Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

World Juniors

Canada Notes: World Juniors, Coronato, Knies, Senators

at CDT | by 6 Comments

After the 2022 Men’s U20 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship (WJC) was cancelled amid an outbreak of COVID-19 in late December, the IIHF announced that it would hold the tournament in August, 2022 in Alberta, Canada. While this was certainly great news for Hockey Canada and the country itself, Hockey Canada may stay busy. In the wake of the IIHF pulling the 2023 WJC out of Russia, the organization has asked Hockey Canada if it would be able to host the 2023 tournament, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek on Saturday night’s Hockey Night in Canada.

Currently, the IIHF is awaiting a response from Hockey Canada, but Marek adds that the belief is the tournament could be hosted in Ontario or to the east, perhaps somewhere in the Maritimes. Ontario has seen a World Juniors as recently as 2017, when the tournament was split between Toronto and Montreal (and consequently, Ontario and Quebec), but the tournament has not been held to the east since 2003, when it was held in Nova Scotia, split between Halifax and Sydney.

  • With Harvard University’s season coming to an end after a 4-3 loss to Minnesota State on Thursday, attention turned to Harvard forward and Calgary Flames prospect Matthew Coronato, to see if he may turn professional and sign with Calgary. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Flames are going to talk to the forward, but the belief is that he will ultimately return to Harvard for another season. Friedman mentions the concern Flames fans may have with talented Harvard prospects after their experience with Adam Fox, but cautions that Coronato shouldn’t be an issue for Calgary. Coronato, the 13th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, had 18 goals and 18 assists in 34 games this season for Harvard.
  • Friedman also touched on another big-time NCAA prospect while speaking on Hockey Night in Canada: Matthew Knies. Knies has been the focus of recent discussion after being named in alleged trade discussions between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. When asked about Knies, Friedman made it abundantly clear that there was an important distinction in these discussions, which is that Toronto was not shopping Knies, but instead that he was simply a demand of the Blackhawks in those discussions. After the discussions involving Knies and then-Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were made public, attention was brought on the top prospect, drawing the ire of Toronto GM Kyle Dubas.
  • The Ottawa Senators will not face any subsequent fines or discipline for any role they may have played with the issues surrounding Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade clause, reports Friedman, appearing to finally close the book on the non-trade. There had been speculation that the Ottawa Senators could be fined for the role they played in the matter, dating back to their trade of Dadonov to Vegas this offseason.

2022 World Junior Championship Canceled

at CDT | by 27 Comments

Dec 30: Following the cancelation, the IIHF has announced that additional cases were confirmed in players across five teams–Canada, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Slovakia–along with another on-ice official. The federation has also announced that all team members and officials that tested positive will remain in a mandatory minimum ten-day quarantine before returning to their respective countries and club teams.

Dec 29: After three teams were forced to forfeit matches this week following positive COVID-19 cases, the IIHF has canceled the remainder of the World Junior Championship, according to several reports including Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff, Bob McKenzie of TSN, and Emily Kaplan of ESPN. The U.S., Russia, and Czechia all forfeited matches, and before the tournament even began, Finland, Austria, and Switzerland also experienced positive test results.

The IIHF has confirmed the cancelation now, noting that the “sportive integrity of the event” was compromised after three forfeits. They also released this statement from IIHF president Luc Tardif:

Together with the teams, we came into this event with full confidence in the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the IIHF, the LOC, Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant forced us to readjust our protocols almost immediately upon arrival to attempt to stay ahead of any potential spread. This included daily testing and the team quarantine requirement when positive cases were confirmed.”

We owed it to the participating teams to do our best to create the conditions necessary for this event to work. Unfortunately, this was not enough. We now have to take some time and focus on getting all players and team staff back home safely.

This cancelation follows the decision to cancel the six other international tournaments in January, but go ahead with the World Juniors as planned. The event was not in a tight bubble like last year, with reports surfacing today that players and staff had even interacted with wedding attendees in the hotel they were staying at.

It is not yet clear when players will depart for their respective clubs, or who exactly tested positive for each country. The official statements from the IIHF have not yet been released.

