Michal Gut – McKeen's Hockey

2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Preview

Zack Szweras — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 13:26:09 +0000

World Juniors’ Preview

Group A:

There is going to be a ton of competition out of this group, between Canada, Finland and Czechia. With this tournament being held in August, there will be omissions of players attending NHL training camp with the hope of making their respective NHL rosters. It will be interesting to see which countries will benefit the most from this.

Czechia

Line Projections

Jiri Kulich – Michal Gut – Jan Mysak

Ivan Ivan – Gabriel Szturc – Petr Hauser

Martin Rysavy – Matyas Sapovaliv – Jaroslav Chmelar

Tomas Urban – Matous Mensik – Jakub Kos

Stanislav Svozil – David Jiricek

Jiri Tichacek – Stepan Nemec

Tomas Hamara – David Spacek

Jan Bednar

Tomas Suchanek

Czechia is entering this tournament with one of the more complete group of defencemen. Highlighted by Columbus Blue Jacket’s prospects David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil, it will be tough to get around their big-bodied defence. On top of that, Tomas Hamara, David Spacek and Jiri Tichacek can provide offence from the blueline. Currently David Jiricek did not travel with the team as he tested positive for COVID.

To complement their defence, they also have NHL drafted forwards spread through their lineup. The most notable names include Jiri Kulich, who was recently selected 28th in the 2022 entry draft from the Buffalo Sabres, Jan Mysak the Canadiens prospect who produced this year for the Hamilton Bulldogs on their way to win the OHL cup and Matyas Sapovaliv, the playmaking power forward taken in the 2nd round of this year’s draft by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Everett Silvertips’ center Michal Gut will look to provide his improved playmaking, likely playing alongside goal scorers Kulich and Mysak.

Lastly, they will be looking for solid goaltending from Detroit Red Wings’ prospect Jan Bednar. With all their skill in their top-six forwards and on their blueline, Czechia will have to hope their depth can hold up and keep up with powerhouses like Finland and Canada.

Canada

Josh Roy – Mason McTavish – Connor Bedard

Kent Johnson– Logan Stankoven – Tyson Forester

Brennan Othman – Ridley Greig – William Dufour

Will Cuylle – Elliot Desnoyers – Nathan Gaucher

Donovan Sebrango – Olen Zellweger

Ryan O’Rourke – Lukas Cormier

Ronan Seely – Jack Thompson

Dylan Garand

Brett Brochu

While the Canadian team looks drastically different from the cancelled January World Juniors, they still have a strong chance of going far in this tournament. Offensively, Canada is loaded with the likes of Mason McTavish, Kent Johnson, Logan Stankoven and of course, 2023 projected first overall pick, Connor Bedard. Mason McTavish looked dominant in the January World Juniors. Using his combination of size, speed and skill to bully opponents, he will look to continue his success. The potential pairing of Kent Johnson and Logan Stankoven should be extremely fun to watch, as Johnson has elite skill often undressing defenders and Stankoven dominated the WHL last year, winning not only the WHL but the CHL player of the year award. Lastly, who can forget the name Connor Bedard, the 17-year-old phenom is coming off a season in which he produced 100 points in 61 WHL games and don’t forget he became the second 16-year-old to score a hat trick for Canada in the cancelled January World Juniors since some guy named Wayne Gretzky.

Defensively, Canada took a large blow losing both Kaiden Guhle and Owen Power, however they still have plenty of talent with Olen Zellweger, Ryan O’Rourke and Lukas Cormier. Olen Zellweger took his offensive game to another level last year producing 78 points in 55 games as an 18-year-old. He will see time running Canada’s powerplay. O’Rourke is a strong two-way defenceman who never takes a shift off, always trying to be involved, whether it’s a big hit, transition pass or a poke check to change momentum. O’Rourke will likely be paired with Lukas Cormier as Cormier is an extremely gifted offensive defenceman. While O’Rourke can bring strong defensive presence, Cormier will look for opportunities to transition the puck and join the odd man rush.

The final question for Canada is their goaltending. They are coming into the tournament with three solid options in Dylan Garand, Brett Brochu and Sebastian Cossa. All indications point to Garand and Brochu battling it out for the starting goaltending position. No matter who takes the net, Canada should be comfortable with all options available. Canada will be a team to beat this tournament.

Slovakia

Line Projections

Maros Jedlicka – Jakub Demek – Adam Sykora

Servac Petrovsky – Oleksiy Myklukha – Matej Kaslik

Samuel Honzek – Dalibor Dvorsky – Roman Faith

Oliver Stumpel – Peter Repcik – Lubomir Kupco

Rayen Petrovicky – Viliam Kmec

Adam Stripai – Maxim Strbak

Simon Groch – Boris Zabka

Tomas Bolo

Patrik Andrisik

Slovakia has taken a large hit from the tournament being held in August rather than December as top prospects Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec and Filip Mesar are not on the roster as they focus on NHL training camps. With that being said, there are still plenty of names worth watching. Looking at the forwards, Slovakia will be leaning on New York Rangers’ forward Adam Sykora to generate offence, who has made a strong impact on all international teams for Slovakia over the past year. Besides Sykora, Slovakia will be looking at Maros Jedlicka, who had a strong season in Slovakia, Minnesota Wild’s prospect Servac Petrovsky and Vegas

Golden Knights’ prospect Jakub Demek to provide support. The biggest name to watch for Slovakia, however, will be 2023 draft eligible Dalibor Dvorsky. Dvorsky as of now is seen as a top 10 talent in the upcoming draft and continues to find success internationally. The blueline is truly taking a toll with 2nd overall pick Simon Nemec opting not to participate in this tournament. Slovakia will look to rely on Rayen Petrovicky to give them top pairing minutes and solid defence from the backend. With the lack of depth, another 2023 draft eligible, Maxim Strbak, will be asked to step up to the plate. Strbak was a large piece of the Slovak team that won silver medal at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and looks to make his name known as someone to keep an eye on during his draft year.

Finally, in net Slovakia will most likely look towards 20-year-old Tomas Bolo as the starter for the team. Bolo has consistently played for Slovakia in international play and played well for Slovakia at the start of the cancelled World Juniors this past January. Overall, Slovakia will be an exciting team to watch, but will need to overcome the lack of depth in order to compete in a strong Group A.

Finland

Line Projections

Roni Hirvonen – Aatu Raty – Joakim Kemell

Ville Koivunen – Samuel Helenius – Brad Lambert

Roby Jarventie – Juuso Maenpaa – Kasper Simontaival

Eetu Liukas – Oliver Kapanen – Kalle Vaisanen

Petteri Nurmi – Topi Niemela

Eemil Viro – Ruben Rafkin

Aleksi Heimosalmi – Kasper Puutio

Leevi Merilainen

Jani Lampinen

There is legitimate competition between Finland and Canada for the top team in this Group A. Finland is loaded with a ton of talent up front, with every player in their projected top-six being selected in the 1st or 2nd round in their NHL draft. Both Aatu Raty and Brad Lambert have a chip on their shoulder to score this tournament as they each went into their draft years as projected top three picks and ended up sliding down on draft day. Finland is also lucky to have some strong playmakers on offence as Roni Hirvonen and Ville Koivunen have both proven their ability to set teammates up in Liiga. When Finland is looking for someone to bury the puck, the first option will almost always be Joakim Kemell, the elite goal scorer started last season on an absolute tear and finished with 15 goals in 39 Liiga games while battling through injuries in his draft year.

Transitioning to defence, Finland is lucky to be anchored by the player awarded best defenceman in the 2020 World Juniors in Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenceman Topi Niemela. Niemela is likely to be paired with defensive defenceman and Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Petteri Nurmi in order to give Niemela the comfort to get involved in the offensive game. Another name to watch closely on the blue line is Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect Aleksi Heimosalmi, who is an extremely strong skater that thrives in the transition game. Finland is backing it all up with Ottawa Senators’ prospect Leevi Merilainen as the projected starter. While he struggled in his first year playing for the Kingston Frontenacs, Merilainen has produced during his time with the international squad. It will be extremely exciting to see the skill of this Finnish team.

Latvia

Line Projections

Girts Silkalns – Klavs Veinbergs – Arni Ravinskis

Peteris Purmalis – Dans Locmelis – Sandis Vilmanis

Felikss Gavars – Martins Lavins – Darels Durkurs

Rainers Darzins – Raimonds Vitolins – Danils Andersons

Ralfs Bergmanis – Niks Fenenko

Harijs Brants – Rihards Simanovics

Bogdans Hodass – Gustavs Ozolins

Bruno Bruveris

Patrick Berzins

In a strong Group A, Latvia seems likely to finish in the bottom of the standings. While there are still talented players on this team, it would take a miracle for Latvia to advance to the quarterfinals. Taking a look at the forwards, Latvia will likely pair MHL teammates Girts Silkalns and Klavs Veinbergs together. Continuing the teammate trend, Dans Locmelis and Sandis Vilmanis will likely see a large amount of ice time together for Latvia coming off a strong season together playing in the J20 league producing 34 and 32 points, respectively. Both Locmelis and Vilmanis were recently drafted in the 2022 NHL draft, Locemlis was taken in the 4th round by the Boston Bruins and Vilmanis was selected in the 5th round by the Florida Panthers.

Latvia’s blueline will be anchored by 17-year-old defenceman Niks Fenenko. Fenenko went undrafted in the 2022 NHL draft despite having a fairly solid season playing the QMJHL scoring 40 points in 62 games. Projected to partner with Fenenko is University of Vermont commit, Ralfs Bergmanis. Although he is only 5’10”, Bergmanis is willing to throw his body around and disrupt play. The likely starter in net for Latvia will be 20-year-old Bruno Bruveris, who spent the past year playing with Cedar Rapids of the USHL, posting a 3.02 GAA with a .873 SV%. It would be an upset to see Latvia make the quarterfinals let alone win a game in this tough Group.

Group B:

Group B is expected to be dominated by two powerhouses in the United States and Sweden. It will be exciting to see if any of Germany, Switzerland or Austria can challenge either powerhouse and shake up the group. Even with losing players due to NHL training camps, the United States and Sweden are still positioned to make it far in this tournament.

United States

Line Projections

Matthew Knies – Logan Cooley – Matthew Coronato

Landon Slaggert – Thomas Bordeleau – Carter Mazur

Sasha Pastujov – Hunter Mckown – Brett Berard

Red Savage – Charlie Stramel – Mackie Samoskevich

Wyatt Kaiser – Sean Behrens

Tyler Kleven – Ian Moore

Jacob Truscott – Brock Faber

Remington Keopple

Andrew Oke

The United States are coming into this tournament with an extreme amount of talent on both the offensive and defensive side of the ice. While they may have one of the most talented rosters entering the August World Juniors, they have one major concern, the goaltending. No matter which goaltender starts the tournament for them, it will be an undrafted goaltender. Before we dig deeper, let us take a look at their firepower upfront. It will be extremely exciting to be able to see a line consisting of Matthew Knies, Logan Cooley and Matthew Coronato. All three have played for the USNTDP and each are considered offensive forces.

On top of that, the US finally will be able to have Thomas Bordeleau play for them as he unfortunately missed the last several World Juniors. The depth of the US forwards is something to be amazed at. Players like Sasha Pastujov and Mackie Samozkevich, each have immense skill and will provide scoring depth throughout the lineup. In addition, 2023 draft eligible Charlie Stramel looks to have made a strong impression and has carved out a role on this team. It will be interesting to see how this boosts his draft stock entering his draft year.

Taking a look at the US defence, it may be one of the most talented pools of defenceman in this tournament. There are many reliable names defensively on the backend including captain Brock Faber, Tyler Kleven, Jacob Truscott and Wyatt Kaiser. Offensively, the US will lean on Sean Behrens and Ian Moore to pinch and provide odd man rushes from the blueline. It is extremely important for their defence to play up to the level that many expect them to as they are going to play behind lesser named goaltenders in Remington Keopple and Andrew Oke. Keopple, the older of the two goalies, played this past season with Des Moines of the USHL, putting up a 3.06 GAA and a .896 SV%. Oke, who is only 18, had a worse season playing for a poor Saginaw team in the OHL. He produced a 4.63 GAA with a .848 SV%. If the US can protect their goaltenders they will be in for a long run.

