Eyes on the World Juniors

Juraj Slafkovsky will not be joining his good friend Filip Mesar in Slovakia’s squad for the Junior World Championship.

• Read also: Juraj Slafkovsky: CH before Slovakia

There will therefore be no reunion between Batman and Robin.

“I want to adjust for the NHL as quickly as possible,” said Slafkovsky after training with the Canadiens on Friday in Brossard. It wouldn’t necessarily be learning [de participer au Championnat du monde junior], but more a question of gaining confidence. But I feel like I’m building my confidence here with the Canadiens. Maybe it’s even better if I do it in the NHL than there. The game is faster here than in the junior. »

Top of the class in the most recent repechage, Slafkovsky will remain in the CH environment. Head coach Martin St-Louis said the organization wanted to give him continuity, a sign that he won’t be loaned to the Slovakian junior team.

Mesar, the Habs’ other first-round selection, ranked 26th last summer, will be one of the key players for the Slovaks. Defenseman Simon Nemec, the New Jersey Devils’ second overall pick at the last auction, will be the main headliner.

Beck, Roy and company

Owen Beck, Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney received invitations to the Canadian team camp in Moncton.

Although he was an important cog on the wing in the quest for the gold medal this summer, Roy was not given the certainty that he would still participate in the tournament. He will find himself in a fight with other offensive ends like Jordan Dumais (Halifax Mooseheads/Columbus Blue Jackets) and Zachary Bolduc (Quebec Remparts/St. Louis Blues).

As for the American team, defenseman Lane Hutson, who is having a phenomenal start with the Boston University Terriers, should logically play on the blue line.

Oliver Kapanen, a winger, and Adam Engstrom, a fullback, will be looking to earn a job with Finland and Sweden respectively. In Kapanen’s case, he has already competed at the World Juniors in 2021 and 2022.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Canadian being in a period of reconstruction, it is full of young hopefuls in Laval, in the Canadian junior circuits, the American university network and in Europe. Every week, The newspaper will publish an account of some of them.

NCAA

Before going on hiatus for the holidays with a next game only on December 30, Farrell wrote his name on the score sheet 5 times (3 goals, 2 assists) in his last two games. The winger sits atop Harvard Crimson scoring with 18 points (7 goals 11 points) in 11 games.

OH

Shunned by the leaders of the Canadian team for the World Junior Championship, Mailloux finds himself third among defensemen in the Ontario Junior League with 10 goals. The CH first-round pick in 2021 now has 19 points in 23 games with the London Knights.

OH

He is one of the three hopefuls of the Canadian at the Canadian training camp for the World Juniors in Moncton and Halifax. He could land one of four positions at center because of his intelligence, his talent in the face-off circle and his defensive play. He has 33 points (16 goals, 17 points) in 24 games with the Mississauga Steelheads.

QMJHL

The dynamic Sherbrooke Phœnix winger is also taking part in the Team Canada camp. He won the gold medal this summer at the World Juniors, but he’s not guaranteed a spot due to a surplus of offensive talent. Roy had played an important role with 8 points in 7 games at the last tournament. He has 43 points (18 goals, 25 points) in 26 games this season in the QMJHL.

QMJHL

He is the other hope of the CH at the Canada camp for the Junior World Championship. Of the three, Kidney is probably the most likely to walk away empty-handed. Yes, he won gold during the summer tournament, but he was in the role of the 13th striker. He has 41 points (13 goals, 28 points) in 28 games with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

NCAA

The Czech goalkeeper revives the era of Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo by playing almost every minute for his team. After 18 games with the Ohio State University Buckeyes, Dobes had 18 starts and played 1053:57 of 1085 minutes overall. The 2020 CH fifth-round pick is 10-7-1 with a 2.33 GAA and .915 save percentage.