Introduction
This is part one of a two part series. This article, part one, will feature an overview of the tournament, representation — including specifically New Jersey Devils’ prospects, and team-by-team breakdowns. Part two will feature players to watch and tournament predictions. This second article will release tomorrow, one day before the beginning of the tournament.
Overview
Not only does the end of December bring the best holiday of the year, but it also brings one of the better events hockey has to offer.
This year’s World Junior Championship will be held in a bubble style at Rodgers Place in Edmonton. The festivities are slated to begin with group play on December 25th. This group play will extend until December 31st before quarterfinal and semifinal games commence on January 2nd and January 4th respectively. The gold, silver, and bronze medals will be handed out on the final day of the tournament on January 5th. All of the games can be seen on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN in Canada.
There are a total of 10 teams participating in this year’s tournament, nine of which participated in last year’s edition of the tournament and one – Austria – earned promotion from Division 1. These 10 teams are split into the two pools below:
| Pool A | Pool B |
| Canada | Russia |
| Finland | Sweden |
| Switzerland | United States |
| Slovakia | Czech Republic |
| Germany | Austria |
Of these 10 teams, the top-four in each pool will be entered into a playoff bracket. The bottom team in each pool will play a relegation playoff. The loser of this playoff will be relegated to Division 1 and replaced by the Division 1 winner.
Representation
Of the 31 NHL teams, 30 are represented in this tournament. The only team without representation is the St. Louis Blues. The Los Angeles Kings leads the way with nine prospects in the tournament. The Detroit Red Wings trail with seven, while each of the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs have six of their own. The Dallas Stars have the second-least prospects of the tournament with only one. Seven other teams only have two prospects.
As mentioned, the Devils have the third-most prospects in this year’s tournament. The full list of these prospects are below:
| Name | Country | Position | Pick |
| Dawson Mercer | Canada | Forward | 2020 1st round (18th overall) |
| Jaromir Pytlick | Czech Republic | Forward | 2020 4th Round |
| Shakir Mukhamadullin | Russia | Defense | 2020 1st Round (20th overall) |
| Arseni Gritsyuk | Russia | Forward | 2019 5th Round |
| Alexander Holtz | Sweden | Forward | 2020 1st Round (7th overall) |
| Patrick Moynihan | United States | Forward | 2019 6th Round |
Of the individuals on the above list, Dawson Mercer is the only one who represented his country in this tournament last year as well.
Team-By-Team Breakdown
Austria
As expected, the Austrian’s are going to struggle in the team’s first year back in the top division of this tournament. The team had to replace all three of their netminders from last year’s tournament. None of the candidates to start registered a save percentage above .900 playing for their junior teams.
Their defensive core is also inexperienced as Niklas Wetzl, who played some junior hockey in the United States, is going to be relied on the most. Their forward group, although not great, will be the strength of the team. Of course, the team’s only NHL drafted player is ninth overall pick forward Marco Rossi. Other forwards Tim Harnisch (AlpsHL), Lucas Thaler (J20 SuperElit), Leon Wallner (J20 SuperElit), and Fabian Hochegger (QMJHL/AlpsHL) all either played for the team in last year’s tournament or play their junior hockey in higher-level ranks will also be relied on to do the scoring.
Big news for Austria this tournament was not good news. Thimo Nickl, a fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, was ruled ineligible for the tournament due to COVID-19. All-in-all, Austria has a team that lacks experience – especially defensively and in between the pipes. For this reason, Austria will most likely find themselves back in Division 1 come next year.
Canada
The frontrunner for the gold medal in this tournament is the juggernaut Team Canada. All but one player that makes up Canada’s roster was an NHL draft pick. In total, Canada has roughly 20 first-round picks on their roster, the most in the tournament.
If there was a weakness to this team it would be in between the pipes. There is a three-headed battle between 2021 draft-eligible netminder Taylor Gauthier, Dylan Garand (2020 New York Rangers’ fourth-rounder), and Devon Levi (2020 Florida Panthers’ seventh-rounder). However, it does seem Gauthier has taken the lead in that battle.
