The World Juniors are almost here. For the third year in a row I will provide a preview of the tournament, with players to keep an eye on as well as my predictions. I’m not sure I’ve nailed a prediction yet so take those with a grain of salt.
The Blue Jackets had four prospects at this event last year and this time around will have three in Gabriel Carlsson, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Calvin Thurkauf. Zach Werenski is still eligible to play for Team USA but he is needed in Columbus.
Slovakia
Dec. 27 vs. Canada, Dec. 28 vs. USA, Dec. 30 vs. Latvia, Dec. 31 vs. Russia
Draft Eligible Players: Martin Bodak D, Samuel Bucek LW, Jakub Lacka LW, Adam Ruzicka RW, Marian Studenic RW
Players to Watch: Erik Cernak D, Radovan Bondra LW
It was just two seasons ago that Slovakia had their Cinderella run to the bronze medal. They have two players remaining from that team in Erik Cernak and Radovan Bondra. They were depth players on that squad but now will be the leaders of the team. Outside of those two players there isn’t much depth. Slovakia lacks a high end player who can take over games. They do have some young players coming in Samuel Bucek, Adam Ruzicka and Marian Studenic, all of whom will be drafted in June. They are just too young right now and haven’t shown enough in their respective leagues, to make you believe they can be difference makers in the tournament. Slovakia will have issues containing high skill players, like a Martin Dzierkals of Latvia, which is why they end up in the relegation round and ultimately out of the tournament.
Denmark
Dec. 26 vs. Sweden, Dec. 27 vs. Finland, Dec. 29 vs. Czech Republic, Dec. 30 vs. Switzerland
Draft Eligible Players: Oliver Gatz Nielsen D, Oliver Joakin Larsen D, David Madsen C, Jonas Rondbjerg RW, Christian Wejse C
Players to Watch: Joachim Blichfeld RW, Mathias From RW, Nikolaj Krag Christensen LW, Rasmus T. Andersson LW
After back to back quarter-final appearances it is going to be tough for Denmark to avoid the relegation round this year. Their path to the quarters will again go through Switzerland who they have beaten in each of the past two seasons. Denmark has a very experienced roster with 10 players returning including three time participant Alexander True. It won’t be enough to get through the Swiss but it will be enough to get them past Slovakia to avoid relegation. Jonas Rondbjerg turned plenty of heads last year with his play as a 16 year old. Now in his draft eligible season, look for him to be the offensive star for the Danes. He will be helped offensively by Sharks prospect Joachim Blichfeld, Blackhawks pick Mathias From, Blues pick Nikolaj Krag Christensen and the undrafted Rasmus T. Andersson. Krag Christianson and From both have experience playing SHL, while Andersson is the third leading scorer in the SuperElit. Blichfeld is a big winger who has 27 points in 30 games in the WHL.
Latvia
Dec. 26 vs. USA, Dec. 27 vs. Russia, Dec. 29 vs. Canada, Dec. 30 vs. Slovakia
Draft Eligible Players: Valters Apfelbaums LW, Renars Krastenbergs LW, Deniss Smirnovs C
Players to Watch: Karlis Cukste D, Rudolfs Balcers LW, Martins Dzierkals RW
Latvia makes the jump to the tournament replacing Belarus who went one and done. With the emergence of Denmark these past two tournaments it’s hard for some of these other less established hockey counties to avoid being relegated. Latvia has a chance to reverse this trend. On the back end they should be led by Karlis Cukste and Kristaps Zile. Cukste is a Sharks fifth round pick and has been playing in the NCAA. Zile has put up 12 points in 15 games in the MHL and has played 15 games in the KHL. Upfront Leafs prospect Martins Dzierkals will be heavily relied upon. He is highly skilled and has been over a point per game in each of his two seasons in the QMJHL. He is the type of game-breaking player a country like this need to have if they are to avoid relegation. Also leaned on to provide offense will be another Sharks prospect, Rudolf Balcers. Balcers has 34 points in 32 games in the WHL.
Switzerland
Dec. 27 vs. Czech Republic, Dec. 28 vs. Sweden, Dec. 30 vs. Denmark, Dec. 31 vs. Finland
Draft Eligible Players: Tobias Geisser D, Nico Hischier C,
Players to Watch: Roger Karrer D, Jonas Siegenthaler D, Damian Riat RW, Calvin Thurkauf LW
Switzerland has had back to back extremely disappointing tournaments. They have been unable to get by Denmark and have played in the relegation round. This time they should not be a disappointment and could even surprise people. They have a strong offensive core lead by Nico Hischier. Hischier played in this event last year and had two assists in six games. He is projected to be a top five pick in this upcoming draft and is currently lighting up the QMJHL to the tune of 48 points in 31 games. He could be in for a big Jesse Puljujarvi type of tournament. Behind him the Swiss have Capitals prospect Damien Riat and Jackets prospect Calvin Thurkauf. Riat has played in 30 NLA games this season and has put up a respectable 10 points. Thurkauf has been solid for Kelowna in the WHL with 31 points in 28 games. They will be tasked with providing secondary scoring if a team finds a way to shut down Hischier.
