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NHL Draft Picks Participating In The World Junior Championship

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The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is underway from Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic. The tournament began today and will run through the championship game on January 5th. Each of the NHL’s 31 teams has at least one representative at the WJC. Five teams have only one draft pick participating, while the Los Angeles Kings (9) and Arizona Coyotes (7) each have more than those teams combined. However, it only takes one player and one moment to make history at the WJC. Check out which future NHLers will have that chance this year:

Anaheim Ducks (2):

G Lukas Dostal, Czech Republic
F Trevor Zegras, USA

Arizona Coyotes (7):

F Barrett Hayton, Canada
F Jan Jenik, Czech Republic
F Matias Maccelli, Finland
D Aku Raty, Finland
D Victor Soderstrom, Sweden
F Valentin Nussbaumer, Switzerland
D Ty Emberson, USA

Boston Bruins (3):

F Jakub Lauko, Czech Republic
F John Beecher, USA
F Curtis Hall, USA

Buffalo Sabres (4):

F Dylan Cozens, Canada
F Matej Pekar, Czech Republic
G Erik Portillo, Sweden
D Mattias Samuelsson, USA

Calgary Flames (1):

G Dustin Wolf, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (5):

D Anttoni Honka, Finland
F Lenni Killinen, Finland
F Patrik Puistola, Finland
F Dominik Bokk, Germany
F Jack Drury, USA

Chicago Blackhawks (2):

F Antti Saarela, Finland
F Michal Teply, Czech Republic

Colorado Avalanche (4):

D Bowen Byram, Canada
G Justus Annunen, Finland
F Sampo Ranta, Finland
D Daniil Zhuravlyov, Russia

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):

F Liam Foudy, Canada
F Kirill Marchenko, Russia
F Dmitri Voronkov, Russia
D Tim Berni, Switzerland

Dallas Stars (3):

F Ty Dellandrea, Canada
F Oskar Back, Sweden
F Albin Eriksson, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (5):

D Jared McIsaac, Canada
F Joseph Veleno, Canada
D Moritz Seider, Germany
F Jonatan Berggren, Sweden
F Jesper Eliasson, Sweden

Edmonton Oilers (4):

F Raphael Lavoie, Canada
G Olivier Rodrigue, Canada
F Matej Blumel, Czech Republic
D Philip Broberg, Sweden

Florida Panthers (3):

Justin Schutz, Germany
F Grigori Denisenko, Russia
G Spencer Knight, USA

Los Angeles Kings (9):

F Aidan Dudas, Canada
F Akil Thomas, Canada
F Lukas Parik, Czech Republic
F Rasmus Kupari, Finland
D Kim Nousiainen, Finland
D Tobias Bjornfot, Sweden
F Samuel Fagemo, Sweden
F Arthur Kaliyev, USA
F Alex Turcotte, USA

Minnesota Wild (1):

F Alexander Khovanov, Russia

Montreal Canadiens (4):

D Alexander Romanov, Russia
D Mattias Norlinder, Sweden
F Cole Caufield, USA
D Jordan Harris, USA

Nashville Predators (1):

D Spencer Stastney, USA

New Jersey Devils (5):

D Kevin Bahl, Canada
D Ty Smith, Canada
D Daniil Misyul, Russia
F Nikola Pasic, Sweden
G Akira Schmid, Switzerland

New York Islanders (2):

F Jacob Pivonka, USA
F Oliver Wahlstrom, USA

New York Rangers (5):

D Nico Gross, Switzerland
F Karl Henriksson, Sweden
D Nils Lundkvist, Sweden
D Zachary Jones, USA

D K’Andre Miller, USA

Ottawa Senators (3):

D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada
D Lassi Thomson, Finland
F Shane Pinto, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (4):

F Egor Zamula, Russia
D Adam Ginning, Sweden
F Bobby Brink, USA
D Cameron York, USA

Pittsburgh Penguins (1):

D Calen Addison, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):

Santeri Hatakka, Finland

St. Louis Blues (2):

G Joel Hofer, Canada
F Nikita Alexandrov, Russia

Tampa Bay Lightning (3):