The defense is a bit inexperienced but loaded with talent. Bowen Byram (COL) and Jamie Drysdale (ANA) lead the way as the only two returnees to the roster. Former first-rounders Thomas Harley (DAL), Braden Schneider (NYR), Kaiden Guhle (MTL), and Justin Barron (COL) also headline a talented group.
Canada’s forward group is somehow even more impressive than their defenseman. Each are former first-round picks and are highlighted by some former top-ten overall selections in Quinton Byfield (LAK), Kirby Dach (CHI), Dylan Cozens (BUF), Jack Quinn (BUF), and Cole Perfetti (WPG). Other elite talents that headline the group are Peyton Krebs (VGK), Alex Newhook (COL), and Dawson Mercer (NJD).
If Canada gets even decent goaltending, they should be all but locked into the gold medal game. However, weird things can happen. But until then Canada is your tournament favorites.
Czech Republic
The Czechs are going to be rightfully regarded as a middle-tier team in this tournament, as is always the case. The team’s roster has a decent balance between draft-eligible players (18) and former draft picks (9).
Their net is in good hands as a battle between Jan Bednar (2020 Detroit Red Wings fourth-rounder) and Nick Malík (2020 undrafted) has ensued. Their defensive core is made up of two NHL draftees in Michael Krutil (2020 Chicago Blackhawks fourth-rounder) and Martin Has (2019 Washington Capitals fifth-rounder). Stanislav Svozil is another defenseman to keep an eye on as he is projected to be a first-round draft pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
A total of five Czech forwards are NHL draftees. Notably, Jan Mysak (MTL) was regarded as a first-round talent as well as a pair of previous fourth-round picks in Jaromir Pytlik (NJD) and Michal Teply (CHI). Several other forwards on the roster went undrafted in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, so the Czech’s have decent talent in this group.
Overall, the Czech Republic is a pretty balanced team who, as was mentioned earlier, will most likely finish middle-tier.
Finland
After pulling a monstrous upset in last year’s quarterfinal game against the United States, Finland will look to make some more noise this year. The Fins have 17 draftees on the roster, as well as eight 2021/22 NHL Draft eligible prospects.
Finland is in good hands between the pipes as 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist (PIT) is expected to lead the way. Defensively, Finland has seven draftees lead by former 20th overall pick Ville Heinola who has eight games of NHL experience with the Winnipeg Jets. Other defensive contributors are a trio of third-round picks in Mikko Kokkonen (TOR), Topi Niemelä (TOR), and Eemil Viro (DET). All of whom play junior hockey in Finland’s top league the Liiga.
There is no lack of talent in the forward group as well. The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, Anton Lundell (FLA), as well two second-rounders in Roni Hirvonen (TOR) and Roby Järventie (OTT) headline the unit. The highest touted non-draftee prospect is also a part of this group. Brad Lambert is a consensus top-five pick, but is not eligible until the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Finland also has another highly touted draft-eligible prospect in 2021 forward Samuel Helenius who projects to be a second-third round pick in the upcoming draft.
Overall, Team Finland is loaded. It begins with a highly touted NHL prospect in net, seven NHL draftees on their back-line, and an extremely deep forward group that features two of the tournament’s most highly touted draft-eligible prospects. Finland is a dangerous sleeper team, and one of my favorite teams in the tournament.
Germany
As you can see above, the Germans are the team with the most COVID-related issues in the tournament. Before the tournament began, 2020 17th overall pick Lukas Reichel (CHI) and projected starting netminder Tobias Ancicka were ruled ineligible from participating due to COVID-19. Then the above report came out at the actual tournament. Despite this, Germany is slated to start play at the originally scheduled date/time.
As for the actual team, the German’s goalie situation is to be determined thanks to Ancicka being ruled out. Defensively, the Germans do not have any NHL draftees. The group is led by Maxmillian Glötzl (DEL-2) and Simon Gnyp (DEL-2) who was on last year’s roster. Tommy Pasanen, who played in the USHL and is committed to Clarkson University, will also headline the unit.
