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World Juniors

Snapshots: Vatanen, Ho-Sang, Raska

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As the NHL free agent market continues to thin out in a second wave of signings, veteran defenseman Sami Vatanen still stands out as one of the top available names. PHR’s No. 14-ranked UFA, Vatanen is a veteran of more than 400 NHL games averaging over 21 minutes per outing and at 29 still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Although he hasn’t been the healthiest player in recent years, Vatanen has continued to produce when on the ice. Yet, perhaps it is that lack of reliability that has left him in the lurch this off-season, even if his talent is unquestioned. With that said, teams have been kicking the tires on Vatanen – at this point surely for an affordable one year deal – and the Vancouver Canucks have been confirmed as one of the interested parties. TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the team has checked in on Vatanen, but to this point there has only been casual talks. Should the Canucks ultimately land the veteran, which would take some salary cap acrobatics, Vatanen could certainly serve a role on the team. Vancouver currently has just one right-shot defenseman slated for the NHL roster. They also have just two defenseman who scored at a higher clip than Vatanen last season. The skilled blue liner can score at even strength and could also help to elevate the Canucks power play to one of the best in the league. He checks a number of boxes, but it remains to be seen if the two sides share a mutual interest in a deal and, if so, can make the numbers work.

  • When New York Islanders training camp opens next week, it will do so without Josh Ho-Sang. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple reports that Ho-Sang has not been invited to NHL camp, despite re-signing with the Islanders in October. The polarizing prospect, a 2014 first-round pick, has played exclusively in the AHL in each of the past two season after seeing significant NHL action in each of his first three pro seasons. It now seems as if Ho-Sang could be headed back to full-time AHL duty again judging by his absence from NHL camp. Ho-Sang has been the topic of trade speculation for some time and this new development implies that the relationship between player and team has not improved. The future of Ho-Sang with the Islanders remains a mystery.
  • When his time at the World Juniors is over, Adam Raska will not return to the Czech Republic nor will he compete for a roster spot with the San Jose Sharks. Instead, Raska will report to his QMJHL club, Rimouski Oceanic, the team announced. Raska spent last season with Rimouski, but had been playing in his native Czech Republic with HC Ocelari Trinec so far this season leading up to the WJC. The hard-working winger, who was selected in the seventh round by San Jose this year as an overage prospect, will look to take on a greater offensive role with Rimouski this season.

Morning Notes: Toews, Mehta, Stuetzle

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The Chicago Blackhawks will already miss Kirby Dach for a good chunk (if not all) of the season and might be without their captain as well. Jonathan Toews will miss training camp and the start of the season due to an illness according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Darren Dreger of TSN, with an official statement from the team expected at some point today.

The Blackhawks are off to a horrible start to the upcoming season if Toews is held out for any serious length of time and it leaves them scrambling for center depth. Dylan Strome, the likely candidate to step into the top-line role, isn’t even signed yet and remains a restricted free agent with just a few days until camp starts. Hopefully, Toews can return before long.

  • The Florida Panthers have hired Sunny Mehta as Vice President of Hockey Strategy & Intelligence, bringing in one of the forefathers of hockey analytics. Mehta was one of the first real leaders in the analytics space, serving as Director of Hockey Analytics for the New Jersey Devils from 2014-2018. An interesting resume also includes time as a professional poker player and consultant for several MLB organizations.
  • Though it shouldn’t come into play this season, the entry-level contract for Tim Stuetzle does include a European Assignment Clause that could send him back to Mannheim in Germany if he doesn’t crack the Ottawa Senators roster. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the DEL squad asked for it to be included and waited to make sure the NHL would actually play before releasing the young forward. Stuetzle, who is logging huge minutes for the shorthanded German team at the World Juniors, is expected to step directly onto the NHL roster when the tournament concludes.

Philip Broberg Named Captain For Team Sweden

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Team Sweden was released from quarantine today at the World Juniors and will be practising later today. Yesterday, the team announced the leadership group for the tournament which will be led by Edmonton Oilers prospect Philip Broberg. Broberg will wear the “C” as captain of the squad and will be joined by alternates Tobias Bjornfot, Victor Soderstrom and Albin Sundsvik.