Jonas Siegenthaler will be playing in his third World Juniors and will carry a large load on defence. The Caps prospect has been a regular in the NLA for three seasons now and gives the Swiss a reliable all situations defencemen to lean on. Behind him returning player Roger Karrer will also be tasked with a big role. He also has pro experience in the NLA which will serve him well here. Switzerland has a good mix of both veterans and youth. They currently have three players in camp, Nico Gross, Nando Eggenberger, and Philipp Kurashev who are eligible for the 2018 draft. It remains to be seen if any will make the team but the future looks bright for Swiss hockey.
Czech Republic
Dec. 26 vs. Finland, Dec. 27 vs. Switzerland, Dec. 29 vs. Denmark, Dec. 31 vs. Sweden
Draft Eligible Players: David Kvasnicka D, Martin Necas C
Players to Watch: Daniel Vladar G, Libor Hajek D, Filip Hronek D, Jakub Zboril D, Filip Chlapik C, Michael Spacek RW
The Czech Republic have a good team but if they are make some serious noise in this year’s tournament it’s going to be because of their goalie Daniel Vladar. Vladar a third round pick of the Bruins is a big goalie, who is already playing pro hockey in the AHL. He’s played six games for Providence and has a .914 save percentage. On the back-end the Czechs have a nice blend of offensive and defensive defencemen. They have four drafted players including Bruins first round pick Jakub Zboril. He along with Red Wings second round pick Filip Hronek will be the key puck movers.
Upfront the Czechs will be without Pavel Zacha who is playing in New Jersey. That really hurts the Czechs offense, though they still have some strong players. Filip Chlapik, a Senators second round pick, should be the offensive leader. He has 44 points in 26 games in the QMJHL this year. Michael Spacek will also be leaned on. The Jets fourth rounder has 42 points in 30 games in the WHL. Behind them the Czechs have some solid players in Simon Stransky, and Tomas Soustal, who are both close to point per game players in the WHL. Another intriguing name to watch will be Dominik Lakatos. He has played 29 games in the Czech pro league and has done well with nine goals and 11 assists.
Finland
Dec. 26 vs. Czech Republic, Dec. 27 vs. Denmark, Dec. 29 vs. Sweden, Dec. 31 vs. Switzerland
Draft Eligible Players: Miro Heiskanen D, Robin Salo D, Urho Vaakanainen D, Jusso Valimaki D, Eeli Tolvanen LW, Kristian Vesalainen LW
Players to Watch: Olli Juolevi D, Vili Saarijarvi D, Henrik Borgstrom C, Janne Kuokkanen LW
Outside of Canada and the US there isn’t a team that has been hurt more by the NHL than Finland. Their electrifying top line from last year of Patrik Laine, Jesse Puljujarvi and Sebastian Aho all made the NHL and will not be released by their respective franchises. Finland does however return top defencemen Olli Juolevi, along with three other players from last year’s team. Finland will once again be young but this is not an inexperienced team. They have eight players from the U-18 team that won gold earlier this year. Juolevi and Vili Saarijarvi are both smooth skating, excellent puck-moving defencemen. Juolevi is my pick to win best defencemen. They will be tasked with leading what could be a very young d-core. All four of the draft eligible defencemen listed above have been ranked inside the first round. Juuso Valimaki has been a point per game player in the WHL, giving Finland another great puck-mover. The other three are all regulars in SM-Liiga.
Youth will once again be a big factor on offense. Eeli Tolvanen is a likely top 10 pick come June. He’s a speedy winger who has 27 points in 23 games in the USHL. Kristian Vesalainen could also be a top 10 pick. The big winger has played professionally in both the SHL and SM-Liiga this season. Finland has a lot of depth this year so Tolvanen and Vesalainen will not have to be relied upon the way Laine and Puljujarvi were. Henrik Borgstrom, Florida’s first round pick will be a key player. He’s a big centre playing in the NCAA, where he has 16 points in 14 games. Finland also boasts two of the top 12 scorers in the OHL in Petrus Palmu, and Janne Kuokkanen, both already have at least 40 points. They are fast, highly skilled players.
