Czechia Announces Final Roster For 2022 WJC
After their pre-tournament game against Switzerland was cancelled yesterday due to COVID-19 concerns, Czechia has named their final roster for the 2022 World Junior Championships which begin in earnest on December 26.
Two names in particular of note on this team are David Jiricek and Jiri Kulich, who are both eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiricek is a likely top-ten and potential top-five selection come July, and a good tournament could help solidify that positioning. He’s actually serving as an assistant captain for the team along with 19-year-old undrafted Michal Gut. Montreal Canadiens prospect Jan Mysak was announced as the team’s captain earlier in the week.
Jiricek is impressing this season with five goals and six assists in 29 games with HC Plzen in the Czech Extraliga. Kulich, a likely second- or third-round selection, has seven goals and four assists with Karlovy Vary in the Extraliga.
The Czechs will be watched intently by Columbus Blue Jackets fans, as they carry a pair of talented prospects in defenseman Stanislav Svozil and forward Martin Rysavy. Svozil somewhat unexpectedly fell to the third round in 2021 where Columbus drafted him 69th overall. He’s done well in his first season in North America, posting a goal and 17 assists in 26 games with the WHL’s Regina Pats. Rysavy, a seventh-rounder in 2021, has five goals and 11 assists in 28 games with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
Toronto Maple Leafs Place William Nylander In COVID Protocol
The Toronto Maple Leafs tweeted out this afternoon that the team placed right wing William Nylander into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
Nylander becomes the seventh forward and 13th Maple Leaf on the protocol list. Morgan Rielly entered protocol just yesterday.
John Tavares, Alexander Kerfoot, Ilya Mikheyev, David Kampf, Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza, Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott, T.J. Brodie, Jack Campbell, and Petr Mrazek round out the rest of the COVID absences for Toronto.
In all likelihood, this means that Nylander won’t be available if the team resumes playing next week. The 25-year-old Swede is enjoying his best season to date, posting 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 30 games while playing 18:47 per game.
With Nylander now out, when Toronto hits the ice again, it’ll likely give a chance for players like Kyle Clifford and Joey Anderson to get back onto the active roster and play some games.
IIHF Cancels U18 Women’s World Championship, Other Events
Dec 24: The IIHF has made it official, canceling six tournaments for January. President Luc Tardif released the following statement:
These are hard facts to have to face, and as with last year we must take the difficult decision to cancel men’s and women’s IIHF events, including the women’s U18 top division now for the second year in a row.
It is the consensus of the IIHF Medical Committee that the organizers would not have the capability to manage an outbreak of the virus, especially with the rapid transfer of the Omicron variant that we have seen in the NHL and other leagues.
Dec 23: ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported today that the International Ice Hockey Federation is cancelling all of its events scheduled for January 2022 due to the continued spread of COVID-19, including most notably the U18 Women’s World Championship for a second straight year.
Other cancelled events are the Division IIB and Division III Men’s World Junior Championships and the Division IA, 1B, and Division II U18 Women’s World Championships.
It’s worth noting that this cancellation does not affect the current Men’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, where pre-tournament games got underway today. It was also held last year in a bubble format, while the U18 Women’s Championship was cancelled.
Last year’s U18 Men’s Championship was not affected, and as of now, the IIHF still plans to hold the 2022 U18 Men’s Championship in April.
Colorado Avalanche Could Look For Added Defense Depth
Despite being tied for the best points percentage in the Western Conference at the holiday break, the Colorado Avalanche haven’t had their ideal start to the 2021-22 season. The team was expected by many to be far and away the best team in the Central Division, but a gigantic rash of injuries to core players has limited them this year.
They’re definitely not alone in that fact, but a few long-term injuries on defense and some concerning numbers from their goaltenders leave the Avalanche with the sixth-most goals against in the conference (91). That’s why The Athletic’s Peter Baugh suggests in a mailbag piece that the team could look to add on defense if the injury situation there doesn’t improve.
Colorado expected both Bowen Byram and Ryan Murray to play some meaningful minutes this year supplementing one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the league on the back end with Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard. They’re both out for indefinite periods of time.
A logical trade partner for them is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have a logjam on defense and are looking to ship out a player to create some roster and salary cap flexibility. Both Justin Holl and Travis Dermott could be moved out, and there’s a decent chance Colorado looks at one of these players.
Holl’s really struggled on both sides of the puck this season (just one assist in 24 games) and was healthy scratched for a few games, but he is playing over 20 minutes a night on one of the better teams in the league. He’s also just one season removed from posting solid defensive results on a shutdown pair with Jake Muzzin. While he hasn’t been able to find that consistency this year, a change of scenery could benefit Holl, who’d also give Colorado some cost certainty as he’s signed through 2023.
There’s also the matter of Dermott, who’s likely a more attractive trade option for Colorado. He’s four years younger than Holl and while he too has struggled offensively (just two points in 19 games), he’s been much less mistake-prone than Holl this year and provides more upside. He’s also signed through 2023 for $500,000 less than Holl, an appealing prospect for a contending and spending team like Colorado.
Russia, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany Name 2022 WJC Captains
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.
Puljujarvi, Nurse, Lagesson Enter COVID-19 Protocol
Dec 20: Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson have now joined the rest of the unavailable Oilers in the COVID protocol. The team has already seen games postponed until December 27, but several of these key names will have not crossed the ten-day threshold by then. Nurse especially is a huge loss for the team, given how much he plays and how important he is to the team’s defensive corps. The team has also announced that their practice facilities will be closed through the holiday break.
Dec 18: Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol ahead of the team’s game tonight against the Seattle Kraken, per a team tweet.