It’s hard to fathom how exactly the tournament was expected to be played at all if a few positive cases derailed it so quickly, but with the WJC being such a significant financial event for the IIHF, it’s easy to see why they would try. The 2023 event is currently scheduled to be held in Novosibirsk, Russia.

For a player like Owen Power of Canada, this was his one shot at playing in the tournament given he will turn 20 before next year’s event begins. Power was not allowed to leave Michigan for last year’s event because of the uncertain role he would play, and also missed out on the NCAA tournament when his program ended up pulling out because of COVID precautions. It’s been a disappointing stretch for the Buffalo Sabres prospect and other top players of his age group, but he’ll now return to Michigan along with players like Kent Johnson, Matty Beniers, Brendan Brisson, and Luke Hughes with the NHL just over the next ridge.

Others, like Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov, still have time to participate in future World Juniors but are missing a chance to put up special, record-breaking numbers at their young age. The top picks for 2023 were already impressing fans across the world with their skills and will now return to their club teams to wait for the next international stage. In Bedard’s last game–and the last one that will be played at the 2022 tournament–he scored four goals, becoming the first 16-year-old Canadian to record a hat trick at the tournament since Wayne Gretzky.

IIHF Will Attempt To Reschedule 2022 World Junior Championship

at CDT | by 15 Comments

International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif told Russian outlet Championat on Wednesday that they’d like to reschedule the 2022 World Junior Championship, which was cancelled today due to a series of forfeited games at the tournament due to COVID cases among teams.

Tardif says that the summer of 2022 is the most likely outcome and that the tournament would likely stay in Canada. From a financial and television perspective, it would make sense to hold the tournament after the conclusion of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final in July.

Translated from Russian, Tardif had this to say on the tournament’s cancellation:

The integrity of the tournament was violated, for reasons of player safety, we decided it was necessary to hold the [WJC] for real… Hockey is excellent, but the [Omicron] situation is disappointing. We preferred to end the tournament now, we will develop a proposal for all federations with new dates.

One important note from the interview is that teams will be able to modify their rosters for the tournament, should it be rescheduled. It’s big news for players like Finland’s Aatu Raty, who weren’t taken to the tournament due to testing positive for COVID during the selection process.

Tardif says he doesn’t know if the tournament will be held in a bubble this time around. To be fair, it’s impossible to predict the nature of COVID six months from now, and it’s therefore impossible to make a call on that front.

Still, optimism remains for these junior players to get an honest crack at medalling at the World Juniors in 2022.

Team USA Forfeits World Junior Game; Enters Quarantine

at CDT | by 17 Comments

Dec 29: Another game has been forfeited, this time by Czechia. Finland will receive a 1-0 victory after a Czech player tested positive last night. The team will enter a quarantine like the U.S. and its status for tomorrow’s game against Austria is still to be determined.

For Team USA there might be some good news, as Bob McKenzie of TSN suggests that though the two players who tested positive have had that confirmed, the rest of the team is waiting for results this afternoon that could make them eligible to play against Sweden.

A few hours later, McKenzie reports that Russia has also forfeited a game due to a positive test. Slovakia will get the 1-0 win, and Russia’s upcoming games are now in question.

Dec 28: The IIHF has announced that Team USA has been forced into a mandatory quarantine period at the World Juniors after two players tested positive for COVID-19. Because they are unable to participate in the scheduled game against Switzerland today, the U.S. has forfeited the match. It will be recorded as a 1-0 Swiss victory. The team’s quarantine status will be evaluated later on to determine if they will be able to participate in the next preliminary round game, scheduled for tomorrow against Sweden. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that the positive test results could involve the team’s goaltending, though official word on player status has not been released.

Of note in a case like this, the IIHF decided not to include relegation for this year’s tournament because of the possibility of a series of forfeits, should a team experience a COVID outbreak. The U.S. is not in danger of falling out of the top division, though this obviously puts their chances at a medal in jeopardy. Switzerland and Russia will now be tied with Team USA in the Group B standings with one win and one loss. Should they also be forced to forfeit tomorrow’s game against the Swedes, it would be a difficult path to the quarter-finals.

The U.S. played Slovakia on December 26, who then played Sweden last night. Because of the condensed timeline of the event, it’s easy to see how an early outbreak could run rampant and end up putting the entire tournament in jeopardy.