Russia
Dec. 26 vs. Canada, Dec. 27 vs. Latvia, Dec. 29 vs. USA, Dec. 31 vs. Slovakia
Draft Eligible Players: None
Players to Watch: Ilya Samsonov G, Yegor Rykov D, Mikhail Sergachev D,
If Finland has all the youth, then Russia has all the veterans. For the second year in a row they do not have a first time draft eligible player on their roster. They project to have just three 18 year old skaters on the roster. Two of which, Mikhail Sergachyov and Germon Rubtsov were first round picks last June. Because Russia always has an older team they don’t have many returning players, just five from the silver medal winning team last season. Those five players will no doubt be relied upon heavily by Head Coach Valeri Bragin, and it starts with goalie Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov was a first round pick by the Capitals in 2015. He got into two games for Russia last season and had a .956 save percentage. He has played in 19 KHL games and his .936 save percentage is tied for 9th in the league. He will be in the conversation for best goal-tender at the tournament.
Defensively Yegor Rykov, a Devils draft pick, will be a go to player. He is a reliable defensive defencemen who has played 33 games in the KHL. He will be joined by the undrafted Mikhail Sidorov who with six points in 36 games is fourth among U20 players in the KHL. Russia also has two strong CHL players in Sergachev and Sergei Zborovsky, both of whom are close to a point per game in their junior leagues.
Russia will also have a strong KHL presence among their forwards. Just about every one of their forwards has KHL experience, including the top three U20 scorers; Kirill Kaprizov, Alexander Polunin, and Mikhail Vorobyov. Kaprizov is a favourite prospect of mine. He is small but has a tremendous skill level. The Wild prospect has 30 points in 37 games, ranking 26th in the entire KHL. All-time his 30 points rank third for a U20 player, behind Yevgeni Kuznetsov twice, and ahead of players like Vladimir Tarasenko, and Artemi Panarin. He is my pick to win best forward. Russia is much more than just a one player team. They have Stars first rounder Denis Guryanov who’s played 25 games in the AHL and Yakov Trenin who is over a point per game in the QMJHL.
USA
Dec. 26 vs. Latvia, Dec. 28 vs. Slovakia, Dec. 29 vs. Russia, Dec. 31 vs. Canada
Draft Eligible Players: Jake Oettinger G
Players to Watch: Charlie McAvoy D, Jeremy Bracco RW, Clayton Keller C, Jack Roslovic RW
The USA in recent international tournaments seem to think that role players are a key to success. We saw it last season at the World Juniors, again at the World Cup and it’s happening again with this WJC team. Team USA elected to cut two highly skilled players in Alex DeBrincat and Logan Brown. Brown is more defensible since he has been injured, but DeBrincat is currently second in the OHL in scoring with 60 points in 28 games. He would have also been a returning player. Team USA cited a poor showing in the summer and a bad training camp here in December ignoring everything else DeBrincat has done for the Erie Otters. The USA will also be without Brock Boeser who is out with a broken wrist and Christian Fischer who was not released by the Arizona Coyotes. Those three players are a huge loss for the USA and what keeps them from playing for the gold medal.
In place of DeBrincat the USA has brought players like Eric Foley and Troy Terry who are fine players in their own right but have nowhere near the skill a DeBrincat does. Even without DeBrincat this team should not have issues scoring. They have six first round picks among the forwards, notably Coyotes 7th overall pick Clayton Keller. Keller is one of the most skilled players taking part in this tournament. Colin White and Columbus native Jack Roslovic are two of the more veteran and experienced players on this team. White is one of just three players returning and the only forward. The Sens first rounder had seven points in seven games at this event last year and again will provide some offensive spark. Roslovic has been the best teenager in the AHL this season with 19 points in 25 games. The USA can also rely on Jeremy Bracco who has been lighting up the OHL and Tanner Laczynski who has 22 points in 15 games for The Ohio State University.
Defensively could be where the USA has some slight issues. They do have two returning players in Charlie McAvoy and Chad Krys, but overall their d-core is a little underwhelming when compared to that of Canada or Sweden. They have some solid options in McAvoy, Adam Fox is well over a ppg for Harvard and Caleb Jones (brother of Seth), has 31 points in 32 games in the WHL, after that though it falls off a cliff. Joseph Cecconi, Ryan Lindgren and Krys have all underwhelmed this season in the NCAA from an offensive standpoint.
In net the US has a solid starter in Tyler Parsons of the London Knights. Parsons backstopped the Knights to a Memorial Cup victory so he has some big game experience to fall back on. He’s currently fourth in the OHL with a .916 save percentage. Should he falter the USA has two solid options in NCAA players Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll.
Canada
Dec. 26 vs. Russia, Dec. 27 vs. Slovakia, Dec. 29 vs. Latvia, Dec. 31 vs. USA
Draft Eligible Players: None
Players to Watch: Thomas Chabot D, Noah Juulsen D, Matt Barzal C, Pierre-Luc Dubois LW, Dylan Strome C
Canada as they always do brings a stacked roster. They have nine first round picks and four players who made NHL rosters out of training camp. This team runs though Coyotes third overall pick Dylan Strome. Strome was the best player for Canada last year and they are very fortunate to have him back. He will be in the conversation for best forward and MVP of the tournament. Strome will centre Canada’s top line and in pre-tournament games he has played alongside his Erie teammate Taylor Raddysh and Blue Jackets third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois. Raddysh leads the OHL in scoring with 61 points in 28 games. Dubois has not had the same success in the QMJHL but his combination of size, speed and passing ability should mesh well with those two.