Switzerland

Line Projections

Simon Knak – Joshua Fahrni – Jonas Taibel

Fabian Ritzmann – Joel Henry – Marlon Graf

Attilio Biasca – Micolas Baechler – Kevin Nicolet

Joel Marchon – Mats Alge – Tim Muggli

Giancarlo Chanton – Noah Delemont

Nick Meile – Dario Sidler

Rodwin Dionicio – Arno Nussbaumer

Noah Patenaude

Andri Henauer

The battle for the third spot in Group B will be a close one to watch and Switzerland will have to rely on a mix of veteran and youth to avoid relegation. The most notable forward for Switzerland is 20-year-old Nashville Predators’ prospect Simon Knak who has split time between the WHL and the Swiss National League. Knak has a knack for forechecking, often using his skating ability to provide pressure to puck carriers hoping to pounce on loose pucks. Switzerland will also rely on the youth, with 17-year-old Jonas Taibel likely playing top line minutes. He finished the previous season with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, producing 21 points in 57 games.

On the backend, Switzerland will turn to 20-year-old Noah Delemont to cover significant minutes for them. Delemont is calm cool and collected on the ice, which allows him to scan theice and use his strong vision to pass the puck. Like their forwards, Switzerland will again look to the youth and 18-year-old Nick Melie, who has been a consistent part of Switzerland’s international teams, producing four points in nine games at the U18’s. Switzerland is most comfortable with their goaltending. Noah Patenaude has proven to be reliable, playing for Saint John in the QMJHL producing a 2.96 GAA and a .914 SV%. With a little luck and strong goaltending, Switzerland has the chance to steal a couple games.

Germany

Line Projections

Alexander Blank – Danjo Leonhardt – Josef Eham

Markus Schweiger – Joshua Samanski – Justin Volek

Haakon Hanlet – Bennett Rossmy – Maciej Rutkowski

Thomas Heigl – Luca Hauf – Yannick Proske

Maksymilian Szuber – Luca Munzenberger

Adrian Klein – Maximilian Glotzl

Arkadiusz Dziambor – Korbinian Geibel

Florian Bugl

Niklas Lunemann

Germany was one of the unfortunate teams that were heavily affected by having the tournament moved from January to August as they had to replace seven players from the January roster. On offence, Germany will be leaning on Alexander Blank, Danjo Leonhardt and Josef Eham. Alexander Blank was off to a hot start for Germany in January scoring 3 points in 2 games before it was cancelled. Leonhardt, on the other hand, had a strong season playing in the Alps Hockey League finishing the past season with 35 points in 32 games. Both Leonhardt and Eham are teammates for RB Hockey in the Alps Hockey League and their chemistry should be used on a line together. Eham, like Leonhardt, had a great season finishing with a 1.14 point per game.

Defensively, the go-to player for Germany will be Luca Munzenberger. The former 3rd round pick of the Edmonton Oilers played the previous season for the University of Vermont. At Vermont, Munzernberger has polished his defence working on his gap control. Projected to play across from Munzenberger is Maksymilian Szuber who spent the majority of the season in the DEL playing for EHC Munchen. Szuber, an Arizona Coyotes’ draft pick, is a large raw defenceman who uses his body to his advantage.

In net, Germany will rely on 20-year-old Florian Bugl who dominated the Alps Hockey League last season producing a 2.27 GAA and a .916 SV%. Bugl looked fairly sturdy in January in his lone game in the cancelled World Juniors. Germany will be in a strong battle to avoid relegation and make the quarterfinals.

Austria

Line Projections

Oskar Maier – Leon Wallner – Moritz Lackner

Jonas Dobnig – Ian Scherzer – Senna Peeters

Fin Vann Ee – Luca Auer – Maximilian Hengelmuller

Tim Geifes – Janick Wernicke – Nico Kramer

Tobias Sablattnig – Martin Urbanek

David Reinbacher – Christoph Tialler

Lukas Horl – Lukas Necesany

Leon Sommer

Thomas Pfarrmaier

Similar to Switzerland and Germany, Austria will be trying to avoid relegation and will fight for a spot in the quarterfinals. The majority of Austria’s offence will be ran through Oskar Maier and Leon Wallner. Maier was named captain of the RB Hockey team in the Alps hockey league last year, finishing the season with 24 points in 27 games. Wallner, on the other hand, played his season in Sweden in the J20 league, producing 37 points in 28 games. An exciting name to watch for Austria this World Juniors is 2023 draft eligible Ian Scherzer. Last season, Scherzer excelled in the Swedish J18 league scoring 15 points in 17 games. He will be using this tournament as a platform to get himself noticed by NHL scouts.

Austria’s backend will be fortified by the youth with the likes of 19-year-old Tobias Sablattnig and 17-year-old David Reinbacher. Sablattnig spent the majority of the season in the Alps Hockey League where the 6’0” defenceman was able to put up 16 points in 37 games. Reinbacher has spent the past season between the U-20 Elit league and the Swiss League. The 2023 draft eligible put up a combined 33 points in 50 games and will look to use this tournament as a platform to get drafted.

Lastly, the net will be occupied by Leon Sommer who played for a poor Steel Wings Linz of the Alps Hockey league allowing 3.16 GAA while carrying a .910 SV%. Austria will hope their youth will be able to step up and lead their team to a few victories.

Sweden

Oskar Olausson – Daniel Ljungman – Fabian Lysell

Isak Rosen – Theodor Neiderbach – Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Linus Sjodin – Ake Stakkestad – Daniel Torgersson

Oskar Magnusson – Victor Stjernborg – Albert Sjoberg

Simon Edvinsson – Helge Grans

Leo Loof – Mans Forsfjall

Emil Andrae – William Wallinder

Jesper Wallstedt

Calle Clang

The other power house in Group B, Sweden has an enormous amount of talent up front and will look to lean on their skill to bring them a medal. The projected first line of Oskar Olausson, Daniel Ljungman and Fabian Lysell will be looked upon to set the offensive tone for Sweden. Olausson and Lysell both have a combination of speed and skill, which they use to transition the puck and attack the offensive zone. Ljungman has proven to be a good two-way centre who will provide support on both sides of the ice. Sweden still has options down the line including a pair of first round picks in Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Isak Rosen and Vancouver Canucks’ prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Both these players spent a large chunk of the previous season in the SHL in limited roles and were still able to produce.

The backend is where Sweden will excel, anchoring it will be none other than 6’6” Detroit Red Wings’ prospect Simon Edvinsson who has a unique combination of size, physicality and speed. Opposite of Edvinsson should be Helge Grans, the two-way defender uses his speed and long reach to close gaps and attack forwards turning over possession. To show the depth on this defence, the projected bottom pairing, Emil Andrae and William Wallinder, should make a large impact for Sweden. Andrae is an extremely skilled offensive defenceman who put up 33 points in 41 games in the Hockey Allsvenkan league. His partner Wallinder is a big bruising 6’4” defenceman who will crush any player in his way.

In net is where Sweden has the largest advantage though, with Minnesota Wild’s prospect Jesper Wallstedt. Wallstedt improved on his draft year season playing 22 games in the SHL and putting up ridiculous numbers with a 1.98 GAA and a .918 SV%. It is going to be extremely difficult to score on Sweden in this tournament.

WJ Predicitons

Group A

Canada

Finland

Czechia

Slovakia

Latvia

Group B

Sweden

USA

Germany

Switzerland

Austria

Quarterfinals

Canada over Switzerland

Finland over Germany

Czechia over USA

Sweden over Slovakia

Semifinals

Canada over Finland

Sweden over Czechia

Medals

Sweden – Gold

Canada – Silver

Finland – Bronze

Tournament MVP – Connor Bedard

Best Forward – Mason McTavish

Best Defenceman – Simon Edvinsson

Best Goaltender – Jesper Wallsted

All-Tournament team

F – Connor Bedard

F – Mason McTavish

F – Logan Cooley

D – Simon Edvinsson

D – Topi Niemela

G – Jesper Wallstedt

2022 NHL DRAFT: SECOND CHANCES, PART 1 – NHL Draft Re-Entry Candidates from Canada

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:10:42 +0000

In a normal year, scouting hockey is marred by imperfection. Every year high end players get skipped over at the NHL draft for various reasons. Maybe they suffered through injuries. Maybe their team struggled, and it prevented scouts from getting a good read on them. Maybe their team was too good, forcing them down the depth chart with limited minutes and exposure opportunities. Or...maybe they just were not good enough. But thankfully human development is nonlinear and therefore unpredictable. Teenage hockey players are far from a finished product on the ice as their games mature just as the rest of their body and mind does. That is why it is critical to track players as they move through their second and third years of draft eligibility (or fourth years of eligibility for some European players).

This year, it feels like we are playing catch-up because of how disjointed last year was in the scouting community. The OHL did not play. Other leagues played only partially. How much was development stunted? Better yet, how many players have surprised this year with their progression given that they were not able to show said progression last year (such as the OHL players). Will we see an extraordinary number of “re-entry” players selected this year as NHL scouting teams gobble up all of these players who slipped through the cracks of the pandemic scouting year?

North American players with birth dates from January 1st to September 15th, will be eligible for three NHL drafts. Players with birth dates from September 16th to December 31st, will be eligible for two NHL drafts. And for European players (in European leagues), extend that eligibility by one year in both cases. Recently, NHL scouts have increased the rate with which they are selecting “re-entry” candidates, or players previously passed over. Contract limits have made it critical for teams to spread out where they select players from, in addition to their age. This has made second- and third-year eligible U.S. and European based players especially attractive. However, these players have had a lot of success in recent years too. Look around the league and you see these players everywhere. For example, Florida Panthers standout defender Mackenzie Weegar was one. So too was Winnipeg Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck. Standout Arizona Coyotes rookie Janis Moser was one last year.

Speaking of last year, ten “re-entry” candidates went in the Top 100; Ryker Evans, Josh Doan, Janis Moser, Carter Mazur, Alexei Kolosov, Taige Harding, Andrei Buyalsky, Josh Lopina, Ville Ottavainen, and Jakub Malek In our “second chances” article last year (Part 1:) (Part 2: )( Part 3) we wrote about eight of these ten. In total there were 34 taken, actually below the trend of over 40 being selected in other recent drafts (roughly about 20% of all players selected). Additionally, of those 34, we identified and wrote about 17 (half of them) in our aforementioned second chances series. Just like in previous editions of this annual report, we aim to identify more.

In 2022, we have some very interesting candidates. Lucas Edmonds of the Kingston Frontenacs was near the top of OHL scoring all season. Stephen Halliday of Dubuque had one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the USHL. Dmitri Buchelnikov completely obliterated the MHL, a year after being passed over as one of the youngest eligible players in 2021. This article intends to highlight them and many other candidates who could be part of that 20% (if the average is restored) this year.

OHL

Lucas Edmonds of the Kingston Frontenacs. Brandon Taylor/OHL Images

Lucas Edmonds - Wing - Kingston Frontenacs

Edmonds is a strange case. Playing as an overager in the OHL (2001 born), Edmonds falls under European eligibility requirements because of his playing past. The same thing happened with Colorado Avalanche 2021 selection Andrei Buyalsky (who we mentioned above) when he played in the USHL a year ago. Edmonds grew up playing in the GTHL (even playing with Nashville Predator Phil Tomasino) but moved to Sweden as a teenager. The 5’11, 185lbs winger is not your average overage player physically. A late bloomer, Edmonds struggled to make an impact playing against men in Sweden, so he returned to Ontario to play in the OHL this season (not an import as he was originally drafted into the OHL in 2017). The decision was a good one as Edmonds was consistently one of the best players in the league and consistently among its leading scorers. On a lot of nights, Edmonds (and Kingston’s strong second line with the recently signed Jordan Frasca and Dallas pick Francesco Arcuri) overshadowed potential first overall pick Shane Wright. It would appear that it is not a case of whether Edmonds gets drafted this year, but when.

“The two things that immediately jump out at you about Edmonds are his hands and his intelligence. He always has his head up and his anticipation in the offensive end is terrific. The puck just gravitates in his direction, and he always seems to be around it. He creates time and space so well with his hands too. He can stickhandle in a phone booth; he has elite escapability. Equal parts playmaker and finisher there really is not a weak spot in his game as an offensive player.

The only question mark is his skating. East/West Edmonds is solid. He uses his edges well and can evade checks at the OHL level with strong agility. He is also strong and balanced, giving him the ability to consistently win battles in traffic. However, his acceleration and linear quickness is below average. As an average sized skilled forward, can he overcome that? Can his quickness be improved? There is certainly a chance that he won’t be able to keep pace in the NHL, and/or earn the kind of puck touches he will need to produce. That said, what he has shown this year has been extremely impressive and he is more than worthy of a draft selection.” - Brock Otten

Samuel Mayer - Defense - Peterborough Petes

It was not a terrific year for the Petes, but one of the few positives was the emergence of Samuel Mayer as the team’s number one defender. The 6’3, 200lbs blueliner came out of nowhere to not only claim a roster spot (he was a U18 draft pick, a source of talent that rarely pays off), but become a minute eater. He played in all situations for the Petes and was the team’s defensive scoring leader by a significant margin. In fact, among all U19 defenders in the OHL, Mayer finished in the top ten, ahead of many NHL drafted players.

