself on the right side of London centre Bo Horvat and Charles Hudon of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Centre Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings was on right wing with centre Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers.

And centre Felix Girard of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar played right wing with Scott Laughton of the Oshawa Generals at centre and Portland's Taylor Leier on the left side.

Reinhart is a candidate to go first overall in the 2014 NHL draft along with Team Canada defenceman Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts.

During practice, the players were introduced to four former world juniors stars who were named honorary captains for the 2015 and 2017 tournaments to be shared by Toronto and Montreal. They are former Leafs Wendel Clark and Gary Roberts, former goalie Marc Denis and Montreal Canadiens player development man Martin Lapointe.

The team has an exhibition game Saturday afternoon against local university players and a practice Sunday morning before leaving for Sweden, where they will play three pre-tournament games.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013