The Absentee Tournament | The Press

In many ways, we would have done without the World Junior Championship this week in Edmonton.

Mathias Brunet
The Press

The idea of ​​postponing this tournament, which was canceled in January due to COVID-19, to August did not seem so bad at the time, but reality is catching up with the organizers.

Hockey Canada is on edge after the disclosure of sex scandals its juniors were involved in in 2003 and 2018.

The Russian team, present in Alberta at the Holidays, was banned following Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

Finally, a significant number of headliners withdrew, at the request of their respective NHL teams, in order to prepare adequately for training camps. They will therefore be conspicuous by their absence in this competition, the first matches of which will be presented on Tuesday.

Slafkovsky, Mesar, Guhle

At the Montreal Canadiens alone, July’s first overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, was dropped from the Slovak roster, as was compatriot and eventual Montreal teammate Filip Mesar, drafted 26^e rank of the first round.

Another top pick and top defense prospect, Kaiden Guhle, drafted 16^e rank in 2020, captain of the Canadian team in January, also forfeited.

Already, in the spring, the management of the CH hinted in veiled words its concern at the idea of ​​letting the young man take part in the tournament in August, after having seen his season come to an end at the Memorial Cup on… June 29.

He would have had barely five weeks off, not only to heal his injuries, but then to train ahead of his first season as a pro. Unrealistic.

Even the Canadian’s modest 2022 third-round pick, Vinzenz Rohrer, won’t be there for Austria. However, he plays in the junior ranks with the Ottawa 67s and does not aspire to the National League for several years.

At least Jan Mysak will remain with the Czech Republic. Mysak was drafted in the second round by the CH in 2021 and he too had a long winter since he participated in the Memorial Cup, like Guhle. We should find him in Laval this season.

The Canadian team will also be without defender Owen Power, first overall pick in 2021, and already a regular at the end of the season with the Buffalo Sabres, and Shane Wright, chosen fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken, same as Xavier Bourgault, Mavrik Bourque, Dylan Guenther, Jake Neighbors and Justin Sourdif. They were all on the team in January.

open door

The many absentees give an incredible chance to stand out, for example to two Canadian forward hopefuls, Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney, drafted in 2021. They captured the attention of Hockey Canada with seasons of more than 100 points in the QMJHL last winter. Quebecers William Dufour and Nathan Gaucher, first round picks of the Anaheim Ducks this summer, also took the opportunity to interfere in the group.

The Americans will be amputated from three pillars: forward Matty Beniers, second overall pick in 2021, already an important center in Seattle, defender Jake Sanderson, drafted fifth overall by Ottawa the same year, and goaltender Drew Commeso.

The great powers, however, are less likely to feel these numerous packages because of their depth. Canada still counts on Mason McTavish and Kent Johnson, both in the top 5 in 2021, and on the likely first overall pick in 2023, Connor Bedard; the Americans still have Logan Cooley, Brock Faber, Luke Hughes, Matt Knies; the Swedes, Jesper Wallstedt, Simon Edvinsson, William Wallinder. It should be played between these three countries.

Ten players to follow

Despite the many absences from the tournament, there are still some interesting players to watch. Here are ten.

Connor Bedard

Forward, Canada

Despite being 16, Bedard had already had time to collect five points, including four goals, in two games before the Championship was canceled in January. The now 17-year-old had 100 points, including 51 goals, in 62 games with the Regina Pats last winter, an impressive production for a kid his age. Barring a big surprise, he will be the first overall pick in 2023. Scouts are only hoping to see him grow further. He is 5’9″ at the moment.

Mason McTavish

Forward, Canada

The 2021 third-overall pick, the burly center started his final NHL season with the Anaheim Ducks at just 18 years old before being sent back to the junior ranks in Peterborough, where he played five games. before being traded to the mighty Hamilton Bulldogs. He joined CH hopefuls Jan Mysak and Arber Xhekaj and this band of talented youngsters reached the Memorial Cup. McTavish has 29 points, including 16 goals, in just 19 playoff games.

Logan Cooley

Forward, United States

There was a lot of talk about Cooley this summer since some people were tipping him off as a possible first overall pick by the Canadiens. This dynamic center player, 36 points in 24 games in the American development program, was finally drafted third overall by the Arizona Coyotes and excluded Shane Wright from the top 3, to the surprise of many. Cooley will play at least one season at the University of Minnesota and is expected to join the Coyotes thereafter.

Thomas Bordeleau

Forward, United States

The poor youngster, an early second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks and son of former Canadiens forward Sébastien Bordeleau, missed the first tournament in 2021 because his roommate contracted COVID-19. He was also excluded from the January one because he himself had received a positive test! Here is finally his last chance, at 20, to represent the country where he was born, in 2002 in Houston, when his father played for the Aeros, school club of the Minnesota Wild in the American League. Bordeleau played eight season-ending games with the Sharks and had five assists.

Luke Hughes

Defender, United States

Jack Hughes, a center, was drafted first overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2019, Quinn Hughes, a defenseman, seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018. The youngest of this trio of brothers, Luke, the tallest also, at 6’2″, was picked fourth overall by the Devils in 2022. He’s probably the most gifted defenseman in this tournament. Although he led with 39 points in 41 games with the Michigan Wolverines, at just 18 years old, Hughes opted to stay an extra season in the NCAA this year.

Joakim Kemell

Forward, Finland

Some observers, fascinated by his attacking talent, saw him as a choice in the top 5 in 2022. Kemell, 23 points, including 15 goals, in 39 games for Finland Elite League JYP, had to wait until the 17^e rank to see the Nashville Predators draft him. A dynamic winger with rare attacking instincts, he nevertheless has deficiencies in defense, which explains his more distant selection rank.

Jesper Wallstedt

Goalkeeper, Sweden

The Minnesota Wild drafted him in the first round, 20^e rank, in 2021, and has great hopes in this goalkeeper, one of the best to aspire to in the NHL. Wallstedt has played the last two seasons in the Swedish Elite League (SEL) with Luleå and played in the two most recent World Youth Championships. Wallstedt has just signed his entry contract in the NHL and should in principle play a first professional season in the American League, in Iowa, in order not to burn the stages.

Joshua Roy

Forward, Canada (CH)

Roy was a disappointing young player in the junior ranks when the Canadiens drafted him in the fifth round in 2021. This first overall pick of the QMJHL in 2019 took charge and, after a promising training camp in Montreal , amassed 119 points, including 51 goals, in 66 games in Sherbrooke and won the scoring championship. His performances, and the many absentees, allowed him, against all odds, to interfere in the team, a well-deserved feat of arms. Last I heard, Roy was playing on the first line with Team Canada.

Riley Kidney

Forward, Canada (CH)

Although he was drafted almost a hundred spots ahead of Joshua Roy in 2019, Kidney, an early second-round pick, plays in the shadows among the Canadiens’ prospects despite a season of 100 points in 66 games with the Titan. ‘Acadie-Bathurst. He surprised by getting a job with Team Canada, and doesn’t have a toolbox as full as Roy’s. There is still room for improvement, especially in terms of physical strength. For now, he seems destined for a reserve role in Edmonton, but things change quickly in such a tournament.

Jan Mysak

Forward, Czech Republic (CH)

Mysak, 20, an early second-round pick in 2020, was already the Czech Republic’s captain in January. He’s a dynamic center who played 22 games with the Laval Rocket during the pandemic, but we don’t expect to welcome a possible offensive center in Montreal. Mysak has 64 points in 60 OJL games at Hamilton on the eve of his 20th birthday, which doesn’t bode well for an explosive forward. He nevertheless has several other qualities and will be one of the great leaders of his formation.