“The first time I saw Mayer play, I was surprised with how effective he was. Given his size and lack of experience at a higher level, I expected his mobility to be poor. However, for a bigger defender, his mobility is good. There is certainly room for him to improve his quickness, but the four-way mobility is better than some of the 2003 defenders taken last year by NHL teams. Mayer impresses with his ability to lead the rush and run the point inside the offensive blueline. His puck skills are surprisingly sound, and he has a big point shot that will be a huge weapon in the OHL over the next few seasons. Best of all, Mayer is very solid in the defensive end. He is a physically intense competitor with a penchant for the big hit. And he routinely blows up transitional attacks. As he gains experience, he has a chance to become one of the better two-way defenders in the OHL. His pro aspirations will hinge on continued improvement in his quickness and decision making, but without question, his season has put him on some draft lists.” - Brock Otten

Gavin White - Defense - Hamilton Bulldogs

The Hamilton Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the OHL this year and a potential favourite for the Memorial Cup. Just look at how they’ve blown up the playoffs thus far. One of the reasons? The breakout season of mobile, puck mover Gavin White. A depth player the last time the OHL took the ice, White is now a critical, top four defender on a dominant offensive team. The 6’0, right shot defender was actually a U18 pick, much like Samuel Mayer (discussed above). He was in the top ten of blueline scoring all season long and is a truly dynamic puck mover because of his effortless stride and movement capabilities.

“I actually thought that there could be a chance White got drafted last year after how good he looked at that OHL showcase event organized in Erie. He was one of the better defenders there and even earned an invite to the San Jose Sharks training camp because of it. White’s game is perfectly tailored for the modern-day NHL. His four-way mobility is terrific. His confidence on his edges, ability to build speed out of cuts, and his four-way quickness are all among the best of any defender in the OHL. He is so elusive and creative in the offensive zone because of this. Defensively, I think he still has room to grow as a player, but his game seems to improve with each passing month. This year’s OHL playoffs will be a great test for him to prove to scouts that he can dominate at both ends when it matters most (so far so good).” - Brock Otten

Patrick Leaver - Goaltender - Oshawa Generals

Leaver narrowly missed being eligible for the draft for the first time this year by only a few weeks (born September 4th, 2003). But with no hockey in Ontario last year, he did not have a chance to showcase his abilities at a higher level after playing in the CCHL2 as a 16-year-old. Even this year, Leaver was supposed to be the backup to overage standout Zachary Paputsakis. However, with Paputsakis getting a late start to the year, Leaver was thrust into a starting role in Oshawa and pretty much never relinquished it (however, the Generals crease did become more of a platoon).

Oshawa was a bit all over the map this season, but Leaver was consistently solid as an OHL rookie and the stats back that up. A poor stretch to close out the year ruined his save percentage a bit, but it was among the best in the league nearly all season. Leaver does not have the size scouts are looking for; he is only 6’0. However, more and more small netminders are having success at the pro level and Leaver is certainly worthy of an opportunity.

“Leaver has that elite athleticism that you look for in smaller netminders. Post to post, he is one of the quickest in the OHL. It seems like he is hitting the highlight reels monthly with a miraculous athletic save. And quite frankly, he keeps the Generals in a lot of games with the big saves he comes up with and the way he tracks the play. He always seems to get himself square to shooters. Leaver is just downright fun to watch.

There are some things that will probably concern NHL scouts. His rebound control is a work in progress. He needs to do a better job of playing bigger in the crease by fighting through traffic and being more aggressive in challenging shooters. He can be beaten high for that reason. Yet, these are coachable and improvable attributes. Given how young he is and how weak this year’s goaltending crop is, I absolutely view Leaver as a potential pick this year.” - Brock Otten

Kirill Steklov - Defense - London Knights

The journey back to the OHL has been a long and arduous one for Steklov. He played for London in his original draft year (2019/20) but returned home to Russia after the pandemic started. This year, he split time between the KHL and MHL and made the Russian roster for the abruptly halted World Juniors. It was after that event that Steklov decided to return to the Knights after a year and a half away. In London, he was an absolute workhorse, stepping right into a top four role. Just about every facet of his game has improved and the 6’4 defender commands attention when he is on the ice.

“I remember I watched one of Steklov’s first games back in the OHL and I couldn’t believe that it was the same player I saw struggle in his rookie year as an Import nearly two years ago. Night and day. There are not many 6’4 defenders who can move like he does. He covers the ice so effortlessly. His play and confidence with the puck has really improved too. There are still some moments with the puck that make you wonder how well he sees the ice/processes the game at a higher pace, however he is unquestionably a significantly improved player and prospect. It would be shocking if an NHL team did not give him a look this year given his floor as a Dmitri Kulikov type who can defend pace with his feet and reach.” - Brock Otten

Matt Maggio - Wing - Windsor Spitfires

Maggio is another of the OHL’s most improved players this year (a year where there are obviously a lot of them). With a late 2002 birthday, Maggio was first time eligible last year, where he played out the pandemic in the Swedish third league. Unfortunately, his disappointing rookie season in the OHL the year prior really left a sour taste in the mouths of scouts. This year, however, Maggio has consistently been one of Windsor’s best players, which has helped them to be one of the surprise teams in the OHL (and still going in this year’s playoffs). One of the league’s leading goal scorers, Maggio is an extremely dangerous player in transition and his tenaciousness really gives him a chance of being a pro.

“I have been trying to watch more of Windsor of late and every time I do, Maggio stands out. His linear quickness and explosiveness have really improved. And this is great because his confidence on his edges and overall agility has always been good. These improvements have allowed Maggio to become one of the OHL’s best counter attackers. His shot is also a major weapon. He consistently seems to find his way to the middle of the ice and when he gets the puck in the home plate area, he rarely seems to miss. Maggio is also a competitive player who likes to get under the skin of the opposition. I wouldn’t call him a power forward, but he has become the perfect complementary winger, especially when paired with Wyatt Johnston, because of how active he is without the puck, how quickly he can strike, and how well he plays with pace.” - Brock Otten

Tucker Robertson - Center - Peterborough Petes

At this point, the competition for the top re-entry this year could be between two OHL’ers, Tucker Robertson and the aforementioned Edmonds. Robertson was a standout as an OHL rookie two seasons ago because of his high energy approach and tenaciousness, however the OHL hiatus did not give him an opportunity to show that he could be a standout offensively. Fast forward to this season and Robertson has done just that. Not only did he remain a standout energy player (a terrific penalty killer, great on faceoffs, physical and tenacious), but Robertson finished as one of the highest scoring 2003 born players in the OHL this year. He is proving that, without a doubt, he should have been selected last year after being one of the top players at the makeshift Erie showcase.

“Many players in the OHL that lost their draft-year season needed to have big re-entry seasons to really catch scouts’ attention. Tucker Robertson is one player that started the year very hot and never seemed to slow down. He’s an all-around player who brings great energy on each shift. He’s not afraid to go to dirty areas for redirections and rebounds. He has great hands along the boards and in-tight and is able to control and protect the puck well in traffic. He has a scoring mentality, always attacking the slot and driving to the net to create chances. He has a quick release on his wrist shot but could improve the power.

Not only is he an effective goal scorer, his vision and playmaking are just as good. Displaying great patience to wait for passing lanes to open, avoiding forced passes that could lead to turnovers. Robertson reads plays very well and is almost always in the right spot at the right time. Consistently supporting teammates in the defensive zone, getting into open space to give passing options, and also having great awareness and positioning on the penalty kill.

He has a great motor that never seems to quit, out-battling opponents for the puck and playing physical when needed, showing he can handle a limited role and still be effective. One area that Robertson still needs to improve is when he’s skating with the puck in transition, before entering the offensive zone, he seems to stop moving his feet and just glides into the zone, losing speed and momentum, making it much easier on defenders to read and shutdown. I believe Robertson could become a middle-six forward that has the ability to kill penalties and also become a depth scorer in the NHL.”- Dylan Krill

James Hardie - Wing - Mississauga Steelheads

It seems like Hardie has been a mainstay on this list the last two seasons after he shockingly went undrafted following a 34-goal season in 2019/20. But scouts had concerns about how well his scoring numbers would translate given his lack of dynamic skating ability, outside shooting tendencies, and one-dimensional play. Now an OHL veteran and in his final year of draft eligibility, Hardie makes this list again because he helped the Steelheads to a surprisingly solid season and because he has improved many of the areas of concern. He is never going to win a Selke trophy, but Hardie has found a way to be more middle lane focused and has increased his physical intensity. Of course, he still has one of the OHL’s best shots and has the potential to be a solid complementary scorer at the pro level.

“James Hardie is a player who many in the public sphere thought would be drafted, both last year and in his original draft eligible season. This is the last draft that Hardie is eligible for, and I think that he's proved himself worthy of being selected. After missing his DY+1, Hardie knew he had to produce more this year and he didn’t hold back, putting up new career highs in both goals (41) and assists (36), finishing the year with 77 points in 68 games. Hardie had a very successful season and It’s clear that Hardie can find the back of the net. His shot is very quick and accurate, but what makes him so effective is his offensive awareness and ability to understand where to be and when to get there in perfect time. He doesn’t make it easy on defenders, always looking for open space to set-up teammates for high-danger scoring chances.

Hardie has made significant improvement in his skating. His first three steps are much stronger and quicker, producing much more efficient acceleration. His top speed looks faster, and he’s been able create many chances on breakaways because of it. He’s been much more active on the transition and is someone the Steelheads often look at to drive play. One area Hardie could look to improve is his passing accuracy and becoming less impulsive with the puck. There are times where he could wait an extra second or two to give himself more time to read the play and choose the best play possible, avoiding turnovers and prolonging his team’s puck possession. With Hardie’s offensive tools, he could become an effective middle-six depth scorer on a team at the next level. Having the ability to compliment a playmaker very well with his goal scoring touch.” - Dylan Krill

Kyle Jackson - Center - North Bay Battalion

There are a lot of parallels between Jackson and the aforementioned Matt Maggio. Both late born 2002’s. Both Ottawa area kids. Both highly hyped but struggled in their rookie OHL seasons. Unlike Maggio, Jackson did not head overseas last year, making it a lost year of development for him. However, like Maggio, Jackson was a standout this year, proving that he was originally worth the hype as a young CCHL player. While he has struggled with injuries this year, when healthy he has been an impact player for the Battalion, who have also been surprisingly strong in the Eastern Conference. This includes the playoffs, where Jackson has been terrific. The 6’2 forward is both versatile and skilled and should be on the draft radar this season.

“Kyle Jackson started the year on the second line, but it didn’t take long until he gained the trust of his coaches and became the Battalions first line center for the rest of the year. Despite battling injury, Jackson still managed to produce 62 points (30G,32A) in 45 games, finishing 4th on his team in points. Not only did he score over a point per game, he also went two consecutive games without scoring only three times during the season, bringing value to his team every night. Jackson is a strong player who uses his size to drive play well. He’s able to out-battle opponents for the puck often and is strong on his stick, forcing many turnovers in both the defensive and neutral zone. He is a strong finisher by the net, having a nose for the dirty areas, being able to clean up rebounds and tap-ins. There’s still room for Jackson to improve with his skating, as there are times where he quits moving his feet and isn’t able to accelerate quick enough. Also, his feet look a bit heavy at times, so he could look to improve there as well. He’s very aware defensively and is active at suppressing chances, using both his body and stick to takeaway space quickly. I believe Jackson has proved that he’s worth being drafted because of his ability to handle a bottom-six role at the next level.” - Dylan Krill

Amadeus Lombardi - Center - Flint Firebirds (OHL)

Lombardi has to be considered one of the league's most underrated players after a very positive rookie season. He had barely played above the AAA level before this year, but came into Flint, locked down a top six role, and finished as the team's second leading scorer. He has continued that success into the OHL playoffs too. An intelligent, playmaking pivot, Lombardi has likely put himself on many draft lists with his solid progression over the course of the year.

“I really love how he sees the ice. Just so calm and composed in the offensive zone. As he gets stronger, I think he has a chance to be one of the league's best playmaking centers. His vision and poise with the puck is a standout quality. There is lots of room for him to improve on some of those classic physical tools (quickness, strength through traffic, etc), but he is essentially playing in his first year of hockey above the AAA level. That is a HUGE jump. If he puts in the work, the innate qualities of his game have the opportunity to shine even brighter. His playoff performance likely dictates whether he gets drafted and thus far, he's been excellent.” - Brock Otten

WHL

Graham Sward. Photo by Larry Brunt

Mikey Milne - Wing - Winnipeg Ice (WHL)

One of the most improved players in the WHL this year, Milne exploded offensively for the WHL leading Ice. Sure, he plays with some talented offensive players, but Milne’s hard work, determination, speed, and awareness have made him the perfect complement to the likes of Savoie, Geekie, McClennon, Finley, etc. He excels in all situations and finished just outside the top 10 of WHL scoring. Additionally, his +56 was second in the entire WHL this year. In our opinion (at McKeen’s) he is one of the top re-entry players eligible this year (across all leagues and countries).