As for the forward group, the Germans have two NHL draftees in Stützle and John-Jason Peterka (BUF), who was a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Other names to watch in this group are Manuel Alberg (USHL/QMJHL/AlpsHL), Samuel Dubé (QMJHL/AlpsHL), and Jakub Borzecki (AlpsHL).
Overall, despite the elite duo of forward talent, the Germans have an uphill battle cut out for themselves. The COVID-19 news ruling four of the team’s players ineligible certainly did not help. They’ll be vying to keep themselves clear of the relegation playoff come this tournament.
Russia
The Russians are always a force to be reckoned with at this tournament. However, this may be a bit of a down year for them. Overall, the Russians have a roster comprised of seven draft-eligible players and 17 NHL draftees.
Russia has by far the best goaltender in this tournament and maybe the best player in the tournament as a whole. Yaroslav Askarov, the Nashville Predators’ 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, actually struggled a bit in last year’s tournament. But, he will surely be back for vengeance this year.
Defensively, it is a rebuilding year for Team Russia. They will have no returnees on the back end and Devils’ first-rounder Shakir Mukhamadullin will most likely be relied on as their top defensive option. Russia does have two former second-rounders in Artemi Knyazev (SJ) and University of Connecticut commit Yan Kuznetsov (CGY). Russia also has a duo of the more higher touted draft-eligible prospects in the tournament on the back end. Daniil Chayka (OHL/KHL) is a projected mid-to-late first-round pick and Kirill Kirsanov (KHL) should be a middle-round pick in this year’s draft.
The Russians only have two forwards returning from last year’s team in former 10th overall pick Vasili Podkolzin (VAN) and a 2020 third-rounder in Maxim Groshev (TBL). In total, 10 draftees make up the Russian’s forward group.
The remaining notable talents in this group are 2020 first rounders Rodion Amirov (TOR) and Yegor Chinakhov (CBJ). Other sure-to-be point contributors are four former second-rounders Yegor Afanasyev (NSH), Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN), Vasili Ponomaryov (CAR), and another University of Connecticut commit Vladislav Firstov (MIN).
Overall, Team Russia is an extremely young and inexperienced team, especially defensively which would pose a bigger threat if they did not have a stud in Yaroslav Askarov between the pipes. With him back there, the ceiling for this team is still pretty high.
Slovakia
The Slovakians, much like the Czechs, are always lurking behind the top-tier teams. In all, the Slovakians are built with only two NHL draftees and the rest are 2021/22 draft-eligible players.
The team’s netminding should be in good hands. Although Samuel Hlavaj (QMJHL/USHL) – a surprisingly undrafted 2020 prospect — struggled at last year’s tournament (.851 save percentage and 5.37 goals-against average), he should be primed for a much better tournament this year. This given his .915 save percentage and 2.25 goals-against average in a highly offensive QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Defensively, Slovakia has three returning from last year’s squad and one player that was drafted – 2020 Columbus Blue Jackets’ third-rounder Samuel Knazko, which who also may be the team’s best player. Another candidate for the team’s best player is top 2022 NHL Entry Draft-eligible Simon Nemec, who also headlines the unit.
Slovakian’s forward group has two returnees in Michal Mrazik (J20 SuperElit) and Dominik Jendik (Slovakia). This group also features the New York Rangers’ 2020 fifth-rounder Martin Chromiak. Oleksii Myklukha is another forward who is a projected middle-round draft pick in the upcoming draft. He currently plays for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL.
Interestingly enough, one of Slovakia’s top forward options, Maxim Cajkovic (Lightning), was removed from the roster due to “gross violation of sports and human values.” It is alleged that he gave a teammate a concussion in practice via a hit. Nonetheless, it’ll be another year fending off relegation as the Slovakian’s will be in a heated battle with Germany in Pool A.
Sweden
You cannot mention Team Sweden without talking about the team’s extraordinary and unbreakable running record of 51 consecutive round-robin game wins. This Swedish squad will certainly be strong again and should be a front runner to medal.