F Nolan Foote, Canada
F Maxim Cajkovic, Czech Republic
G Hugo Alnefelt, Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):

D Mikko Kokkonen, Finland
D Rasmus Sandin, Sweden
F Nicholas Robertson, USA

Vancouver Canucks (4):

F Karel Plasek, Czech Republic
D Toni Utunen, Finland
F Vasily Podkolzin, Russia
F Nils Hoglander, Sweden

Vegas Golden Knights (3):

F Pavel Dorofeyev, Russia
F Ivan Morozov, Russia
G Isaiah Saville, USA

Washington Capitals (2):

F Connor McMichael, Canada
D Martin Has, Czech Republic

Winnipeg Jets (2):

F David Gustafsson, Sweden
D Ville Heinola, Finland

Team Canada Announces 2020 World Junior Camp Roster

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Like Finland earlier today, Canada has announced the preliminary roster for this year’s World Junior tournament. The group is headlined by two players vying to be the 2020 first-overall pick, Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield, but also has plenty of returning talent that will figure greatly in the Czech Republic later this month.

The full list is as follows:

Goaltenders:

Nico Daws (2020 eligible)
Joel Hofer (STL)
Hunter Jones (MIN)
Olivier Rodrigue (EDM)

Defense:

Calen Addison (PIT)
Kevin Bahl (ARI)
Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT)
Bowen Byram (COL)
Peter Diliberatore (VGK)
Jamie Drysdale (2020 eligible)
Thomas Harley (DAL)
Jared McIsaac (DET)
Braden Schneider (2020 eligible)
Ty Smith (NJD)

Forwards:

Quinton Byfield (2020 eligible)
Dylan Cozens (BUF)
Ty Dellandrea (DAL)
Aidan Dudas (LAK)
Nolan Foote (TBL)
Liam Foudy (CBJ)
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (ANA)
Dylan Holloway (2020 eligible)
Peyton Krebs (VGK)
Alexis Lafreniere (2020 eligible)
Raphael Lavoie (EDM)
Connor McMichael (WSH)
Dawson Mercer (2020 eligible)
Alex Newhook (COL)
Jakob Pelletier (CGY)
Cole Perfetti (2020 eligible)
Akil Thomas (LAK)

Atlantic Notes: Bruins Defense, Senators, Cozens, Taylor

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The Bruins have received some good news and some bad news on the injury front when it comes to their back end.  The team announced (Twitter links) that defenseman Torey Krug will return tonight after missing the past five games with an upper-body injury.  Despite missing those games, he still leads the team in points by a defender with 13 in 17 contests.  Meanwhile, John Moore is now participating in practices with a full contact jersey but is still a couple of weeks away from returning from the shoulder issue that has caused him to miss the entire season so far.

However, Kevan Miller has suffered a small setback and head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated they’ll be cautious with the blueliner.  Miller has missed the entire year so far with a lower-body issue and even if this is a minor setback, it only will further delay his season debut.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Ottawa’s defensive depth has been tested considerably over the last few days and accordingly, it should come as little surprise that they’re looking to add a blueliner via trade, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He notes that GM Pierre Dorion has been on the lookout for help on the back end for basically a month now.  The Senators are off to a relatively strong start compared to their preseason expectations and at some point, the focus could shift from adding a depth veteran or two to trying to target more of an impact player that can be a factor beyond this season as well.
  • Although the Sabres are quickly running out of forwards to recall from the minors (they only have two healthy ones that are on NHL deals), head coach Ralph Krueger told reporters, including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, that they are not considering recalling center Dylan Cozens from the WHL. As they have just 11 healthy forwards on the roster, they are in emergency conditions which makes a recall possible but it appears they don’t want to give him a look at this time.  In the meantime, they’ll eagerly await the returns of centers Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson who are both listed as day-to-day.
  • Still with Buffalo, the team announced (Twitter link) that coach Chris Taylor will return to AHL Rochester to resume his duties as the bench boss of the Americans. He had been up with the Sabres while assistant coach Don Granato was dealing with a severe case of pneumonia, one that caused him to miss the last seven weeks.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/19