“It’s hard to turn on a Winnipeg Ice game and not be entertained by the star talent they have. Whether it’s draft eligibles Matthew Savoie or Conor Geekie, or even a young star like Zach Benson, the Ice have the talent to catch your eye and make your jaw drop on a game-to-game basis. One of these eye-catchers is overager Mikey Milne, the 5’11”, 185lbs left wing from Abbotsford, British Columbia. The skilled winger has totaled 81 points in 68 WHL games, trailing only Savoie in scoring for the Ice, and finishing twelfth in scoring for the entire league. It’s difficult for an overager to prove that the league made a mistake passing on them, but I believe Milne has done this in spades. The forward may never be a high-impact scorer for an NHL team, but his off-puck routing, work ethic and contact fundamentals allow Milne to be an aggressive forechecker that constantly applies calculated pressure on the opposition. There is certainly a role for Milne in the future, one where he can complement more dynamic puck carriers by being the skilled finisher that leaps into the dirty areas of the ice to ensure possession. There are few overagers in this class that project to the NHL in a versatile role, but Mikey Milne is certainly one of them. A team taking him in the third or beyond could find a useful NHLer within just a few years.” - Sam McGilligan

Graham Sward - Defense - Spokane Chiefs

A former highly touted prospect and one of the youngest players eligible in 2021, Sward went unselected after playing sparingly in a shortened WHL season. He returned with a bang this season, emerging as a top defender for Spokane. Among ‘03 defenders in the WHL, Sward’s 43 points were top five overall and ahead of highly touted and highly drafted players like Stanislav Svozil and Nolan Allan. Considering his calling card is probably in the defensive end, this is just gravy and points to really positive progression.

“Graham Sward is a staunch, reliable defender who enjoyed a breakout offensive season in his third year in the league. Billed strictly as a shut-down guy last year, Sward took another step in rounding out his game with 43 points in 57 games as an all-situations player for the rebuilding Spokane Chiefs. His calling card remains his combination of skating ability and physical presence. As a mid to late-round pick, Sward could project as a bottom-pairing NHL defender if his game continues to evolve.” - Arlo Schulz

James Stefan - Wing - Portland Winterhawks

Last year was a tumultuous one for Stefan. He decided to go to the USHL with the WHL delayed and he struggled with Lincoln. Then he left Lincoln and returned briefly to Portland before the season ended. Just not a strong draft year for a former promising prospect. The son of former first overall pick Patrik Stefan, James has rebounded nicely this year. His 79 points were second on the Winterhawks behind Red Wings prospect Cross Hanas, while his 34 goals were tops.

“In Portland, James Stefan broke out for a 79-point season as a third-year junior playing in Mike Johnston’s pro-calibre development system, placing him firmly on scouts’ radar for the upcoming draft. Despite not being a great skater, Stefan is adept at getting to the right spots on the ice and exhibits good hockey sense and timing. A functional player who can be an asset on the forecheck, Stefan can produce on the powerplay as well with an accurate shot that he finally began to utilize more this past season. The son of former 1st overall pick Patrik Stefan is also fairly industrious without the puck and is rounding into a reliable player that won’t necessarily blow you away in any one category, but exhibits a good enough floor as a player that he may evolve into a decent pro.” - Arlo Schulz

Thomas Milic - Goaltender - Seattle Thunderbirds

Size bias is a real thing for goaltenders these days, even with some smaller netminders finding success in the NHL. The sample size was small but Milic was solid last year between the WHL and the U18’s. However, the 6’0 stopper went unselected. So what did he do? Return to Seattle and put together another solid year over a full year’s work this time. His .912 save percentage was just outside the top five in the league. A strong playoff performance for Seattle could lead him to be selected late this time around.

“Perhaps no position was as affected by last year’s shortened season as much as goaltenders, who simply didn’t get the reps needed for development and as a result were passed over in 2021. Thomas Milic of the Seattle Thunderbirds is one example. He lacks the size that NHL scouts covet these days but reads the play well and is a terrific skater. He tracks pucks fairly well and can elevate his play in pressure situations. His rebound control needs work as do his puck skills. Smaller goalies will always need to do extra in order to attract scouts’ attention (fairly or not), so we will see if this ends up keeping him out of the 2022 draft or not.” - Arlo Schulz

Braden Holt - Goaltender - Everett Silvertips

Holt split starting duties for Everett this year but was generally solid after barely playing last season. Even a spot on the US U18 team did not give Holt playing time as he spent the tournament as the third goaltender. Even though he finished the season on a bit of a down note, he might be more highly touted this year than he was last.

“Braden Holt’s stats improved in his third year, but it remains to be seen if he did enough to get drafted this upcoming summer. His positioning and athleticism are his strongest traits, and he reads the play fairly well, but can lose sight of the puck in traffic and doesn’t display quick enough footwork. He needs to improve his decision making when handling the puck and continue to refine his focus and consistency." - Arlo Schulz

Bogdans Hodass - Defense - Medicine Hat Tigers

A 6’3 defender from Latvia, Hodass had a very positive first year in the WHL, emerging as a top four defender for the rebuilding Tigers. He was named Medicine Hat’s rookie of the year this season and played in all situations. It is very likely you have heard of Hodass based on his name alone as it appears quite often on lists of the best names available, however his play on the ice also deserves recognition.

“Medicine Hat was really, really bad this year. Logan Barlage led the team in scoring…with 33 points. That was both a blessing and a curse for Hodass. He received a ton of minutes. Early in the year, he looked great. However, as the year went on, the season appeared to take a toll on him as he went the final 16 games without registering a point. Hodass’ skating and overall four way mobility isn’t bad. There is potential there for it to improve further, making him a real standout defensive player. He is aggressive in denying entry to the defensive zone and plays a physical game down low. Offensively, playing on such a poor team made it difficult to truly ascertain what he’s capable of. He can lead the attack and he can make a clean exit, but the offensive ceiling may have been hidden due to his constant defending. Overall, there is a solid overall profile here with potential to be better at both ends due to some positive athletic traits.” - Brock Otten

Michal Gut - Center - Everett Silvertips

While Everett’s season didn’t exactly go according to plan after an upset in round one of the WHL playoffs, they did have a good season and Gut’s emergence as a topflight playmaking center has to be considered one of the main reasons for that. Returning to the WHL after a year playing in the Czech men’s second league, Gut finished just outside the top ten of assists with 53. He also looked great at the World Juniors for Czechia before the tournament was abruptly canceled.

“Once upon a time ago, Gut came to Everett with lofty expectations in his NHL Draft year. However, his battles with consistency, along with a clunky skating stride led him to go unselected. Fast forward to 2022 and Gut looks like a different player after a year away. Even when he’s not helping to create offensively, he is making a positive impact with his energy, physicality, and improving defensive awareness/abilities. His ability to control the puck down low, in and around traffic remains his best quality. He consistently prolongs possession with his hands and quick feet. When you combine that with his great vision, you have a playmaker who can be a difference maker. Gut still isn’t the quickest or fastest player on the ice, but improvements made to nearly every other component should make him a possible draft selection.” - Brock Otten

Ben King - Center - Red Deer Rebels

A former highly touted prospect, we started to see the breakout of King last year in the pandemic shortened WHL season. However, this year it came to fruition as King emerged as one of the top offensive players in the WHL. His 52 goals led the WHL. His 105 points were second to teammate Arshdeep Bains. The 6’3, 200lbs center plays a heavy game that should translate very well to the next level and his ability to put Red Deer on his back at times this year was impressive. In fact, his 15 game winning goals were the second most all time in the WHL for a single season, one off Brian Propp’s record of 16 in 1979.

“While King is far from the WHL’s most impressive skater, he has worked to improve his quickness and that has allowed him to really take a positive step forward. Now, his skating still has a ways to go before he can be an NHL player, but there are so many other components to his game that translate well. He’s a physical, two-way center who is very difficult to play against. He competes consistently away from the puck and his ability to protect the puck down low is impressive. His shot is a major weapon, and he hunts down scoring opportunities well, pointing to great offensive awareness. When you look at how his overall profile has improved this year, he should definitely get a look in 2022.” - Brock Otten

QMJHL

David Spacek, Sherbrooke. Photo by Iften Redjah/QMJHL

David Spacek - Defense - Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)

The son of former NHL defender Jaroslav Spacek, David had a terrific rookie season in the QMJHL with Sherbrooke after not playing much last year (due to pandemic related effects on the Czech junior leagues). His 50 points were ninth among all defenders this year and as of writing this, he leads all defenders in playoff scoring so far. After progressing so well in the Q this year, Spacek was also named to the Czech U20 roster, where he would have played a large role had the tournament actually occurred.

“The Sherbrooke Phoenix is an incredible team loaded with talent across their roster -notably with QMJHL top scorer and Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Joshua Roy, who’s having a fantastic DY+1 season after somewhat of a lackluster draft year. Another player who’s shining this year is their top-scoring defenseman, overager David Spacek. This season, the Czech defenseman tallied 50 points in 57 regular season games, placing him 4th in team scoring. The Columbus, Ohio native isn’t going to “wow” you with high-end skills or blazing speed but instead, will shine with his excellent understanding of the game and intelligence. David is very efficient at both ends of the ice.

On defense, he ties up his man well, maintains a good stick-gap in rushes, and communicates a lot with his teammates to ensure the maintenance of a good defensive structure. Offensively, the smart defenseman will make hard and precise passes to launch the attack, remain calm when facing pressure and has a powerful and accurate shot from the point. Being the son of former NHLer Jaroslav Spacek, David displays a very mature and well-rounded brand of hockey on the ice, which much of it could be credited to his father. Spacek has a great chance to become a well-rounded, bottom-pairing defenseman at the NHL level. Teams should be looking to draft him in the 3rd or 4th round of the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft.” - Éloi Biondo

Frédéric Brunet – Defense - Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

A converted forward, Brunet has been one of the QMJHL’s most improved players this season. The 6’2, offensive blueliner emerged as Rimouski’s primary powerplay quarterback and was one of the team’s most important players this year. Given that he has not always played defense, there could be some untapped potential and upside to Brunet’s game.

“Tall, puck-moving defensemen are a rare asset in today’s NHL, and Frédéric Brunet might have the potential to become just that. Last year, the Gatineau, QC native had a relatively modest draft year season in the Circuit Courteau, putting up nine points in 33 games. But this campaign, the 6’2 defenseman exploded offensively, amassing 46 points in 63 games, leading over the second-best scoring defenseman of his team by double the points. Brunet possesses some very tempting attributes that teams might be interested in; he’s a very mobile defender who plays with confidence and loves to carry the puck through the neutral zone. He walks the blue line on the power-play for the Oceanic as he dictates the play from the point with his great playmaking abilities and deceptive moves to fake defenders.

On the flip side, Frédéric is not as effective defensively; he’s not the most aggressive on the puck carrier, and he frequently makes mistakes in his zone with the puck on his stick. He also gets caught flat-footed from time to time when defending rushes. However, he can correct himself sometimes due to his excellent skating ability, but that won’t cut it at the next level. If he manages to fix those inconsistencies, I think he could be a nice project pick for a team in the draft's later rounds.” - Éloi Biondo

Ivan Zhigalov - Goaltender - Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)

A Belarussian import netminder, Zhigalov has been largely excellent in his first North American season. The 6’3, right-handed catcher (a rarity) combines athleticism and size in a way that has intrigued NHL scouts to the point where he could very well be the first goaltender off the board in Montreal. The second ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting was also excellent at the CHL Top Prospect’s Game this year.

“Another player from the talented Sherbrooke Phoenix, Ivan Zhigalov, impressed more than one with his highlight-reel saves and confidence in his crease this season. The 6’3 Belarussian goaltender shouldn’t go undrafted in the 2022 draft - his size, lateral mobility, and work ethic are too prevalent for teams to pass on. The athletic netminder never gives up on a play. While his goaltending style creates more rebound chances for the opposition, he still manages to give a second effort on a play and uses his great side-to-side movements to make saves skillfully. On the weaker side, Zhigalov plays a bit deep in his crease, which creates more openings for shooters. Also, the big netminder isn’t great at handling the puck, as he’ll often make bad reads with it and make not-so-well-timed net exits. Due to the lack of elite goaltending talent this year, I could see a team take a swing at him as early as the third round.” - Éloi Biondo

William Rousseau - Goaltender - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

A former highly touted netminder from the Trois-Rivieres area, Rousseau has been considerably better in his second QMJHL season after struggling last year as a rookie (in limited action). The 6’1 netminder split duties with veteran overager Fabio Iacobo and should be ready to be a full-time starter for the Remparts next year.