Broberg, 19, is set to spend this season in Sweden again after the tournament concludes but is a top prospect to keep an eye on for the Oilers. Selected 8th overall in 2019 he has already represented Sweden twice at the WJC and should be a force on the blueline once again. An incredible skater, Broberg has been criticized at times for his decision making but shows signs of quickly turning into a top defenseman for Edmonton. He was so impressive this summer that he actually made the Oilers postseason bubble roster, playing in one of the exhibition games. Though he didn’t actually suit up for his NHL debut, it’s not far off.

Bjornfot meanwhile has already made that debut, suiting up for three games with the Los Angeles Kings at the start of the 2019-20 season. The 19-year-old was the 22nd overall pick in 2019 and is also a returning member of the Swedish WJC team. Bjornfot spent last season with the Ontario Reign as one of the youngest defensemen in AHL history, scoring 19 points in 44 games. He has been playing with Djurgardens IF this year and has three points (and 33 penalty minutes) in 15 games.

Soderstrom, another defenseman, is also one of the top prospects in the world, selected 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2019. He was a dynamic offensive presence for the Swedes at last year’s tournament, recording six points in seven games. He’s been on loan this season to AIK in the Swedish second tier and has six points in 12 games. Alongside Broberg and Bjornfot, Soderstrom forms a trio of outstanding defenders who could take over the tournament.

Sundsvik is perhaps the most interesting choice, given he was not at the tournament last year and isn’t a top prospect. The 19-year-old center was selected 160th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in this year’s draft (his second year of eligibility) and has just three points in 23 games at the SHL level this year. Perhaps this honor is a sign of things to come and the Ducks landed a steal in the late rounds.

Hockey Canada Cuts Seven From World Junior Camp

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The World Junior Championship is just a few weeks away and Team Canada has started making cuts. After sending home five players earlier this week who were deemed unfit to play because of COVID-19 tests or close contact, seven more were cut today. Brett Brochu, Tristan Lennox, Adam Beckman, Tyson Foerster, Hendrix Lapierre, Cole Schwindt, and Shane Wright will not be taking part in the tournament this year. That still leaves Canada with 34 players at their selection camp, meaning nine more will be cut before submitting the final roster.

The headline name here is Wright, though he was always a longshot to make the team this year. The 16-year-old would have been one of the youngest to ever play for Team Canada at the U20 event, but instead, he’ll have to wait a year and go as a 17-year-old next year. The potential first overall pick in 2022 was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL a year early and scored 66 points in 58 games for the Kingston Frontenacs. That earned him the CHL Rookie of the Year award and the honor of being the youngest player in OHL history to wear an “A” as an alternate captain.

One other name that may catch the eye is Lapierre, who was picked 22nd overall by the Washington Capitals this year. The 18-year-old forward was once considered to be in the running for the top few selections, but head and neck injuries have slowed his development considerably. He too will likely get another chance to go next year should he have a full healthy season with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

With two goaltenders cut today, one can assume that the position is set with the three names remaining in camp. Dylan Garand, Taylor Gauthier and Devon Levi will be the team’s goaltending trio, though no starter has yet been named. For all the firepower that the Canadians possess upfront and skill on the back end, the goaltending position is still something of a question mark without that star prospect. Gauthier wasn’t drafted at all, while Levi was a seventh-round pick out of the CCHL.

WJC Notes: Canada, Reichel, Sweden

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Canada’s selection camp for the World Junior Championship has restarted today after a two-week pause due to positive COVID-19 test results. While the action is back on with practice today and an intra-squad game tomorrow, things will be cut short for several players this week. As Bob McKenzie of TSN reports, the final 25-man roster is expected to be finalized by Friday and it will not include the two unnamed players who originally tested positive. Those two, plus another three players for an unspecified reason, will not be included in the return to play protocols and instead sent home. (UPDATE: Those players are Matthew Robertson, Ridly Greig, Daemon Hunt, Mason Millman, and Xavier Simoneau)

Even with these exclusions and the absence of Alexis Lafreniere, Canada remains a powerhouse upfront and a favorite for the tournament. The group, which includes Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach, should be loaded with offensive talent and has a stable of elite puck-moving defensemen to quickly get it up to the talented forwards. As we wait for NHL hockey to resume (hopefully next month), the World Juniors should be a spectacle to behold.

