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.
Minor Transactions: 12/18/21
It was another day of a string of unfortunate events in the NHL, with the unofficial number of players on COVID protocol reaching over 100. There were some other items of note from the other side of the pond, however, as two players who recently had their contracts mutually terminated have officially found their new homes overseas.
- Andreas Borgman, who was with the Dallas Stars on a two-way deal until it was terminated earlier this week, won’t be back in the NHL anytime soon. The former Star, Maple Leaf, and Lightning defender signed a deal with Frolunda HC of the SHL through the 2025-26 campaign. Considering Borgman will be 30 at the end of the deal, an NHL return is unlikely for the undrafted Swedish defender. He had three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 55 career NHL games.
- After being drafted in 2019 by the Montreal Canadiens, Arsen Khisamutdinov is heading back to the KHL with Dinamo Riga. Khisamutdinov’s deal was terminated last week after notching just one point in 15 AHL games last year and getting assigned to the ECHL this year. Khisamutdinov had three points in 31 games during his last KHL stop with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
Filip Zadina Placed In COVID Protocol
The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Filip Zadina in COVID-19 protocol prior to their game Saturday against New Jersey, per a team tweet.
In his absence, the team will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Zadina has just four goals and six assists in 30 games this year but is shooting at an uncharacteristically low 5.6% rate. The 22-year-old forward is still developing and is expected to be a big part of this Detroit team in the future as they regain relevancy.
With Zadina out, Detroit now has six players on the COVID list — forwards Carter Rowney, Givani Smith, Michael Rasmussen, and Robby Fabbri, as well as netminder Alex Nedeljkovic.
The team was already stretched thin at the forward position with Taro Hirose and Riley Barber making their season debuts tonight.
Canadiens Add Lehkonen To Protocol, Place Armia, Perreault On Injured Reserve
The Montreal Canadiens made a slew of roster moves today, adding Artturi Lehkonen to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol and placing Joel Armia and Mathieu Perreault on injured reserve, per a team tweet.
Armia is out with an undisclosed injury after being a game-time decision on Thursday. He’s been in and out of the lineup this month with an undisclosed ailment and has just five points in 29 games this year. He signed a four-year extension worth $3.4MM with the team this past offseason.
Perreault was classified as day-to-day with a lower-body injury on Thursday. He has three goals (a hat-trick) and an assist in 14 games this year, battling an eye injury early in the season.
Both Armia and Perreault are ineligible to play until after the holiday break.
Lehkonen is the only Canadien officially on COVID protocol. Through all 31 games this year, he had four goals and seven assists.
Montreal will likely have to make some recalls, as these transactions leave them with just 10 active forwards on the roster.
Toronto Maple Leafs Place Five In COVID Protocol
The Toronto Maple Leafs tweeted today that defensemen T.J. Brodie and Travis Dermott, goalie Jack Campbell, head coach Sheldon Keefe, and assistant coach Spencer Carbery entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol.
The team now has nine players on the list. Captain John Tavares, as well as Alexander Kerfoot, Wayne Simmonds, and Jason Spezza, were added earlier in the week.
After seeing a back-to-back set of games against Vancouver and Seattle postponed this weekend, the team was originally scheduled to return to play on Thursday, December 23 against St. Louis. Understandably, that’s now in jeopardy as their list of COVID cases expands.
Matters are made worse in the organization due to a COVID outbreak on their AHL team. The Toronto Marlies have over 10 cases and are officially considered an outbreak, severely limiting any possible recalls.
If their game against St. Louis is postponed, Toronto will return to action on December 27 against Columbus.