“Continuing on the topic of goaltenders, William Rousseau has been one of the better ones in the QMJHL this season. The 6’1’’ netminder has put up a .899% save percentage this campaign, improving his numbers drastically compared to last year, where he put up more disappointing numbers in his short sample size of games with a .833% save percentage. Playing for the mighty Québec Remparts, Rousseau has been a very calming presence in front of their net. He is always well positioned; he places himself up in the crease to challenge shooters and leaves very few rebounds to the opposition. However, he doesn’t have the best lateral mobility and can move too far from his net from time to time.

Despite having a good season, he has had to split the net with his partner Fabio Iacobo for the season, which might affect his draft stock down the line. Due to his good size and a good understanding of the position, he might get drafted later in the draft if he continues to perform well for his team. With Patrick Roy as a coach, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that Rousseau has much chance of seeing improvement in his game in the near future.” - Éloi Biondo

Maxime Pellerin - Center - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

The captain of the Tigres, Pellerin was a depth player during the team’s championship run last season. Now the former first round QMJHL draft selection has had his chance to shine as the team’s top line center and leading scorer. Pellerin nearly doubled the offensive production of his next closest teammate this year, giving you an indication of his importance.

“Some players take more time than others to blossom into their full potential, which is the case with Maxime Pellerin. Playing for his hometown team, he didn’t impress the most in his first two seasons, putting up 12 points in 56 games in his rookie season and seven points in 26 games last year. Maxime seems to have risen from adversity and has elevated his game to an entirely new level this year, scoring 60 points in 65 games and being named captain of his team. With an average size of 6’0”, I was surprised by Pellerin's ability to win puck battles along the walls, using clever body positioning and balance to outsmart bigger opponents.

He has some decent puck handling to create lanes for himself in transition. Although he has good hands, Maxime doesn’t have the best skating; his top speed is decent enough, but his acceleration is limited due to his short skating strides, restricting him from creating separation from players. He’s a decent player defensively, supporting his teammates along the walls and is not afraid to block shots in crucial moments in a game. At last, Pellerin seems to have blossomed into a great junior player at 19, but he doesn’t offer enough upside, in my opinion, for him to get drafted by an NHL organization.” - Éloi Biondo

Zach Biggar - Defense - Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)

Ranked last year by NHL Central Scouting, Biggar ultimately went unselected, possibly due to the limited number of games the maritime teams played last season. This year, Biggar has emerged as one of the Titan’s most important defenders as they look to challenge for a QMJHL Championship.

“Zach Biggar is a responsible puck-moving defenseman playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The Prince Edward Island native has upgraded his points totals from 11 in 33 games last season to 32 in 63 this year. At the time I’m writing this, the 6’0”, 179lbs blue-liner has been one of the main point-getters for his franchise in the playoffs, tallying 5 points in 4 games played. Zach Biggar plays a sound defensive game. He maintains good gap control between the attackers to prevent them from gaining access to the middle of the ice, always knows where the opponents are and will position himself accordingly to neutralize them.

His defensive acumen doesn’t prevent him from contributing offensively, as he’ll frequently join the rush, make accurate first passes and quarterback the power play efficiently. Although Biggar moves smoothly around the ice, he’s an average skater and doesn’t possess that extra gear to create much separation between defenders. In the end, Zach is a pretty complete player but could work on expanding his skill set and top speed to garner more attention from scouts. If he continues to make noise in the playoffs, I think he could be picked in the draft’s later rounds.” - Éloi Biondo

Miguël Tourigny – Defense - Acadie-Bathurst Titan

This is Tourigny’s second straight year appearing in this article. The undersized defender was one of the QMJHL’s leading blueline scorers last season, however, he’s taken his game to an even higher level this season with 80 points in 65 games. That was a single point back of Vegas Golden Knights third rounder Lukas Cormier for the league lead among defensemen.

“Lots of players have all the talent in the world and an irreproachable work ethic, but only one detail holds them back: their size. Miguel Tourigny is the perfect example of that, with a height of 5’8” and weighing 172lbs, he’s been scaring off a lot of scouts for the past few years. This season, the dynamic blueliner tallied an astounding 80 points in 65 games, with 31 of them being goals. Miguël has now been ignored in two consecutive drafts, but with the season he’s had, he’s making it very hard for NHL organizations to ignore him for the third time.

The Victoriaville native can take over a game with his jaw-dropping puck skills, slick skating and impressive offensive instincts. The little defenseman fancies carrying the puck by himself in transitions, where he won’t be shy to challenge opponents directly one-on-one or navigate himself through heavy traffic with impressive dangles. Tourigny is also no slouch defensively as he aggressively battles in the corners and, surprisingly, will often come out on top, even against bigger opponents. That combativity is due to his excellent work ethic, which allowed his game to progress to where it is through his years in junior. The offensive upside is just too good to pass on, and Miguël could reward a lucky team for taking a chance on him later in the draft.” - Éloi Biondo

Evan Boucher - Wing - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

The sample size might be too small for NHL scouts to take a chance on him, but you can’t look past the success he had this year after transitioning from the CCHL. A gifted goal scorer, Boucher was signed as a free agent by Halifax half way through the year and scored 25 goals in 37 games for them to close out the year. Lethal on the powerplay, Boucher combines great size with a menacing shot and goal scoring instincts. In his last year of draft eligibility, NHL teams may want to see him play an overage year before they truly offer up, but he is certainly one to watch.

“It’s uncommon to see players make their QMJHL debut at 19 years old, but Evan Boucher did just that. The forward started this season with the Brockville Braves of the CCHL in Ontario before signing as a free agent with the Mooseheads in December. To say Boucher adapted quickly to his new environment would be an understatement, as he notched five goals and had two assists in his first three games as a moose. The Timmins native finished the regular season with an impressive 40 points in 37 games, 25 of them being goals. The best part of Evan's game is, without a doubt, his goalscoring instincts. He’s got a heavy and accurate wrist shot he can release from anywhere on the ice. He can also use his big frame to battle for rebounds in front of the net, displaying great versatility in his goal scoring.

Boucher isn’t the best skater mechanically; he’s got heavy feet and lacks quickness and acceleration, but once he reaches his top speed, he can be pretty hard to stop down the wing for defenders. A drawback of his game would be his playmaking. His vision is a bit lackluster as he’ll often make blind passes without scanning or make a play too quickly, resulting in passes to no one. This year, Boucher might find some interest in the later rounds of the draft due to how well he’s played this season. He has a slight chance of becoming a complementary goalscoring option at the next level.” - Éloi Biondo

Julien Beland - Center - Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

It hasn’t been the easiest road for Beland thus far in his hockey career. Injuries and crowded lineups have prevented him from previously cracking a QMJHL roster. But this year he finally did it and he was an impact player for the Oceanic in a depth role. Combining size (6’3), with speed and physicality, Beland has put himself on the draft radar, even if his offensive production isn’t outstanding.

“So far, the tall 6’3’’ and 183 lbs. forward’s young career has been ravaged with injuries and bad luck. Béland missed his 16-year-old season in the Quebec U16 AAA league due to a concussion. The next year, he was cut from Gatineau Olympiques’ training camp, therefore, missed an entire season of play due to the COVID-19 stopping the AAA circuit’s activities. The Rimouski Oceanic then acquired him in the offseason for Gabriel Jackson and two 4th round picks. The Québec, QC native has proven to be a great addition to the rebuilding Bas-Saint-Laurent's formation, bringing some physicality and experience to their young players.

Béland plays a simple yet effective game style; the centerman uses his great reach and speed to pressure hard on the forecheck and to steal pucks from opponents frequently.

He also plays a good net-front game and is responsible defensively. But apart from that, there’s not much else that stands out from the 18 years old’s game. There are no ‘’skills’’ that particularly stand out. While his frame allows him to be effective against junior players, I don’t think it will enable him to produce at a level where opponents are more physically mature. He also doesn’t have a great point production as an overager, having only 29 points in 53 games. That being said, while I don’t think that Béland should be drafted this year, if he works on expanding his puck skills and creativity, he could garner some NHL team’s attention in the future.” - Éloi Biondo

AJHL

Zach Bookman - Defense - Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

How could you not be impressed with what Bookman was able to do this year in the AJHL? In his final year of draft eligibility, the Merrimack commit has produced at a clip rarely seen in the AJHL. His 1.86 point per game is by far the best this millennium (Cale Makar and Michael Benning were at 1.39 in their draft years, albeit at a younger age).

“It should come as no surprise for me to say that Bookman is a highly aggressive offensive defender. He consistently activates in transition and will even push deep down low in the offensive zone, earning breakaways and clear looks in tight (his heat map does not look like the typical defender profile). His stride is not the most powerful, but his hands and anticipation are excellent, helping to afford him the time and space he needs to operate. He defends similarly to how he plays offensively; aggressively. He tries to jump passing lanes. He steps up early on attackers with stick checks. This leads to some bad plays. But it also leads to some positive ones.

No doubt his approach will need to be refined at the NCAA level, let alone the pro level.

He will also need to put in the work to improve his quickness and his physical engagement and strength down low. However, you have to applaud what he has done this year, even if he has an age advantage over the competition. He is well worth a draft selection as a re-entry player because of his vision, puck skill, and overall offensive potential from the back end.” - Brock Otten

Boston Buckberger - Defense - Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

Ironically, Buckberger is the common defensive partner for the aforementioned Bookman on a strong Brooks team. At first glance, Buckberger’s production is nothing to scoff at. He is in his second year of draft eligibility (born in June of 2003) and sits outside of the Top 20 of league defenseman scoring. However, there is more to the story. Firstly, he is playing in his first year above the Saskatchewan AAA level, barely playing last year due to the pandemic. Secondly, the majority of his production this year has come at even strength with the aforementioned Zach Bookman swallowing up powerplay time with Brooks (although he does pair with Bookman at even strength on the top pairing).

“Without question, Buckberger passes the eye test, and it is why a prestigious program like the University of Wisconsin has given him a scholarship. As a skater, Buckberger has a lot of potential. Moving forward he shows solid explosiveness and agility, with the ability to use quick and sharp linear crossovers to alter direction but maintain pace. This helps him to be an effective transitional catalyst. However, similar to a guy like Brandt Clarke, his legs are a bit stiff when transitioning or trying to defend and it limits his four-way mobility. Buckberger also shows well as a physical defender, eager to close gaps quickly and aggressively. The rest of his game is a major work in progress, with inconsistencies showing in his puck management, multi-zone awareness, and overall effectiveness at both ends. It is very obvious that he has not played much at a higher level. Yet this also makes him somewhat alluring as with the right development team and program to guide him, there is raw potential.” - Brock Otten

SJHL

Kevin Anderson - Center - Notre Dame (SJHL)

Anderson missed the cut-off to be first time draft eligible this year by a single day (with a September 15 birth date). The Princeton commit led a storied Notre Dame Hounds program in scoring this season and finished second overall in SJHL scoring. A disappointing playoff performance and a first-round loss might have taken a bit of shine off that, but his overall body of work is impressive. It has been nearly 20 years since the SJHL had an NHL draft pick, but perhaps this year that streak is broken.

“Leave no stone unturned. That should be every NHL team’s scouting mantra. The SJHL surely isn’t the powerhouse of a league that it once was in the 1980’s, but it still produces talent. Anderson is a very strong linear skater who generates power quickly. He also alters pace well, making him dynamic in transition, as he looks to attack the offensive zone and puts opposing defenders on their heels. Anderson is also a competitive player who battles hard along the wall and near the crease. Honestly, it’s pretty difficult to ascertain the high-end potential. But Princeton is a good spot for him. They bring out the best in competitive, quick, and skilled forwards and he will have a long time to develop physically in the Ivy League. He may not end up being selected, but he’s worth tracking down the line.” - Brock Otten

Connor McGrath - Center - Humboldt (SJHL)

Like Anderson, McGrath is a September birthday who just narrowly missed being first time eligible for the draft. And like Anderson, McGrath has a chance to be the league’s first draft selection in some time on the back of a remarkable season. McGrath led the SJHL in scoring with 84 points, which was the most by a U19 player in the SJHL in nearly 15 years (Rylan Schwartz, brother of Seattle’s Jaden, had 88 in 2009 before starring for Colorado College). A Ferris State commit, McGrath is an intriguing name to watch.