John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the U.S. squad, released a statement:

We’re extremely disappointed, especially for our players. We’re operating in an ever-changing landscape and that’s very challenging. We’ve followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championship. 

Poll: Who Will Win The 2022 World Junior Championship?

at CDT | by 5 Comments

In three days, the best junior-aged hockey players in the world will kick off one of the most exciting international tournaments around. Teams from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, Czechia, Austria, Slovakia, and Switzerland will do battle at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta.

Today all ten teams were supposed to play their lone pre-tournament tune-up games, but the match between Czechia and Switzerland was canceled due to COVID protocols. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that one player from that game (it is unclear from which team) has tested positive for coronavirus and will be immediately isolated. The other games are still scheduled to proceed.

The U.S. lost their pre-tournament match against Finland today after Red Savage was given a five-minute major and match penalty in the third period. Savage will likely have to serve a suspension when the tournament begins, though that has not yet been determined. They also lost Ty Smilanic to injury, as Corey Pronman of The Athletic relays he will likely to miss some games.

Both those teams would be considered contenders for the gold, as they’re littered with NHL prospects at every position.

For the Americans, it’s Jake Sanderson and Matty Beniers’ team. The former was the fifth-overall pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2020 and will log huge minutes in all situations for Team USA. Sanderson was named captain this week and has the skating ability to dominate a tournament like this. Beniers meanwhile was the second-overall pick in 2021 by the Seattle Kraken and is the kind of lynchpin center that you can build an entire forward group around. Both were part of the team that won gold at last year’s tournament.

The Finns meanwhile took home the bronze in last year’s event and several of those names are back for revenge. Topi Niemela, a Toronto Maple Leafs third-round pick was named the tournament’s best defenseman in 2021 and is back for more. Another Maple Leafs pick is captaining the group; Roni Hirvonen showed exactly why he’s the leader as he ended today’s match in overtime with a blistering wrist shot. But don’t forget about draft-eligible Brad Lambert, who could go as high as second overall in 2022 if he has a strong stretch run.

As always, Canada is a medal favorite once again after winning silver a year ago. The Canadians are so loaded this time around that Owen Power, the first-overall pick in 2021, isn’t even one of the captains. The “C” will be on Kaiden Guhle’s chest instead, as he returns to lead this group after last year’s defeat. With Power, this group could have three first-overall picks as Shane Wright (projected first for 2022) and Connor Bedard (2023) are both on the team.

Bedard isn’t the only contender for that spot though, and Russia also heads to Red Deer with their 2023-eligible superstar. Matvei Michkov has been breaking junior records set by Alex Ovechkin and Nikita Kucherov as he prepares for his spotlight moment in Alberta. The MVP at the U18 tournament last year, Michkov put up 12 goals and 16 points in just seven games. Russia has had trouble on defense internationally for the past few years, but New Jersey Devils prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin will try to change that. He’s already in his third year as a regular in the KHL, so taking advantage of some players his own age shouldn’t be an issue.

And then there’s Sweden, who have two forwards on the roster who played in the NHL this season (Canada has three). William Eklund and Alexander Holtz are both still looking for their first NHL goals, but they won’t have to wait long to score in this tournament considering their history. Holtz has already played in this event twice before but he’s looking for his first gold.

So which team will actually take home the top prize? The two groups can be found here. Things kick off on December 26 when Finland takes on Germany.

[Mobile users click here to vote]

New York Rangers Sign Dylan Garand

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Not a bad week for Dylan Garand. The young goaltender was named to the Canadian World Junior Championship team–where he could potentially be the starter for the upcoming tournament–and has now inked his first NHL contract. The New York Rangers have signed the goaltender to a three-year, entry-level contract. He will return to the Kamloops Blazers when the World Juniors concludes.

Garand, 19, is expected to start tonight’s pre-tournament tune-up against Russia and has the inside track to the crease for Canada. He was at the tournament last year as well but ended up playing in just one game as Devon Levi stole the show. If he does win out it would be an impressive feat, given his competition in 15th-overall pick Sebastian Cossa and London Knights star Brett Brochu. Garand has played the best out of the three this season, posting an eye-popping .932 save percentage in 19 games for the Blazers. He’s 15-4 with a 1.85 goals-against average in those games as he continues to impress now more than a year after slipping to the fourth round.