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Like always, we’ll keep you aware of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:

Anaheim Ducks (per team release)

F Alex Broadhurst (to San Diego, AHL)
D Hunter Drew (to San Diego, AHL)
D Zack Hayes (to San Diego, AHL)
F Justin Kloos (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jack Kopacka (to San Diego, AHL)
D Patrick Sieloff (to San Diego, AHL)
D Chris Wideman (to San Diego, AHL)
G Anthony Stolarz (to San Diego, AHL)

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Ryan Fitzgerald (to Providence, AHL)
F Joona Koppanen (to Providence, AHL)
F Zach Senyshyn (to Providence, AHL)
F Pavel Shen (to Providence, AHL)
F Oskar Steen (to Providence, AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon (to Providence, AHL)
D Urho Vaakanainen (to Providence, AHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Providence, AHL)
F Paul Carey (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Brendan Gaunce (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alexander Petrovic (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Dylan Cozens (to Lethbridge, WHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

F Morgan Geekie (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Steven Lorentz (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Eetu Luostarinen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jake Bean (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jesper Sellgren (to Lulea HF, SHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Barrie, OHL)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

D Bowen Byram (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Sheldon Dries (to Colorado, AHL)
F Logan O’Connor (to Colorado, AHL)
F Michael Joly (to Colorado, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Colorado, AHL)
D Jacob MacDonald (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Dan Renouf (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Kailer Yamamoto (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Springfield, AHL)
G Chris Driedger (to Springfield, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

F Matthew Peca (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Phil Varone (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Dale Weise (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Karl Alzner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Xavier Ouellet (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Daniel O’Regan (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release)

F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Marcus Hogberg (to Belleville, AHL)
F Nick Paul (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Jordan Szwarz (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Vegas Golden Knights (per Jesse Granger, The Athletic)

F Reid Duke (to Chicago, AHL)
D Dylan Coughlan (to Chicago, AHL)

Dylan Cozens Sent To WHL

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The Buffalo Sabres have decided that Dylan Cozens will have to wait just a little longer before starting his NHL career. The team has sent the top prospect back to the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, where he will remain for the rest of the season.

Cozens, 18, was the seventh overall pick in June’s draft, taken by the Sabres after an incredible junior season. The smooth-skating forward put up 84 points in 68 games with the Hurricanes, just a year after earning the WHL Rookie of the Year award. Add in some international success at the U18 World Juniors and Hlinka-Gretzky and Cozens was a hard-charging prospect that caused some to wonder whether he could step right into the NHL.

That regular season debut will have to wait, but even after suffering a thumb injury that took some time away from his training camp, Cozens impressed in his first chance. The Sabres are hoping to start moving towards a competitive window and players like Cozens will be relied upon heavily to add some offense behind Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner. Already standing 6’3″ with elite skating ability, if he can add a bit more strength he should be a force unlike many others around the league.

Players that are sent back to junior are ineligible for recall except in emergency situations, meaning Cozens will have to wait until the end of his year with the Hurricanes before joining either the Sabres or Rochester Americans of the AHL for some professional experience. He will however have a shot to earn himself a role on Canada’s World Junior team after being invited to the Summer Showcase earlier this summer. He was unable to attend because of that thumb injury, but a good start with Lethbridge could make him an undeniable entry on what should be a powerhouse international roster once again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens Hopes To Be Cleared For Prospect’s Challenge

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Just a few days after the NHL draft, the Buffalo Sabres top prospect and 2019 first-rounder Dylan Cozens dislocated his left thumb at Sabres Development Camp and was forced to undergo surgery to repair the injury. Not the way the Sabres were hoping things to go. It was reported that he would miss two to three months, but NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman writes that Cozens has already been on the ice since Aug. 15, shooting pucks and is working hard to be ready for the Prospects Challenge, starting on Sept. 7.

“I’m not fully cleared yet, but I hope to be as soon as possible,” said Cozens during the NHLPA Rookie Showcase Sunday. “There’s no rushing things. I don’t want to rush it. But right now, I can shoot. I want to be cleared for that (Prospect’s Challenge) and I’m optimistic for that. I feel like I have a good chance at being ready for that, but you never know. We’ll see by then.”