Puljujarvi joins notable absences Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Duncan Keith on the COVID list for Edmonton.
It’s especially of note as the Oilers have an incredibly compressed schedule before the holiday break. They have four games remaining, including tonight’s bout with Seattle. Their road trip takes them through the three California teams, playing three games in four nights from December 20-23.
For Puljujarvi, it’s a tough break. The fourth overall pick in 2016 is finally enjoying what seems to be a serious breakout with 23 points in 28 games, already just two points behind his career-high of 25. He’s found a home playing alongside Connor McDavid, and his two-way game is quickly blossoming as he becomes a legitimate top-line threat.
Obviously, the concern now rests with the Oilers players who are on the wrong side of the border with the holidays approaching. Hopefully, there’s a way to get quarantined players at least back home for the short break in the schedule.
Injury Notes: Wilson, Stone, Boyle
According to The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell, the Washington Capitals placed right wing Tom Wilson on injured reserve, although the move is retroactive to December 10. He hasn’t played the last week as he deals with an upper-body injury. Due to the retroactive nature of the move, he can be activated at any time. The team needed to free up roster space for Garnet Hathaway, though, who came off COVID protocol today, and moving Wilson to injured reserve accomplished that. Wilson’s day-to-day status hasn’t changed. He has nine goals and 15 assists in 27 games this season, on pace for a career-high in points.
More injury notes from around the league:
- Many Vegas Golden Knights fans were concerned when captain Mark Stone missed today’s game with an upper-body injury due to his lengthy absence earlier in the season. However, head coach Peter DeBoer said after the game today that he doesn’t expect Stone to be out long-term. That’s great news for a Vegas team that’s finally getting on a roll after a nightmarish season in terms of health. The team now sits atop the Pacific Division, the place many expected them to be before an injury bug bit the team hard. The captain’s been red-hot recently, scoring four goals and 17 assists in 18 games.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brian Boyle is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the New Jersey Devils, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed. Pittsburgh somewhat unexpectedly added Boyle, who didn’t play at all in 2020-21, to the roster prior to training camp with injuries to both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin limiting them down the middle. Boyle’s gotten into 19 of Pittsburgh’s 29 games, scoring three goals and providing a good defensive game.
NHL Shuts Down Detroit Red Wings Through Holiday Break
The NHL announced today that due to continued COVID spread within the organization, the league has shut down the Detroit Red Wings through the holiday break.
Detroit’s facilities will be closed through at least December 26, the last day of the holiday break. Until then, players and staff have effectively been sent home.
As a result of the shutdown, Detroit’s game originally scheduled for Thursday against the Minnesota Wild is postponed. It’s the 40th NHL game to be postponed this season, further casting Olympic participation into doubt.
There are six Detroit players currently in COVID protocol – Filip Zadina, Carter Rowney, Givani Smith, Michael Rasmussen, Robby Fabbri, and Alex Nedeljkovic. Due to the nature of the release, it’s possible that more additions will be announced later tonight.
The Red Wings will come out of the holiday break with a 15-13-3 record and .532 points percentage, which is the fifth-best in the Atlantic Division.
Detroit’s shutdown was originally reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
NHL/NHLPA Pause Cross-Border Travel, Issue Updates On Season And Olympics
The NHL and NHLPA released a joint statement today that the league will postpone any games that require cross-border travel through the holiday break. The 12 postponed games are as follows:
Canadiens @ Islanders (12/20), Ducks @ Oilers (12/20), Blues @ Senators (12/21), Canucks @ Sharks (12/21), Canadiens @ Rangers (12/22), Jets @ Stars (12/22), Oilers @ Kings (12/22), Blues @ Maple Leafs (12/23), Hurricanes @ Senators (12/23), Canadiens @ Devils (12/23), Ducks @ Canucks (12/23), Oilers @ Sharks (12/23)
Adding on these 12 games, there are now 39 games that the league has postponed this year. As instances pop up of players stuck on the wrong side of the border and potentially unable to get home for the holidays, the pause comes now to prevent any future situations like this from occurring.
However, the NHL and NHLPA in today’s statement remained with their stance today against placing a pause on the entire regular-season schedule. The league will continue to monitor COVID outbreaks on teams on a case-by-case basis, stating that they “will be monitoring not only the number and pattern of positive COVID results but also the depth of Club line-ups so as to ensure both the health and safety of the Players and the integrity of League competition.”
The two parties also gave an update on the potential of Olympic participation, stating they’ll reach a final determination within the coming days. They’re “actively discussing the matter” and commit to remaining flexible. The NHL has until January 10, 2022, to opt out of the Olympics without incurring a financial penalty. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculates that an “Olympics without NHL players seems to be a reality,” but doesn’t expect a formal announcement for a few days.
Seattle Kraken Place Jamie Oleksiak In COVID Protocol
Just prior to puck drop for their game against Edmonton, the Seattle Kraken placed defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in the NHL’s COVID protocol, per a team tweet.
Haydn Fleury will take his place on the team’s top pair alongside captain Mark Giordano for tonight’s game.
It’s a big loss for the Kraken. Oleksiak has played meaningful minutes during the team’s first stretch of games, and he’s contributing offensively as well with a goal and 10 points in 29 games. He, along with Carson Soucy, is the only Kraken with a positive +/- rating.
The 28-year-old defenseman from Toronto is in the first year of a five-year, $23MM deal he signed with the Kraken prior to free agency as the team’s selection from Dallas in the expansion draft.
Two of Seattle’s next four games are postponed, and after tonight, they only have one remaining before the holiday break. If Oleksiak is a confirmed positive, he’d likely return on December 29 against Philadelphia if he’s healthy enough to play.