  • Unfortunately, another Blackhawks prospect won’t be able to go. The German team has ruled out Lukas Reichel and Nino Kinder from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19. Reichel, selected 17th overall by the Blackhawks earlier this fall, played in the tournament last year and was one of Germany’s better players, scoring five points in seven games. Kinder meanwhile also participated a year ago, but was limited to just two points in seven games and went undrafted.
  • Not only has Sweden lost several top players already, but today they announced that head coach Tomas Monten and assistant coach Anton Lundberg have also tested positive. The issue has always been getting these players and staff to the starting line in the Edmonton bubble, something that is becoming more and more difficult by the day.

Snapshots: Laine, Sabres, Henriksson, Team USA

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With trade rumors surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and Patrik Laine, there are many wondering if a deal is coming any time soon. However, Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe writes that no matter what happens between the Jets and Laine, nothing will be happening any time soon.

With most teams already at the flatlined salary cap, Wiebe writes that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely wait until next offseason when more teams might have the cap room to take on Laine and be able to send the assets that the Jets want back. That’s not to say that the Jets have given up on signing Laine to an extension. The scribe writes that while the two sides have had some issues, he doesn’t believe that it has reached a point of no return and believes an extension is just possible as a trade.

The problem with a contract is that Laine is a rare gem, who has 138 goals in 305 games and is tied for seventh in the league for goals scored since 2016. Throw in the fact that he’s still quite young at age 22 and is just starting to develop into a complete player and it isn’t easy coming up with the parameters of a deal.

  • The Buffalo Sabres could go in two different directions this season with a team having a solid chance to reach the playoffs. However, if the team goes its usual route lately and once again find themselves out of the playoffs near the trade deadline, NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that Buffalo would have a few assets that could net them a solid return. While newly signed forward Taylor Hall has a no movement clause, it still quite plausible that he would waive that if things go south in Buffalo to get a chance at the playoffs, while veteran Eric Staal might also proven to be a valuable asset if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. The 36-year-old has a affordable $3.25MM contract, which could make him attractive down the road. That doesn’t even include players like Rasmus Ristolainen, Carter Hutton and a few others who are already on the team. Needless to say, the hope is the team finally breaks its nine-year playoff drought, but it could turn into a different direction if things don’t go right in Buffalo.
  • Just yesterday, it was announced that Team Sweden would be without 2021 draft prospect William Eklund for the World Junior Championship this year after the 18-year-old tested positive for COVID-19. Now Sweden has taken another hit immediately after that news when Adam Johansson of Expressen.se reports (translation required) that the team’s No. 1 center Karl Henriksson will also have to miss the World Juniors after also testing positive for COVID-19. While the World Juniors don’t start in Edmonton until Dec. 26, the Swedish team is expected to leave for Canada on Dec. 13th, too late for the two young prospects to pass quarantine rules before having to enter the country. Henriksson, a second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2019, has been centering top prospects Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz in international play and will be a big loss for Sweden.
  • Sticking with the World Juniors, Team USA has lost a few prospects as a Boston University trio will not be attending the World Juniors training camp due to COVID-19 protocols, according to New England Hockey Journal’s Jeff Cox. The U.S. team will have to do without forward Robert Mastrosimone, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Detroit Red Wings; defenseman Alex Vlasic, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Chicago Blackhawks; and goaltender Drew Commesso, a second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks this year.

Maxim Cajkovic Removed From Slovakia WJC Camp

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Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Maxim Cajkovic will not be taking part in the World Junior Championship this year after being expelled from the Slovakian training camp. In a release, the team explains (via Google translate) that Cajkovic has been removed for a gross violation of sports and human values. Matej Deraj of Dennik Sport in Slovakia tweets that Cajkovic delivered several dirty hits on his potential teammates in a split-squad game.

Selected 89th overall by the Lightning in 2019, Cajkovic actually already took part in a WJC last season, recording two assists for Slovakia in five games. Though he had played the last two seasons for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, he was spending this first part of this year with the Bratislava Capitals in the ICEHL, where he had nine points in 12 games.

The 19-year-old winger possesses a lethal shot but will obviously have to avoid these kinds of situations in the future if his professional hockey career is to take off. The World Juniors is a chance for many young players to show off their skills against the best in the world and can only help the prospect stock of a player like Cajkovic. Given he’s still waiting on his entry-level contract from the Lightning, this certainly won’t help things. It will obviously also weaken the Slovakian squad, who aren’t loaded with NHL prospects like Cajkovic and were relying on him to provide some offense at the tournament.