“As mentioned with Anderson, NHL scouts need to be doing their due diligence on these two SJHL standouts. For my money, McGrath might be the better pro prospect. His skating stands out in a big way. He skates circles around the competition in the SJHL and is just too much for opposing defenders to handle on a lot of shifts. What really impresses me is his vision at full speed. He draws in multiple defenders by circling the zone or by attacking with pace, and then exploits those openings by finding teammates in the slot for scoring chances. As he gets stronger, he could be a really good player at the NCAA level. It’s really too bad that the World Junior A Challenge didn’t happen this year. It would have been a great event to showcase talents like McGrath this season.” - Brock Otten

2022 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: TEAM CZECHIA – Experienced Forwards, Young Defense look for 11th Consecutive Quarter Final Appearance

Derek O'Brien with notes from Vince Gibbons and Clare McManus — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 15:34:40 +0000

There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary about Czechia’s roster at this year’s World Junior Championship, and therefore results out of the ordinary shouldn’t be expected.

Of the 28 players named to the preliminary roster by head coach Karel Mlejnek and assistants David Bruk and Pavel Trnka, only eight are returning from last year’s squad that the same trio led to a familiar quarterfinal loss. While 10 have already been drafted by NHL teams, only four players have yet to be draft-eligible: late 2003-born defencemen David Jiricek, David Moravec and Matej Pinkas, and 2004-born forward Jiri Kulich.

The team was dealt a significant blow when goaltender Nick Malik, who has experience from two previous World Juniors, chose not to risk losing his starting job with KooKoo Kouvola in the top Finnish league. Malik is having a fantastic rookie professional season and was projected to be the Czechs’ starting goalie. His absence gives Jan Bednar a chance to step into the starter’s role, although Jakub Malek might challenge.

The Czech defense is quite young, taking advantage of a strong 2003-born defense core led by Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil, who both played for the team last year and held their own as 17-year-olds. A year older, they’ll be expected to lead this year. The only two 19-year-olds on the back end are Michal Hradek and Michael Krutil. At 6-3 and 203lbs, Krutil is the biggest of a skilled but not-so-big group, which includes the 5-9 puck-mover Jiri Tichacek.

The Czech group of forwards is more experienced, with 10 of 15 players named being 19 years old and six already drafted. As is often the case, this group has some high-end talent but is somewhat lacking on depth, with center Jan Mysak and right winger Pavel Novak the team’s two most dangerous offensive weapons. Expect to see them together on the team’s top line and power-play unit, as was the case last year. While Novak is speedy and somewhat undersized, the biggest Czech forwards are 18-year-old wingers Jaroslav Chmelar and Martin Rysavy.

So far this season, the Czech national junior team has played seven games in the summer, which included its players based in North America, and a three-game U20 tournament in Sweden in November, which included only European-based players.

The Czechs play their first tournament game against Canada on December 26.

In a group that contains Canada, Finland, Germany and Austria, the Czechs are solidly projected to finish third. Any thoughts about the Germans challenging them were put into serious doubt with the recent announcement that Tim Stutzle, J. J. Peterka and Lukas Reichel would not be playing. In any case, the Czechs have made it to the quarterfinals of this tournament the last 10 years in a row and, barring a major collapse, will do so again. Going beyond that is possible but will be very difficult for a country that has only one final-four appearance in the last 16 years.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jan Bednar, G

With Malik declining the invitation to play, the starting job is Bednar’s to lose. As a 16-year-old, Bednar burst onto the scene, winning the Extraliga’s Rookie-of-the-Year award with Karlovy Vary. Positionally sound, mobile, 6-foot-4 and 196lbs, he was pegged as a future impact goaltender. However, Bednar’s 2019-20 campaign was a disappointment as he was stuck behind a weak team. Bednar was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Red Wings in 2020 and is now the starting goalie for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL. Although the lustre has somewhat worn off him over the past couple of years, the World Juniors could be his chance to show everybody that he still has the potential to be an NHL starter.

FRISCO, TX USA - MAY 1: The Czech Republic's Stanislav Svozil #14 skates with the puck while Russia's Prokhor Poltapov #13 chases him down during preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on May 1, 2021 in Frisco, TX USA. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Stanislav Svozil, D

At 18 years of age, this Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect more than held his own in his first World Junior Championship last year. Lauded for his high hockey IQ, speed and solid two-way game, the Czechs will rely heavily upon the experienced d-man, who after two Extraliga seasons with Kometa Brno, now plays for the WHL’s Regina Pats. Whereas his offensive contributions have been minimal among older players, focusing his efforts more on the defensive side of things, Svozil will now be expected to play a big role in the transition game and quarterback the power play. While not particularly big for a defenseman at 6-1 and 185lbs, he is known for his speed, allowing him to contribute offensively without sacrificing anything on the back end.

EDMONTON, AB CANADA - DECEMBER 26: Czech Republic's David Jiricek #8 battles for puck possession against Sweden's Arvid Costmar #14 in preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place on December 26, 2020 in Edmonton, AB Canada. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

David Jiricek, D

Jiricek is the other young stud Czech defenseman, who looks to be a sure-fire first rounder in 2022 – and top-10 according to many sources – due to his late-2003 birthday. Jiricek was the Czech Extraliga’s Rookie-of-the-Year last season as he picked up three goals and 10 points in 36 regular-season and playoff games as a top-four defenceman with Skoda Plzen. So far this season, Jiricek, who turned 18 in late November, already has five goals and 11 points in 29 games. Already more offensively inclined than Svozil, the Czechs will definitely look to Jiricek to jump into the rush and contribute offensively. At 6’3” and 190lbs, Jiricek already has the height and with added weight over time could be a physically imposing figure added to his skill set.

Michael Krutil, D

Ishockey, Karjala Tournament, Tjeckien - Sverige: Jan Mysak #44, CZE during Icehockey Beijer Hockey Games match between Czech Republic - Sweden at the Hartwall Arena on 05. November 2020 in Helsinki, Finland. (Tomi Hänninen/Newspix24)
© Bildbyrån

Jan Mysak, C/LW

A second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Draft, Mysak will be expected to carry the offensive load and be a veteran presence for the Czechs in his third World Junior Championship and his second as captain. After struggling as a pro last season split between hometown Litvinov and the AHL’s Laval Rocket, in which he garnered three points in 33 total games, he is now back in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he is once again scoring at better than a point per game. Internationally he has shown a scoring touch as well and has led the Czech national junior team with 10 points in seven games so far this season.

Jakub Brabenec, C

Brabenec is a playmaking center who sees the ice well and could be a mid- to late-round Draft pick this year. After seeing limited ice time as a 13^th forward in 23 Extraliga games and three second-division games last season, Brabenec now plays for the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, where he has 32 points in 28 games. Like many good centers, he’s strong defensively and he tends to look to pass rather than shoot, so he will need wingers to get open if he’s to help the team to his maximum potential.

Pavel Novak, RW

Pavel Novak from the Kelowna Rocket (24-13-18-31-8-8) is a smaller winger that has continued to impress. Building on an impressive draft season he again is leading his team is most every statistical category. He is first in goals, assists and points and drives so much of the offense. He will play a similar role for the Czech team at the World Juniors where opportunistic players will have to make the most of their chances to compete against the top teams in the tournament. Novak has a good combination of speed and skill where he can make plays in open ice, attacking off the rush and making defenders back off. He is a player who engages and competes hard which despite his size and allows him to win a surprising amount of puck battles. He is capable of creating offense out of very little with his great vision or improving finishing ability which make his him a key top six forward for the Czechs.

Michal Gut, C

Michal Gut from the Everett Silvertips (24-7-25-32-8-23) is a player that has grown substantially in the structured defense first style Everett is known for. His offensive game is predicated on his quick evaluation and decision making rather than his speed and skill but is a player that will contribute at both ends of the ice. This year he has taken a step in his game away from the puck and has shown a willingness in his own zone to do more than his part. His passing skills and ability to create should help him chip in offensively especially on a roster that will need timely scoring. He is a player that can contribute even if he isn’t scoring with his energy and ability to cycle the puck and wear down opponents.

Goaltenders (3):

Daniel Král (Benátky nad Jizerou), Jan Bednář (Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL), Jakub Málek (Vsetín).

Defensemen (9):

Matěj Pinkas (Litoměřice), David Jiříček (Plzeň), Jakub Šedivý (Benátky nad Jizerou), David Moravec (Mladá Boleslav), Michal Hrádek (Pardubice), Jiří Ticháček (Kladno), Michael Krutil (Rockford, AHL), Stanislav Svozil (Regina, WHL), David Špaček (Sherbrooke, QMJHL).

Forwards (16):

Josef Koláček, Tomáš Urban (both Litoměřice), Jakub Konečný (Sparta Prague), Sebastián Malát (Plzeň), Tomáš Chlubna (České Budějovice), Vojtěch Jiruš (Benátky nad Jizerou), Jiří Kulich (Karlovy Vary), Stanislav Vrhel (Lahti, Finland), Jaroslav Chmelař (Jokerit Helsinki, Finland U20), Jakub Kos (Ilves Tampere, Finland), Michal Gut (Everett, WHL), Martin Ryšavý (Moose Jaw, WHL), Jan Myšák (Hamilton, OHL), Pavel Novák (Kelowna, WHL), Ivan Ivan (Cape Breton, QMJHL), Jakub Brabenec (Charlottetown, QMJHL).

2022 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Prediction Palooza – The McKeen’s Team Make Their Calls

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 12:46:08 +0000

PLANO, TX USA - MAY 1: Belarus's Ivan Zhigalov #30 guards his net against as Canada's Connor Bedard #17 falls into the crease in preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Children's Health StarCenter on May 1, 2021 in Plano, TX USA. (Photo by Ryan McCullough/HHOF-IIHF Images)

It’s World Juniors season and we at McKeen’s Hockey could not be more excited. The 2022 version, split between Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, kicks off on Boxing Day with Team U.S.A. looking to defend their gold medals from last year’s bubble rendition of the tournament. We thought it would be a fun exercise to poll the McKeen’s scouting team to get their predictions for the tournament this year. Each scout was sent a survey and the results make up this article. We hope you enjoy and we hope you get a chance to enjoy the tournament.

1) What are your medal predictions?

Gold
Team	# of Votes
Canada	8
Sweden	3
Russia	1

Silver
Team	# of Votes
USA	5
Sweden	4
Canada	3

Bronze
Team	# of Votes
Finland	6
Russia	4
USA	1
Sweden	1

2) Tournament All Star Team Prediction

Forwards

Player	Team	# of Votes
Cole Perfetti	Canada	7
Alexander Holtz	Sweden	5
William Eklund	Sweden	5
Matty Beniers	USA	4
Joakim Kemell	Finland	3
Mason McTavish	Canada	2

Others Receiving a single vote: Matt Coronato (USA), Oskar Olausson (Sweden), Fabian Lysell (Sweden), Matvei Michkov (Russia), Xavier Bourgault (Canada), Mavrik Bourque (Canada), Jake Neighbours (Canada), Kent Johnson (Canada), & Marat Khusnutdinov (Russia)

Defense

Player	Team	# of Votes
Simon Edvinsson	Sweden	7
Owen Power	Canada	5
Jake Sanderson	USA	5
Topi Niemela	Finland	4

Others Receiving a single vote: Kaiden Guhle (Canada), Luke Hughes (USA), & Simon Nemec (Slovakia)

Goaltender

Player	Team	# of Votes
Jesper Wallstedt	Sweden	6
Yaroslav Askarov	Russia	5
Sebastian Cossa	Canada	1

3) Who will be the breakout player of the tournament and why?