Cozen’s main goal would be to make the Sabres’ team out of training camp. The 18-year-old center, who the team drafted with the seventh-overall pick, might already be talented enough to make the team, especially considering there is no guarantee that the team has an adequate second-line center on their roster this season after Casey Mittelstadt struggled in that role last season.

The injury, which he sustained on the final day of development camp during a 3-on-3 scrimmage when he was clipped by a defenseman against the wall, looked to be an obvious candidate to be sent back to his junior team, the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, after the injury.

“The puck was going to the wall and I tried to chip it around [the defenseman] and dodge him to the inside and he kind of clipped me a little bit,” Cozens said about the injury. “It was awkward, and I fell right down on my thumb, perfectly straight on my thumb, all my weight went down on it, and it shot it back.”

Because he was expected to miss training camp, which would only have made his chances to make the team nearly impossible. However, if Cozens can be cleared before the Prospects Challenge, which would allow him to face off against the top prospects of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, and he would get that showcase as well as a full training camp to get a true shot at a spot immediately in Buffalo.

“I believe I do have a shot at making the team,” Cozens said. “Obviously, not too many 18-year-olds make it, but I feel that I have the size, I have the skating, I have the strength to be a guy who can step in at a young age.”

Sabres Notes: Mittelstadt, Salary Cap, Prospects

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The Buffalo Sabres have now signed all their restricted free agents and have a roster that looks to be close to ready for next season. However, with that in mind, there is still the question of who will be Buffalo’s second-line center, a hole the team struggled with all season. The team had high hopes that Casey Mittelstadt, the eighth overall pick in 2017, could fill that role immediately last season, but he struggled to adjust. While the hope was that the Sabres would find a replacement via trade or free agency this summer which would give Mittelstadt more time to develop as a third-line center, it looks like the team might have to hope that Mittelstadt can improve on his performance in his second NHL season.

In a mailbag column, the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski writes that it looks more and more likely that Mittelstadt will return to the second-line center role, although he points out that the team is likely going to have Sam Reinhart and Marcus Johansson to help him develop on that line. On top of that, with the cost of top-six centers nowadays, it’s likely that even moving Rasmus Ristolainen wouldn’t even be able to net themselves someone like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Throw in the fact that the team is likely to have 2019 first-rounder and seventh-overall pick Dylan Cozens with the team by next season and the team might be better off working on developing their centers.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon (subscription required) writes that with the Buffalo Sabres having hit the salary cap ceiling after signing Jake McCabe and Linus Ullmark Saturday, the team has quite a few options in front of them to loosen the team’s salary cap situation before the season starts. The team’s best chance to do that is with a buyout, which they will get to do later this week, if the Sabres choose to. The most likely candidates are Vladimir Sobotka and Marco Scandella, but both come with cap hits towards next season, which doesn’t help the team next year, especially with Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour likely needing new deals. A trade of Ristolainen would be another option, but also would likely come with salary coming back, which might defeat the purpose of the trade.
  • NHL.com’s Heather Engel looks at that the Sabres top five prospects, but also notes that their top two prospects are expected to miss training camp this year. Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2019, Cozens, had surgery to repair his left thumb that he injured during development camp and is expected to miss two to three months, making it unlikely he’ll be ready for training camp. Their second-best prospect, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had hip surgery in April and is expected to miss six months, not a good time when he was supposed to make his professional debut this season. The hope is that both players will be able to pick up where they left off last year despite missing some time at the start of the season.

Dylan Cozens Signs Entry-Level Contract

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Though he won’t be participating in the Buffalo Sabres’ on-ice camps while he rehabs from thumb surgery, Dylan Cozens has signed his three-year entry-level contract. Cozens was the seventh overall pick in this June’s draft, but was given a 2-3 month recovery timeline following surgery ten days ago. If the 18-year old forward returns to the WHL this season, his contract would slide forward a year.

