There’s no way around it; This WJC will have some prominent MIAs.
August is obviously an awkward time for a World Junior Championships, as the 2022 event, which was scheduled to take place in Edmonton eight months ago but had to close due to COVID-19, is now taking place in northern Alberta from Tuesday through August 20 becomes.
Had the original plan worked, we might have featured Juraj Slafkovsky six weeks before his Olympic breakthrough, or seen Shane Wright emerge in a big moment and prove his growing list of doubters wrong last winter. From the looks of it, none of these players — the former now a first-choice Montreal Canadiens and the latter gift-wrapped fourth overall for the Seattle Kraken — will represent their country in Edmonton as their focus shifts to being ready for the opening his NHL camps in the back half of September.
Also out of this WJC for Canada is the Buffalo Sabers’ Owen Power, the 2021 maiden overall winner, high-flying Winnipeg Jets contestant Cole Perfetti, and the guy who should be wearing the “C” for the home team at Christmas time, Habs defenseman Kaiden Guhle.
And of course, with Russia suspended from the tournament, we won’t see the magic of 2023 draft-qualified winger Matvei Michkov, who’s hailed as the best player to emerge from that country since Alex Ovechkin 20 years ago.
However, all is not lost. First off, drinking world-class hockey while possibly sitting next to a pool sounds just fine. And even with those absences, there are still plenty of reasons for fans of Canada’s NHL clubs to enjoy themselves on those harsh summer days. With that in mind – and with some final cuts likely to come on Sunday – here’s a highlight of how the seven north of 49th teams will be represented at this make-up event.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Forward Matthew Knies looks like a bargain since the Leafs picked him in the 2021 second round. After a points-per-game freshman season at the University of Minnesota, he will wear Team USA colors at this event, just as he did at the February Olympics.
Like the other Arizona-born Matthew(s) in Toronto’s organization, Knies has a large physique that gives him enticing power-forward potential.
At the back end, 20-year-old Topi Niemela will be a fixture on the Finnish blueline. Finishing third in 2020, Niemela’s stock has grown over the past two years and he just finished a full season skating for Karpat in Finland’s top circuit.
Small but plucky center Roni Hirvonen – a second-rounder in 2020 – will join Niemela on Team Finland.
Montreal Canadiens
Sure, there’s disappointment that neither Slafkovsky nor Guhle — who grew up outside of Edmonton in Sherwood Park — will lace them up. Hell, even Montreal’s second first-rounder this year, Slafkovsky’s fellow Slovakian Filip Mesar takes a pass. Still, the Habs expect five players to be wearing their country’s colors when this tournament begins.
The most fascinating prospect from Montreal is certainly Canadian Joshua Roy. After watching his stocks plummet in his draftable year — Roy fell in the fifth round in 2021 — the Sherbrooke Phoenix winger led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 119 points last year, followed by 23 more in 11 Post -seasonal outings. Riley Kidney actually topped that league with 70 assists last season and while the 2021 second-rounder may have a limited role in Canada, he’s still there.
Two Canadian picks also appear on Finland’s roster. Oliver Kapanen’s calling card is his two-way play as a center, while D-Man Petteri Nurmi was picked in Round 7 this year after being passed over the first two times he was available in the draft.
Jan Mysak, a second-round player in 2020, is coming off a Memorial Cup appearance with the Hamilton Bulldogs and the center will be a key figure in the Czech Republic’s entry.
Of course, Canadiens fans are praying that they might see a future hab in 2023 NHL draft headliner Connor Bedard. Montreal appears to be the only Canadian club with legitimate lottery hopes of landing the North Vancouver phenomenon, who will certainly put on a show in Edmonton.
Ottawa Senators
Not only has Ottawa had a grueling offseason, now its supporters can watch a handful of potential future senators do their thing at the WJC.
Lively forward Ridly Greig will endear him to Canadian fans during this tournament, but only Ottawa fans will love him once he comes to the NHL. The 28th overall pick of the 2020 draft was third in the Western Hockey League last season with a 1.62 scoring per game. Winger Zack Ostapchuk (39th overall 2021) will be on the fringes of the Canada squad.
Like the Leafs and Habs, the Sens have two representatives in Finland. Goalie Leevi Merilainen, a third-rounder in 2020, didn’t have great stats during his first and only season in the Ontario Hockey League last year, but that doesn’t preclude him from being a factor for the Finns at this tournament. Meanwhile, the 1.8-meter-tall Roby Jarventie put in an excellent performance as a 19-year-old last winter in the American Hockey League, scoring 33 points in 70 contests for the Belleville Senators. The 33rd overall selection in 2020 could be an absolute stunner for the Finns in Edmonton.
Rounding out the Ottawa contingent, hulking D-man Tyler Kleven — a 2020 runner-up and a teammate of top-sens prospect Jake Sanderson for the past two years at the University of North Dakota — will compete on the Team USA blueline .
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks drafted Jonathan Lekkerimaki 15th overall in the Montreal draft a month ago, and many Vancouver supporters have been cartwheeling since. This young man already has a major international incident on his resume this year after scoring four points in Sweden’s win of the gold medal match against favored Team USA at the U-18 World Cup in May. If you’re betting on where some of this tournament’s finest goals will come from, consider putting it on Lekkerimaki.
Should Sweden face Finland in the medal round – they won’t see each other in the round robin – Joni Jurmo would be one of the guys trying to thwart Lekkerimaki. The six-foot-tall D-Man was only selected in the third round of the 2020 draft, but was actually Vancouver’s first selection of the year.
Winnipeg Jets
The journey to find out if Brad Lambert was the 2022 first round thief begins now. Winnipeg took Lambert 30th overall, although the Finn — who has a late birthday, so we’ve been talking about him for a while — has long been predicted as a top 10, possibly even a top 5 pick. His miserable 10-point year in Liiga is now a memory; What can he do in Edmonton to reignite the hype train?
While Daniel Torgersson’s game draws far less attention, the tall-bodied winger – a second-rounder in 2020 – could bring some weight to the Swedes’ line-up.
Edmonton oiler
Host city fans would have a little more reason to celebrate if 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault made himself available to Team Canada, but the winger is among the long list of high-profile players who have decided this event will not coincide with his agrees The best preparation plan for the off-season.
By the looks of it, the two guys for fans to keep an eye on in Oil Country are two defenders who were drafted just a few weeks ago. Finn Joel Maatta — who plays for Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft’s brother, Todd, at the University of Vermont — was a seventh after being passed over the first few times he qualified for the NHL draft. Meanwhile, German tall Luca Munzenberger – also a freshman from Vermont last year – was a third-rounder in Montreal.
Calgary Flames
The Flames only have one player in the WJC mix, but it’s a good one. Matt Coronato was the 13th player selected in the 2021 draft and he had a strong freshman year at Harvard last season, recording 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 34 contests. The energetic center is the kind of player who could bring a lasting spark to Team USA.
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