Jack Hughes, Alexis Lafreniere Will Not Be Released For WJC

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5:00pm: As if in response, Hockey Canada has announced that Alexis Lafreniere will also not be released to the tournament. Lafreniere will instead focus on training and preparing for the upcoming season with the New York Rangers, where he is expected to step right into a prominent role. After narrowly escaping major injury at the tournament last year, but still earning MVP honors and taking home the gold medal, it seems reasonable for the Rangers to want to keep Lafreniere at home,

3:37pm: Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, Jack Hughes will not be released to USA Hockey for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Though the program had interest, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has informed them the star forward will not go this year.

Hughes of course was the first-overall pick in 2019 by the Devils and missed the tournament last year as well thanks to his NHL commitments. Now 19, he is still eligible but doesn’t have a lot to gain from suiting up against the junior-aged players other than getting in some competitive action before the season begins. That’s what the Chicago Blackhawks are hoping for Kirby Dach for instance, who will go for Team Canada despite playing all last season in the NHL.

The Devils have high hopes for the upcoming season and a step forward from Hughes is imperative to any playoff run they may chase. It’s hard to call him anything but a disappointment in year one, with just seven goals and 21 points. That’s not what you hope for from a first-overall pick, but Hughes was always expected to take a little longer because of his slight frame. Off-ice training and practice with the Devils is likely more important to his development than dominating prospects at the World Juniors.

Team USA could potentially lose another talented youngster that has already made his NHL debut, as Dreger also notes that if the league starts up soon Nick Robertson would stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of traveling to Edmonton. Robertson was listed on the preliminary roster and is currently training in Toronto with some Maple Leafs teammates.

Marco Rossi To Attend World Juniors

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If you needed another reason to tune in for the World Junior Championship later this month, you’ve got it. Marco Rossi, the Minnesota Wild forward who led the OHL in scoring last season, will soon be assigned to Team Austria for their training camp that begins this weekend according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The Wild believe it is a “great opportunity” for Rossi to lead the Austrians, where he will likely be the team’s best player in the tournament.

Rossi, 19, is currently on loan to the ZSC Lions in Switzerland and has played one game for the pro club. The undersized center was one of the best players in the entire CHL last season, scoring 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s and winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL Most Outstanding Player. Considered one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the draft, he was selected ninth overall by the Wild and was hoping to jump right into the league.

As with everything else right now, that is entirely up in the air. The NHL doesn’t have a firm start date or even a training camp schedule, leading to the decision by the Wild to send him to the World Juniors. Rossi’s agent, Serge Payer, told Russo that he will report to Minnesota after the tournament in Edmonton.

The development of Rossi is paramount in Minnesota. The team has been searching for a new franchise center for years, and though GM Bill Guerin has acquired names like Nick Bonino, Marcus Johansson, and Nick Bjugstad this summer, all of whom have experience down the middle, it’s Rossi that still carries the hope of an entire fanbase. If he is able to fulfill his potential and find any sort of chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild could have a duo to build around for years to come.

Even though the Wild haven’t often been considered real Stanley Cup contenders, they still have been mired in the middle of the pack and haven’t received prospects like Rossi very often. In fact, he’s the highest draft pick they’ve had since Matt Dumba went seventh overall in 2012.

Antti Saarela Out 2-4 Weeks

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Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Antti Saarela was a likely candidate to represent Finland at the upcoming World Juniors, returning to the tournament after taking part last year. That has been thrown into question today as Brandon Cain of NHL.com reports that Saarela will be out two to four weeks with an undisclosed injury.

The 19-year-old forward was selected 123rd overall by the Blackhawks in 2019 but managed to secure a full-time spot on Ilves last season, scoring 12 points in 40 games. He returned to the Finnish club this year and had ten points in his first 17 games, looking more dangerous every time the puck touched his stick while maintaining his excellent skating abilities.

After going scoreless in seven games at the World Juniors last year, this year’s tournament would have been a chance for Saarela to exact some revenge and raise his international profile. Given that the tournament is almost exactly four weeks away he could potentially recover in time, but it obviously isn’t a guarantee.

Saarela isn’t yet under contract with the Blackhawks, but the team has until 2023 to sign him. If the big development step he has taken this year is any indication, a future in the NHL is waiting for him down the road.

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