Topi Niemela

This year it’s all about the high level D. Simply the best crop of D probably ever and it’s not even close. This tournament has a ton of talented defenders: Nemec, Hughes, Sanderson, Power, Zellweger, Andrae, Edvinsson, Jiricek, Svozil, and Mukhamadullin to name just a few. The one I think is the breakout star is Topi Niemela. Smart, mobile, and decisive. He technically led the last WJC defensemen in points and was named top defender because of it, but really wasn’t even the best D on his team last year (Heinola). This year the Leafs 3rd rounder becomes a dominant force all over the ice. - Greg Revak

Jesper Wallstedt

I think Wallstedt puts his stamp on the crease for this tournament and comes out looking the most complete goalie of any of the recent high picks. - Vince Gibbons

FRISCO, TX USA - APRIL 29: Russia's Matvei Michkov #17 scores a lacrosse style goal against Germany's Nikita Quapp #1 during preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on April 29, 2021 in Frisco, TX USA. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Matvei Michkov

Can Michkov really be a breakout player? Even the average fan will be aware of his talents by now, but he will be a breakout star because people will see him for more than the flashy goals. - Patrik Bexell

FRISCO, TX USA - MAY 5: Canada's Olen Zellweger #3 passes the puck during semifinal round action against Sweden at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on May 5, 2021 in Frisco, TX USA. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Olen Zellweger

There was a lot of chatter when Canada left Brandt Clarke at home, especially given the perceived weakness on the right side. But the main reason they did was their comfort level with Olen Zellweger being the team’s top right side defender, paired with Owen Power. He was sensational at the most recent U18’s and I expect him to really cement himself as one of the best defensive prospects on the planet at this tournament. - Brock Otten

Zellweger could quickly earn a significant role on a not-particularly-deep Canadian blueline, after which it won’t be long before observers are wondering why he was not selected until the second round in the 2021 NHL Draft. The defenceman broke out in the 2021-22 season, but played only 11 games in the short WHL bubble. He has since picked up where he left off, with 27 points in his first 22 games as a WHL junior. A non-shortened draft season likely would have had Zellweger rocket up draft boards well into the first round; now he has a golden opportunity to take a major role for Canada and prove that. - Sam Happi

David Jiricek

The breakout player in this tournament in my opinion will be defenseman, David Jiricek. He had a disappointing U-18 tournament at the end of the year and will be looking to make amends during that tournament. I see him being used on the power-play and getting important responsibilities for Czechia as the tournament goes on. It will be a chance for him to display all of his offensive arsenal in front of all the NHL scouts. - Charles Lassonde

Michal Gut

Between having Austria and Germany in the preliminary round and playing for a Czech team that is solid enough at all positions to perhaps finish second in Group A, Gut is having the best season of his young career in the WHL and has a good shot at being his upstart nation's offensive and all-rounder leader. There's potential here for a surprising amount of output and he's certainly not one of the youngest contestants. - Chapin Landvogt

Mavrik Bourque

Not entirely sure if he’s considered a “breakout” player, but I think this tournament is a big opportunity for people to realize how brilliant Mavrik Bourque is. He is a sensational playmaker, highly manipulative with the ability to thread passes through miniscule lanes. Canada has no shortage of skilled finishers and all it takes is Bourque finding chemistry with the right player (think McTavish, Guenther, Stankoven) and he could be a nightmare for any defensive unit in this tournament to deal with. If not Bourque, then Scott Morrow. Last year he was pretty much the Michael Jordan of prep hockey, and he’s been improving rapidly as this year goes on. He’s such a dynamic attacker for a rearguard with the confidence to try anything. At the very least, I don’t think it will take long for fans to witness the audacity he has with the puck. - Sam McGilligan

Mavrik Bourque. I feel as though he’s been begging for a big stage to show off the creativity, skill, pressure management and playmaking that he has in spades. Joining linemate Xavier Bourgault could create strong innate chemistry, but Bourque makes his linemates better, and the more ice time he gets, the more dangerous Canada’s offense should become. - Will Scouch

Filip Mešár

I think this tournament might be the one where Filip Mešár significantly improves his draft stock. The Slovak forward has moved to the first round conversation in many rankings, but the #20 on our board is still flying under the radar a bit. Mešár has the experience from last year’s World Juniors and is now expected to be a leader in the young Slovak squad. - Matej Deraj

Jake Neighbours

Expect Jake Neighbors to grab ahold of the spotlight and run with it in this World Junior Championship taking place in his Edmonton Oil Kings’ home rink Rogers Place. He’s a player who isn’t afraid of attention, thrives under pressure, and is known for providing clutch offense when it is needed most (which tends to bode well in this tournament). I’ve never witnessed a junior player better at attacking the offensive blueline than Neighbors coming down through the neutral zone on the rush; he has a pure talent for analyzing the space provided to him by defencemen and using his explosive speed to exploit those gaps and enter the offensive zone with full possession. This essentially makes him a one-man zone entry machine, which will be an asset for Team Canada. Neighbors is a swiss-army knife who can adapt his game to be a difference-maker with whatever role he is given, so be ready to feel his presence no matter where he slots in the lineup. He is also one of the few players with NHL games under his belt after enduring a nine-game stint with the St.Louis Blues earlier this year, don’t underestimate how vital that experience could come into play during the latter stretch of the tournament. It’s also important to note the chemistry already built between Neighbors and his Oil Kings linemate Dylan Guenther. The duo has terrorized the WHL for the last three seasons and I expect them to bring that same dynamic work of offense right over to the international stage for the world to see. - Adam Girard

Connor Bedard

Bedard is not the fastest or heaviest given his age, but he has a special understanding of what will happen next. He can register/read the game like a young 99. - Tommi Nekkula

4) Who will be the tournament's most disappointing team?

Russia

Politics and hockey rarely mix well. I think that Russia left some of their best offensive players at home. And “at home” really means they didn’t bring any of the great talent that is playing in North America. The ace up their sleeve is Askarov. He’s a fantastic goalie, but he has been playing poorly in the KHL this year relative to his sky high standards. Being in the group of death won’t help their confidence either. - Greg Revak

Russia feels like the obvious answer. Their decision to cut all roster candidates that were playing in North America drastically limited their talent pool and their final roster reflects it. There are some good forwards on this team and I’m not sure offense will be too much of an issue, but the blueline does not measure up to those of Canada, America, Sweden, or Finland and they could be exposed for it. - Sam Happi

Russia. They left some very talented names at home that left their team about 1.5 lines deep. If Askarov has another questionable tournament on the big stage, they could be in trouble. Vladimir Grudinin is a nice add who I think is underrated out there, but who knows how much ice he’ll see. - Will Scouch

Canada

I feel like Canada will be the most disappointing team. The imbalance between the two pools will leave Canada coasting through the round robin and unable to match the intensity once the medal round gets started. Without Byfield, there is a hole at 1C that 16 and 17 year olds won’t be ready to handle, especially in the big moments. A little adversity will be too much for them to overcome. - Vince Gibbons

Sweden

Sweden, who seems to always underachieve. There you have it, Sweden will do well in the group stage and fall flat in the knockout stage. Have you heard it before? Probably. Will it happen again, almost certainly. - Patrik Bexell

Sweden had a couple of questionable choices for their roster. The strangest omission is D William Wallinder, who is having a solid season in the Swedish highest league. They still have a really good team led by Alexander Holtz and can medal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sweden sees a quarterfinals exit. - Matej Deraj

Sweden only wins the games that everybody thinks. Then when it comes down to pressure situations, they cannot win against any ”big” hockey countries. - Tommi Nekkula

United States

I just don’t see this team being able to replicate the kind of magic they had last year. I don’t see enough difference makers in this lineup and their pool is so damn strong. When you compare their high end depth to some of the other teams in Pool B, it just doesn’t hold up. As such, I would be shocked to see this team get out of the quarterfinals this year. - Brock Otten

Coming into the tournament as the defending champions, the United States will have a ton of pressure to keep the title for a second year in row (something they have never done historically). Playing against powerhouses like Russia and Sweden won’t be an easy task, but you also have to consider Slovakia in that pool B, who will bring its best roster in ages with the likes of Simon Nemec and Juraj Slafkovsky. The offense will count on Beniers and Coronato to fill the net, but the loss of many notable players to the professional leagues (Zegras, Caufield, Boldy, Kaliyev, etc) will be hard to replace. However, the Americans might just have the best defensive group with Canada in this tournament, but in net, Drew Commesso ain’t Spencer Knight by any means. For these reasons, I don’t see USA retaining their title and I’ll say that I’d be surprised to see them advance to the semi-finals. - Charles Lassonde

I think most people are going to say Canada, and I can see why, but I’m starting to think it might be the USA. Sometimes all it takes in a tournament like this is a hot goalie, and while Commesso is a solid prospect, he isn’t in the same tier as the top trio (Cossa for Canada, Wallstedt for Sweden, Askarov for Russia). The top six is lethal, but the scoring depth is a bit lackluster relative to the other top teams as well. - Sam McGilligan

Slovakia

Much is a expected of this team that is clearly on the rise on the prospect front, but it's been getting a ton of praise and attention since the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament and the pressure will end up being too much for a bunch of kids who haven't yet faced the special dynamics of a WJC. In addition, they're playing in a whopper of a group with Russia, Sweden, and the USA and even Switzerland is coming in with a ton of returnees with chips on their shoulders after last winter's disaster. This is the most exciting group of Slovak prospects in ages, but too much needs to fall into place in the right sequence to get into the playoffs, much less past the quarterfinals. - Chapin Landvogt

Finland

I think everyone is expecting Finland to be the worst of the “Big Five” hockey nations coming into this year’s U20 tournament, but I think it’s going to be even worse than what we expect. They have a solid group but are bare-bones when it comes to supplying any sort of firepower to carry them through the tournament. Not to mention the Fins have already been experiencing complications with the Covid-19 pandemic which will cause them to miss one of their top forwards Aatu Raty. Team Finland has surprised me before, so I wouldn’t be shocked if a few under-the-radar performers step up to have a monstrous showcase, but I’m leaning towards the reality that it could be a disappointing lack of a fight that the Fins put up against the other top teams at the 2022 World Juniors. - Adam Girard

5) Who will be the tournament's most surprising team?

Slovakia

I really like Finland, but can the 2022 draft eligibles take them far like Laine and company did? Probably not, which leads me to my true surprise: Slovakia. If you don’t know anything about the upcoming talent in Slovakia… pay attention starting now. There is a bumper crop of talent working its way through. This is a team with a two year window to be very special. Only missing piece is a goalie. Which is a big missing piece, but the rest of the squad is solid all the way through. There are some nice older veterans, but the true blue chip players are 16-18y/o in a tournament where 19y/o are the ones driving their teams to glory. At this point they are likely just too young and potentially physically underdeveloped compared to the big nations to take a swipe at the medals. No matter what, they will surprise people with how talented they are. Take note and jump on the bandwagon now! - Greg Revak

I really do think that Slovakia has a chance to finish higher than the US in Group B. Their team is crazy young, which can be tough to project at this tournament. However, look at the success a young German team had last year. This Slovak team is very talented. The key will be goaltending. Can Elias or Latkoczy provide the stability that they need? I think it’s possible. - Brock Otten

Slovakia is bringing a fun to watch team with solid goaltending and quite unusual scoring depth. A total of four top prospects for the next two NHL drafts (Nemec, Slafkovský, Mešár and Dvorský) should make their games exciting. They are not one of the favorites for getting a medal, but can upset some of them and make it to the semifinals, if everything goes right for Team Slovakia. - Matej Deraj

The easy answer is Slovakia, and I don’t think I’ll go against the grain. They are the youngest team in the tournament by 4 months, and their young players will be pivotal. Names like Dvorsky, Mesar, and Slafkovsky of course will have eyes, but Servác Petrovský has had a nice start to his OHL career, and I’m personally a fan of Adam Sýkora who has caught my eye watching teammate Simon Nemec. Speaking of which, the Slovakian defense group is somewhat underrated led by Nemec, but Samuel Knazko and Marko Stacha, make a pretty strong top four, and a few performances from Simon Latkoczy could net a surprise performance. - Will Scouch

Sweden

I have Sweden winning the entire tournament so that for me is a bit of a surprise from where I was at the start of the season. I like the top 4 defenders on Sweden as much as any team. I also think Wallstedt is a key performer throughout this tournament. I see them capable of hanging with anyone. Hot take is that Swedes run the table in the round robin despite being in the harder of the two pools. - Vince Gibbons

Austria/

Austria and Slovakia will perform better than expected and with some really interesting players to look out for; Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec for Slovakia and Marco Kasper for Austria. The kids will be alright and while Austria most likely won't make the playoffs, the team will be good. The battle for relegation could be one of the most exciting match-ups in the whole tournament. - Patrik Bexell

Germany

After hearing that JJ Peterka and Lukas Reichel, both having fine first seasons in the AHL, would not be on the squad, many in the hockey community saw a German roster that has but two late round draftees and couldn't imagine it being able to make any noise in Edmonton. But there are primarily pro players in this group and it has a lot of chemistry. There's also physicality and an ability to keep things tight and shut down opponents. Look for the team to avoid blowouts and slip back into the quarterfinals, despite a lack of star power. - Chapin Landvogt

Germany because all it will take for them is one big win in a lesser pool. - Tommi Nekkula

Czechia

It will probably require a few factors to come together, but if Jan Mysak and Pavel Novak can excel in major offensive roles while Jan Bednar compensates for defensive mistakes with his play in goal, I think Czechia (formerly Czech Republic) has the best shot of any of the smaller nations to potentially unseat a Canada, USA, Finland, or Sweden in the medal round. - Sam Happi