Selected 103rd overall, Garand was the eighth goaltender off the board in 2020 but has done nothing but stop the puck and win games since. In 18 games last season with the Blazers he posted a .921 and went 15-3, while also getting his first taste of professional hockey with the Hartford Wolf Pack. That’s likely who he’ll join after his WHL season comes to an end, and where he’ll play in 2022-23.

Russia, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany Name 2022 WJC Captains

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While there may not be any NHL hockey left to look forward to for the next few days, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships are just around the corner. Pre-tournament play is imminent, while the round-robin slate of games begins on December 26. With the tournament approaching, the Russian, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, and German contingents have all named their captains for their teams, supplementing the announcements for Canada (Kaiden Guhle) and the United States (Jake Sanderson). Their captains are as follows:

Russia: Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN)
Finland: Roni Hirvonen (TOR)
Czechia: Jan Mysak (MTL)
Slovakia: Samuel Knazko (CBJ)
Germany: Florian Elias (2022-eligible overage player)

This is Khusnutdinov’s second World Juniors appearance for Russia. Drafted in the second round by Minnesota in 2020, he impressed last year with five points in seven games. Now, in his last year of eligibility, Khusnutdinov is tasked with leading the team in hopes of a medal. The skilled two-way center has four goals and seven assists in 29 KHL games this season with SKA St. Petersburg, impressive numbers for a young player on such a deep team. He’s medalled once before internationally for Russia, winning a silver medal at the 2019 U-18 World Juniors.

Another good defensive center finds his way onto this list with Hirvonen. Also a product of the 2020 Draft’s second round, it’s also Hirvonen’s second and final chance at a World Juniors medal. He had six points in seven games last year as Finland took home the bronze medal. He’s also performing well in his home country’s top league this season, posting six goals and 10 assists in 28 games with HIFK in the Liiga.

Mysak, playing with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, is the third second-round draft pick in 2020 on this list. Unlike Khusnutdinov and Hirvonen, though, he made the U-20 team as a 17-year-old, meaning this is his third chance at a medal. It’s his second straight year serving as the captain, with three goals and two assists in 10 games combined. He has 17 goals and 14 assists through 25 OHL games this year.

Knazko breaks the chain, as Columbus drafted him in the third round in 2020. Like Mysak, though, it’s Knazko’s third WJC and his second as the captain. The mobile two-way defenseman has two assists in nine games at the tournament. Now with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, he has a goal and two assists through five games.

Playing with Adler Mannheim in the DEL, Elias was passed over in last year’s draft. Playing with Ottawa’s Tim Stützle at last year’s World Juniors, though, he exploded for four goals and five assists through five games. He’s got four points through 21 games in the DEL this year, and now it’s his turn to lead the German squad.

Snapshots: All-Star Game, Cooper, World Juniors, Rust

at CDT | by 9 Comments

While it appears the NHL and NHLPA will soon officially be pulling the plug on participating in the upcoming Olympics, it doesn’t appear as if All-Star Weekend will be doomed to a similar fate.  At least, not yet.  ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski notes that at this point, there haven’t been any substantial discussions about whether or not to delay or cancel that event which is scheduled for February 4th and 5th in Vegas.  Depending on what happens over the coming weeks when it comes to further postponements on the schedule, the league may need to utilize those dates for makeup games but after not having the event last season, it’s one they’ll likely try to keep intact if they can.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Prior to their game against Vegas tonight, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was placed in COVID protocol, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay was one of the few teams left that didn’t have anyone in COVID protocol before this placement.
  • The World Juniors will have considerably fewer fans than originally planned for following an announcement that Alberta will be limiting capacity to 50% at both arenas. There is no timeline for when those measures will be revisited and they will also affect the Flames and Oilers once their games resume although Edmonton comes out of the holiday break with a six-game road trip due to the tournament.
  • The Penguins and winger Bryan Rust held extension talks but have shelved them after being unable to find common ground in talks, reports Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski. It has been a tough season for the 29-year-old who has been limited to just a dozen appearances due to injuries after two strong years that saw him pot 49 goals in 111 games which doesn’t help his case as he looks to land a sizable raise on his current $3.75MM AAV.  Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions that Rust skated with the team in Monday – albeit in a non-contact jersey – which suggests that he could be back not long after play resumes following the holiday break.