The Sabres were thrilled to get Cozens in the draft this year, after he was considered a potential top-3 pick at points during the season. Though other forwards leapfrogged him by the time draft day rolled around, there’s a ton for Buffalo fans to get excited about with the young center. One of the best skaters in the entire draft class, Cozens used his speed and size to steamroll the competition in the WHL, scoring 34 goals and 84 points in 68 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He was a real difference maker for the Canadian U18 team as well, winning gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and adding nine points in seven games at the U18 World Juniors.

Unfortunately the injury means that Cozens likely won’t be able to compete for a spot with Buffalo right out of training camp. If that’s true and he returns to Lethbridge, he would also likely be on the U20 World Junior team in December and could potentially be a candidate for WHL MVP. His game is already relatively refined at both ends of the rink, but with some time to add even more strength he could quickly prove too much for junior.

Dylan Cozens Out 2-3 Months Following Surgery

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The Buffalo Sabres can’t catch a break. After undergoing surgery on an injured left thumb earlier this week, Dylan Cozens has been given a two to three month recovery timeline. That means the young prospect could potentially be out until early October, missing the team’s entire training camp and a chance to show he’s ready for the NHL right away. Cozens was the Sabres first selection in last month’s draft, picked seventh overall.

Still just 18, Cozens is one of a handful of players from the 2019 draft that were expected to compete for NHL jobs this season. Though he has played just two seasons of CHL hockey, Cozens already has the frame and speed to compete at a higher level. He has shown his ability to dominate the WHL already with an 84-point season in 2018-19, but may end up back there to continue to develop his all-around game.

One thing this does mean is that Cozens will no longer be able to participate in Hockey Canada’s development camp and Summer Showcase later this month. That doesn’t at all mean he wouldn’t be able to make the World Junior squad in December though, as Cozens is a near lock if he is in the CHL or Buffalo allows him to go.

Hockey Canada Announces Invitees For 2019 Junior Development Camp

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Hockey Canada has announced their 43-man roster for the 2019 National Junior Team Development Camp, the first step towards participating at the next World Junior tournament. GM Mark Hunter and head coach Dale Hunter will be evaluating all 43 players over a four-game stretch in Plymouth, Michigan between July 27-August 4 where they will take on a team from the United States as well as Finland and Sweden. Team Canada will be broken into two teams for the short showcase.

The list of players includes many already drafted names, but also some that are available this weekend or even next June in the 2020 Entry Draft. The full group is listed below:

G Colten Ellis (2019 draft eligible)
G Zachary Emond (SJS)
G Alexis Gravel (CHI, unsigned)
G Hunter Jones (2019 draft eligible)
G Olivier Rodrigue (EDM)

D Calen Addison (PIT)
D Kevin Bahl (ARI)
D Justin Barron (2020 draft eligible)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT, unsigned)
D Bowen Byram (2019 draft eligible)
D Peter Diliberatore (VGK, unsigned)
D Noah Dobson (NYI)
D Thomas Harley (2019 draft eligible)
D Braden Schneider (2020 draft eligible)
D Ty Smith (NJD)
D Jonny Tychonick (OTT, unsigned)
D Jett Woo (VAN)

F Luka Burzan (2019 draft eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (2019 draft eligible)
F Kirby Dach (2019 draft eligible)
F Riley Damiani (DAL)
F Ty Dellandrea (DAL)
F Aidan Dudas (LAK, unsigned)
F Carson Focht (2019 draft eligible)
F Cole Fonstad (MTL, unsigned)
F Nolan Foote (2019 draft eligible)
F Gabriel Fortier (TBL)
F Liam Foudy (CBJ)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (ANA, unsigned)
F Barrett Hayton (ARI)
F Mathias Laferriere (STL, unsigned)
F Alexis Lafreniere (2020 draft eligible)
F Raphael Lavoie (2019 draft eligible)
F Jack McBain (MIN, unsigned)
F Allan McShane (MTL, unsigned)
F Alex Newhook (2019 draft eligible)
F Serron Noel (FLA)
F Ryan Suzuki (2019 draft eligible)
F Akil Thomas (LAK)
F Philip Tomasino (2019 draft eligible)
F Joe Veleno (DET)

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