The team’s goaltending features the best one-two punch in the tournament. Hugo Alnefelt (TBL) stole the show at last year’s tournament tallying a .921 save percentage while going 5-1-0. His backup is none other than the best consensus goaltender in next year’s draft, Jesper Wallstedt. Wallstedt has a .920 save percentage in nine SHL games as an 18-year-old. He is regarded as a definite first-rounder, with a real chance to crack the top-10 in next year’s draft.
The Swedes have a terrific trio of returning defenseman, all are former first-round picks – Philip Broberg (EDM), Victor Söderström (ARZ), and Tobias Björnfot (LAK). The defensive group also features two former second-rounders in Emil Andrae (PHI) and Albert Johansson (DET).
The Swedish forward group is pretty loaded as it features 2020 top-10 picks Lucas Raymond (DET) and Alexander Holtz (NJD). Additionally, the team features three former second-rounders in Emil Heineman (FLA), Noel Gunler (CAR), and Theodor Niederbach (DET). The forward unit also features a fringe 2021 first-round prospect in the HV71 of the SHL’s, Oskar Olausson.
Overall, Sweden has a really solid, top-to-bottom team. As mentioned, they will be right in the thick of the medal race. It’ll be interesting to see if their historical streak continues.
Switzerland
One of the youngest teams in the tournament may be the Swiss. The team is solely made up of 2021 draft-eligible players. Despite this, they should still be regarded as one of the middle-tier teams in the tournament.
The team lost all three of their goalies from last year. This leaves Thibault Fatton (U20-Elit), who owns a 9-3 record for Lugano’s U20 team, the likely starter. The Swiss have two defensemen (Rocco Pezzullo and Bastian Guggenheim) returning from last year’s tournament, each play in the Swiss-U20 league and have tasted the NL, which is the top tier league in Switzerland. Three other defensemen to keep your eye on are Inaki Baragano (WHL/U20-Elit), Noah Delémont (QMJHL/NL), and Noah Meier (projected late-to-undrafted 2021 draft prospect).
The Swiss have three forwards returning from last year’s team. Simon Knak (WHL/NL), who went surprisingly undrafted in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Gaétan Jobin (QMJHL/NL), and Joel Salzgeber (SL/U20-Elit). Additionally, the team’s forward group should feature the team’s highest touted draft-eligible prospect in Lorenzo Canoncia (QMJHL/U-20 Elit).
Overall, the Swiss are young and inexperienced but should still put up a solid fight. This team will not have to worry about relegation and should focus on building for next year.
United States
The United States will look to try to avenge a quarterfinal upset at the hands of Finland last year. The USA only has two draft-eligible players on the team’s roster. The rest are all NHL draftees.
The team’s goaltending is going to be a strength of the team, as former 13th overall pick Spencer Knight (FLA) takes the reins. The United States’ defensive core is a bit troubling with only one returne – Philadelphia Flyers’ 2019 14th overall pick Cam York. The defense will also feature another duo of first-rounders in Ryan Johnson (BUF) and 2020 fifth overall pick Jake Sanderson (OTT). Other contributors defensively will be former second-rounders Drew Helleson (COL), Jackson LaCombe (ANA), and Brock Faber (LAK).
The United States’ forward group rivals Canada as the most stacked unit in the whole tournament. Former first-rounders Cole Caufield (MTL), Trevor Zegras (ANA), Alex Turcotte (LAK), Matthew Boldy (MIN), and Brendan Brisson (VGK). The team also features several second-rounders in Bobby Brink (Flyers), Arthur Kaliyev (Kings), and Sam Colangelo (Ducks). The team will also feature one of the more highly touted 2021 draft-eligible prospects in top-10 projected pick Matthew Beniers.
The United States does not seem to be as talented as normal, especially defensively, but the team should still be vying for a medal. Spencer Knight will have to be terrific and the forward group – led by Cole Caufield – will have to be as good as advertised. Is this too much to ask? We shall see.
Conclusion
Reminder, part two of this series will be dropped tomorrow. An already in-depth preview of the tournament as a whole can be found above. As Episode 29 of Devils Army Cast broke down the tournament.