USA Hockey Names Captains For WJC

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Another defenseman will lead his squad into the World Junior Championship that starts this weekend. Jake Sanderson has been named captain of the U.S. National Junior Team, where he can show exactly why the Ottawa Senators picked him fifth overall in 2020. He’ll be joined by Matty Beniers, Brock Faber, and Landon Slaggert who will serve as alternates for the tournament.

Head coach Nate Leaman explained that it’s not just these four who will lead the team:

The strength of this team is its leadership and we have a group of guys that have earned the letter on their jersey both on and off the ice. There are even more leaders in our locker room. We’re excited about this group overall, and for us to be successful, every player will need to find a way to lead.

Sanderson, a sophomore at the University of North Dakota, has improved his offensive game this season to go with a defensive repertoire that could likely have him hold his own in the NHL right now. In 15 games for the Fighting Hawks, he has 19 points and is obviously processing the game at a higher level when the puck is on his stick. There’s still work to be done if Sanderson’s going to become the true top-pairing player that the Senators hope for, but there’s little doubt he will dominate this tournament as a do-it-all defender for Team USA.

Beniers, the second-overall pick from 2021, is in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan and is once again playing at a point-per-game pace. With 22 points in 20 games he needs just two more to match the total he set in the shortened 2020-21 season, one which left many Michigan players wanting another crack at the NCAA tournament. The Seattle Kraken were happy to see him return but will likely be looking to sign Beniers as soon as possible, in order to start building their brand around the 19-year-old forward.

Faber, another member of the Los Angeles Kings’ huge number of high-end prospects, is a defenseman for the University of Minnesota, where he is in his sophomore season. While he has just nine points in 18 games this season, he showed at last year’s World Junior tournament that he can step directly into an offensive role if given the opportunity as well. It’s his mobility on the defensive end that stands out with Faber though, as he smoothly closes gaps and disrupts plays with extremely quick feet.

Slaggert, the lowest draft pick of the bunch, is a returnee to the team (they all are) after he played his way in during selection camp last year. The Chicago Blackhawks third-round pick from 2020, Slaggert has continued to take steps forward in his overall game while playing at Notre Dame but doesn’t provide the kind of offensive upside some of his teammates will. That doesn’t matter, as there’s absolutely no quit in Slaggert’s high-energy play which will set the tone for the U.S. squad every game.

COVID Notes: Sundqvist, Flames, Protocol, World Juniors

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Blues have placed center Oskar Sundqvist in COVID protocol, per a team release.  It has been a tough year for the 27-year-old who missed 14 games at the beginning of the season due to a knee injury and Sundqvist has struggled to produce when he is in the lineup, collecting just a goal and three assists in 16 games.  St. Louis had been carrying an extra forward on their active roster so they won’t necessarily have to bring anyone up from AHL Springfield to cover for Sundqvist’s absence which will last for at least the next ten days.

Other COVID news from around the hockey world:

  • The Flames announced (Twitter link) that they did not have any positive tests among their players or staff yesterday. That’s certainly notable considering that they have 19 players and 13 staff in COVID protocol at the moment and this is the first day since Sunday that they didn’t have a single positive test among their group.  Calgary has had their games postponed through the holiday break although it wouldn’t be surprising if another game or two get postponed after it to allow some of their players to have a chance at being ready to return after serving their quarantine period.
  • The NHL and NHLPA jointly announced a return of the enhanced COVID protocols through at least January 7th. Among the highlights are daily testing, a reduction of in-person meetings, and dining restrictions.  The full document can be found here.
  • As a result of the recent increase in positive tests, Hockey Canada announced that the first four days of World Junior pre-tournament games have been cancelled. Originally, each country was supposed to play in at least two exhibition contests but that won’t happen now.  There remains a possibility for pre-tournament contests to be held on December 23rd and 24th.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top