If that line is to struggle Canada can rely on returning players like a Matt Barzal or Julien Gauthier. Barzal is highly skilled playmaker and there is case to be made he is the most skilled player on the team. Tyson Jost is another player to keep an eye on. He is thought of very highly by the Team Canada brass not just for his offensive ability but for his strong two-way play. His play style routinely gets compared to that of Jonathan Toews. Canada has the top end talent but is also very deep. Blake Speers played three games with the Devils this season and is slated to start in the bottom six. Michael McLeod, a first round pick this summer is starting as the extra forward.
On defence Canada is also quite deep with four first round picks. Thomas Chabot will be the number one for Canada. He made the Ottawa Senators out of training camp and got into one NHL game. He is a very strong skater and a very good offensive defencemen. He will be paired with Noah Juulsen who will provide a defensive presence. The second pair will consist of Jake Bean who is elite offensively, and Dante Fabbro who plays a complete two-way game.
For the first time in a while goal-tending will not be a question mark for Canada. They have brought the top two goalies in the WHL in Connor Ingram and Carter Hart. Ingram has been better in the WHL with a .935 sv% versus a .928 for Hart, but Hart will begin as the starter. Regardless of whom Canada goes with in net they will give the team a chance to win.
Sweden
Dec. 26 vs. Denmark, Dec. 28 vs. Switzerland, Dec. 29 vs. Finland, Dec. 31 vs. Czech Republic
Draft Eligible Players: Rasmus Dahlin D (2018), Lias Andersson LW, Elias Pettersson C,
Players to Watch: Gabriel Carlsson D, Oliver Kylington D, Jacob Larsson D, Joel Eriksson Ek C, Alexander Nylander RW
Sweden always seems to enter with high expectations and fall just a little bit shot. They have lost in the Bronze medal game in each of the past two seasons and the two before that finished just short with a Silver medal. This time though it’s going to be different. Sweden has brought a fantastic team that has plenty of high level experience. They are my pick to take home the gold.
As we saw at the World Cup Sweden has become a factory producing high end defencemen. This team here is no exception; Sweden has the best defence group top to bottom. Every defencemen they brought to camp has played in the SHL, including 16 year old Rasmus Dahlin. The most accomplished member of the group is Flames second round pick Oliver Kylington. By the time Kylington was drafted he had already played 50 games in the SHL. He made the jump to North America at 18 and has already played 72 games in the AHL, putting up a respectable 25 points. He is an outstanding offensive defencemen who has everything you look for, whether it be speed, smarts, shot, passing, he can do it all. He is another player who will be in the mix for top defencemen honours. Not to be outdone Jacob Larsson is a very accomplished defencemen in his own right. He has 80 games of SHL experience plus four games in the AHL and another four in the NHL. He, like Kylington is a fantastic skater who moves the puck with ease. The Ducks first rounder will be the top defencemen for Sweden. Sweden has more than just pure offensive defencemen. Jackets prospect Gabriel Carlsson and Kings prospect Jacob Moverare bring size and strength to the team. They will be the defensive minded players who handle a big role on the penalty kill.
Upfront Sweden is very deep, and again have plenty of experience. They have five returning forwards including Alexander Nylander who will be their offensive catalyst. Nylander was incredible in Finland last year with nine points in seven games. He is one of the few Swedes to not be playing in the SHL, instead he has been playing in the AHL for Rochester. He has been thriving in the AHL with 17 points in 29 games. Nylander will be on Sweden’s top line which should be centred by Joel Eriksson Ek. Eriksson Ek, a Wild first round pick, played in nine NHL games this season and had an impressive five points. He was thought of as more of a defensive centre but has really started to find his offensive game.
After those two Sweden has a trio of second round picks who can provide secondary scoring in Rasmus Asplund, Jonathan Dahlen and Carl Grundstrom. Asplund and Grundstrom both have that extra edge to their game, making them very tough to play against. Dahlen is more of a pure skill player with a great offensive awareness. He plays in the Allsvenskan where he has 21 points in 27 games. Sweden also has two very strong draft eligible players in Lias Andersson, and Elias Pettersson. Both are projected to go in the first round with Pettersson likely to go in the top 15. Pettersson is a big centre who has 27 points in 27 games in the Allsvenskan. Andersson has played in 24 SHL games and his nine points are fourth among U20 players.
There you have it my preview for the 2017 World Junior Championship.
All stats gathered from eliteprospects.com. Rosters from the IIHF website.
You can follow me on Twitter @PaulBerthelot
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