When the tournament starts, everybody knows that even if there are 10 teams that attend, only 5 nations have had success at this event consistently (CAN, RUS, FIN, SWE, USA). This year won’t be different from the others, but Czechia could benefit from the inferior Pool A to finish 2^nd or 3^rd in this pool and have an ‘’easier’’ matchup in the quarter-finals. The Czechs will have many offensive threats like Jan Mysak, Pavel Novak, Ivan Ivan and Jakub Brabenec, who all have shown great numbers in the CHL, to fill out the offensive duties of the team. The defensive group will be somewhat decent with draftees, Stanislav Svozil and Michael Krutil. Add the highly touted prospect, David Jiricek, and the productive David Spacek from the QMHJL to that and you have an interesting top-4. If Jan Bednar is able to make the saves, this team could do some real damage at this event. The past proved that Czechia could win some games against powerful nations and with a well-balanced team like that, anything is possible in the elimination round. - Charles Lassonde

I’d be surprised if the answer wasn’t nearly unanimous for Slovakia (understandably so), so I’ll say the Czech Republic instead. I think draft eligible players like Jiricek and Kulich can impact play more than people are anticipating, and the veterans like Mysak, Svozil, Novak, Rysavy and Tichacek provide a strong enough foundation that they could take a game from anyone in this tournament. - Sam McGilligan

United States

A bit of an off-choice for a surprise team given the past history of Team USA. However, I feel as though I’m well too comfortable with having them firmly in the fourth place position. This roster may not be as bolstered as in past tournaments but all it takes is an MVP-worthy performance from Matty Beniers and for Jake Sanderson to shut down other country’s top performers for Team USA to turn this World Championship on its head. Add that with a sneaky dominant effort from someone like Matt Coronato, a breakout showing from Luke Hughes, with some underdog goaltending and you have yourself a recipe for a World Junior Championship gold medal upset and repeat gold performance. - Adam Girard

WHL 2019-2020 Season Preview – Western Conference

Vince Gibbons — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 15:58:20 +0000

One of the joys of junior hockey is that the age limitations force roster turnover of top teams in 3-4-year cycles creating a new league every couple of seasons. This ensures that no team stays at the top of the league for too long. The class of the league last season was the Prince Albert Raiders. Wire to wire the top team in the WHL with three lines of scoring, three defenders with over 40 points each, and an NHL-drafted goalie prospect in Ian Scott, they ticked all the boxes of a team that was able to dominate the league.

This year they will be without three graduated top overage forwards in Dante Hannoun, Noah Gregor, and Sean Montgomery, who combined for an impressive 101 goals. Top scorer from last year Brett Leason is still in pro camp and could play in the AHL this season if he continues to show well. If he does that is another 36 goals no longer with the roster. Does this leave the door open to another team in the WHL to dominate the 2019-2020 regular season? Does Prince Albert have the staying power to remain at the top? These articles will try to answer those questions months in advance. (Teams are listed in their projected divisional rankings). Today we look at the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference article can be found here:

Nolan Foote #29 of the Kelowna Rockets (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Shoot the Breeze

B.C. Division

Vancouver Giants (1^st)

Having come within an overtime goal of a trip to the Memorial Cup, the Giants are fortunate to return some outstanding players including top defender Bowen Byram (Colorado, 1^st 2019). He can handle all the minutes he is given and is able to generate offense as well as anyone from the back end. Tristen Nielsen and Milos Roman (Calgary, 4^th 2018) give them experienced center play while draft eligible Justin Sourdif has picked up where he left off last season and might be their most productive forward this season. Another 2020 potential draft pick is Lukas Svejkovsky, a talented right shot winger with very good playmaking skills. That balance of youthful skill and solid veterans can be seen across their lineup and is a big part of why they are favorites to win the division this season. Returning 20 year old David Tendeck (Arizona 6^th, 2018), along with the younger Trent Miner (Colorado, 7^th 2019) certainly helps their cause as a team looking to come out of the West.

Kelowna Rockets (2^nd)

Hosting the Memorial Cup comes with enormous pressure to have an outstanding season. Both Regina and Red Deer have been good but not the elite teams in the league in their respective host years and Kelowna will be trying to break the WHL curse of late at the Memorial Cup. Defensively, the roster is pretty strong with Kaedan Korczak (Vegas, 2^nd 2019) and Jake Lee leading the way. Up front they have a couple of elite wingers in Nolan Foote (Tampa Bay, 1^st 2019), and Dillon Hamaliuk (San Jose, 2^nd 2019) that play a bruising power forward style of game. Draft eligible Pavel Novak showed great hands in the preseason but will have to continue that play once the games start to matter to hear his name mentioned at this season’s draft. A lot of their offense is going to come from overage players Kyle Topping and Leif Mattson, both of whom were near the 1 point per game pace last season and both look like they can shoulder even more of the heavy lifting in the early part of this season.

Kamloops Blazers (3^rd)

Last season the Blazers made the playoffs without winning half their regular season games. This year’s team has a load of potential but are likely one more season away from challenging for the top of the division. Not many teams are able to return the top three scorers from last season but the Blazers are able to do so this year. Offensively, this team has Zane Franklin who has nearly doubled his point production season over season each of the past three seasons. That steady improvement bodes well for the 20 year old who will lead a team with a number of young dynamic offensive players. Connor Zary was over one point per game last season but as a late 2001 was not eligible for last season’s NHL Entry draft. expect him to be even more prolific this year. Orrin Centazzo was the third member of that trio with 51 points last year. Add in ’03 born Logan Stankoven and Kamloops is developing some excellent forward depth that should sustain them the next couple of seasons. Defensively they possess a number of puck movers although none really appear to have the dynamic quality of a number one defender. Dylan Garand had a strong season last year and the starting job is his to lose. There is a lot of quality within this roster and they could surprise this season but it may be one year too early. Look for them to emerge as a strong contender over the next few seasons.

Victoria Royals (4^th)

The Royals have seen years of stable playoff hockey and this year looks to be a bit of a struggle. They have been battling with Vancouver the past few seasons at the top of the division but it will be tough for them to compete against the top teams now. They have less scoring than last season and a review of their roster doesn’t breed a ton of confidence. Keanu Derungs, their recent import selection, will be relied upon to generate offense playing on the wing with established center Kaid Oliver upon the latter’s return from injury. The rest of the Victoria roster is really made up of depth players that will struggle against top lines across the league. There is a lot of experience in the crease for this team with 120 WHL games between Brock Gould and Shane Farkas, which should keep the team competitive but likely is not enough to ensure them a playoff spot.

Prince George Cougars (5^th)

The Cougars have struggled the past couple of seasons and don’t look like a team that will be turning the corner this year either. Josh Maser led the team in goals last season with 30 and will be counted on as their top producing forward. Goal scoring will be an issue again for them as import player Matej Toman has not found his offensive game since coming over from the Czech Republic. Tyson Upper is the top draft eligible forward on the roster but the best draft prospect might be Rhett Rhinehart who is a towering 6-4” defender with a bit of an old school ruggedness to his game. Taylor Gauthier has the pedigree of a top goalie but with the team in front of him has put up pretty pedestrian numbers. With goalie of the future Tyler Brennan on the roster expect this to be a 1A and 1B scenario unless they are able to move Gauthier to a contender as the season moves along.

Ty Smith

U.S. Division

Portland Winterhawks (1^st)

Portland has to be the model franchise in terms of drafting players, developing them and producing the highest quality product on the ice. This year again speaks volumes about the organization. Both of the import players selected provide instant offensive talent to help replace the losses of Cody Glass, Joachim Blichfeld up front, and Jared Freadrich on the back end. This year Simon Knak and Jonas Brondberg (both 2020 draft eligible) step in and have both shown they are excellent playmakers. Cross Hanas looks ready to take a step up in responsibility after playing in the bottom six for most of last season. This year he plays the wing for Seth Jarvis who is also working his way up draft boards early. John Ludvig (Florida, 3^rd 2019) sets the tone in the defensive zone with his physical, no non-sense approach to defending. This team consistently rebuilds on the fly and look to have successfully backfilled roles with a combination of internal progression and astute import draft selections. The crease is held down by Joel Hofer (St. Louis, 4^th 2018), a behemoth of a man at 6-5” brought in last year to solidify the only perceived weakness on the roster. He may start 60 games this year and should finally start piling up some wins after his first 70 starts in the league.

Spokane Chiefs (2^nd)

In a division where goaltending dictates so much, the addition of import Lukas Parik (Los Angeles, 3^rd 2019) could be enough to push Spokane to a clear top two finish in the division but more importantly, it provides a chance to get out of the US division in the playoffs. In front of him they have a strong group of defenders led by Filip Kral (Toronto, 5^th 2018). He has a good shot and has more offensive potential than most late round picks. Up front, scoring will be by committee but Adam Beckman (Minnesota, 3^rd 2019) will be counted on to improve his 32 goal season from a year ago. Somewhat surprisingly undrafted winger Luke Toporowski has something to prove this season and will be a big part of any team success that Spokane has. Jack Finley had solid numbers in a depth role last season but the 2020 draft eligible player should be able to carve out a top six role this season. Spokane’s biggest “X” factor comes from diminutive defender Ty Smith (New Jersey, 1^st 2018) and how he responds to not making the Devils’ opening day roster. At his best, he is a dynamic puck mover and playmaker that can dictate the pace of play like few others can in this league.

Everett Silvertips (3^rd)

Defensively, Everett is consistently a top team in terms of goals against. Since 2016 they have given up the fewest goals and it hasn’t even been close. In 2016-17, they led in that department by 29 goals, by 46 in 2017-18, and by 26 in 2018-19. That is domination. It is also coaching. Dennis Williams has consistently brought something to the league that other coaches have struggled to contend with and that is a tenacious, physical team defense. It hasn’t hurt that the crease has been held down very well by Carter Hart (Philadelphia, 2^nd 2016), and now Dustin Wolf (Calgary, 7^th 2019). Everett relies on overage and import scoring talent and Bryce Kindopp and Michal Gut will be looking to provide that this season.

Seattle Thunderbirds (4^th)

Five of the top dozen teams in the entire WHL usually come from this division and it is entirely possible that all five of these teams again make the playoffs. Top scorer from last year Matthew Wedman (Florida, 7^th 2019) is back in the fold targeting another career year after reaching 40 goals last season. He will have to do so with new linemates this year. Henrik Rybinski (Florida, 5^th 2019), Payton Mount, and Michael Horon will all take more prominent roles within the offense this season which should give NHL scouts plenty to ponder. Defensively they will be anchored by Simon Kubicek a late ’01 who is much more than a big frame on the back end. Between the pipes they have Roddy Ross (Philadelphia, 6^th 2019) perhaps the best named player in the league. He has the pro frame that NHL teams covet and has been solid in his first 25 WHL games.

Tri-City Americans (5^th)

Tri-City is a difficult team to bet against. Each year they seem to find a way to be more than the sum of their parts. Sasha Mutala (Colorado 5^th, 2019) has grown up in this organization and carries the expectations forward with this younger roster. He and Samuel Huo will lead the next generation of Tri-City players through the 2019-20 season. The difference may come in the form of Beck Warm, a 20 year old netminder who played a league high 61 games last year with a well earned 2.94 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He led the league in shots and saves last year and that will have to continue along that path if Tri-Cities are expected to compete for the Wild Card.

***

This year the US division is again the most competitive in the WHL with the possibility of all five teams making the playoffs. Out East, the rebranded Winnipeg ICE have done a lot to reinvent the club after several struggling seasons in Cranbrook and have started strong. Saskatchewan has two teams in Saskatoon and Prince Albert that met in 2^nd round of last season’s playoffs and it could easily play out that way again this season. The Central Division boils down to a Battle of Highway 2, as both Calgary and Edmonton have mature and deep rosters that can match up against anyone. There are always a few surprises as the season chugs along and it could be a Medicine Hat or an Everett who ride top end goaltending right through the playoffs. Perhaps an upstart Kamloops team is ready to compete this year. Regardless of how it all plays out, it is an exciting time to get into the local barns and watch these young players develop into future pros. Below is a top 10 of draft eligible players

Top 10 (Alphabetical Order)

Braden Schneider, Brandon

Connor McClennon, Winnipeg

Connor Zary, Kamloops

Jake Neighbours, Edmonton

Justin Sourdif, Vancouver

Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert

Kyle Crnkovic, Saskatoon

Kasper Puutio, Swift Current

Seth Jarvis, Portland

Honorable Mentions:

Ben King, Swift Current

Carter Savoie, Sherwood Park (AJHL)

Christoffer Sedoff, Red Deer

Cross Hanas, Portland

Michael Benning, Sherwood Park (AJHL)

Pavel Novak, Kelowna

Ridly Greig, Brandon

Simon Knak, Portland