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World Juniors

Evening Notes: Campbell, Okposo, Beck, Donovan

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The Edmonton Oilers are planning to shop around goaltender Jack Campbell as the trade deadline approaches, general manager Ken Holland tells The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. But LeBrun doesn’t think there will be many suitors for Campbell’s $5MM cap hit ahead of the deadline, speculating that the team will instead have to wait until the summer to decide what to do with the netminder – whether that’s a buyout or trade.

Campbell’s time in Edmonton has certainly not gone as expected. The 31-year-old is in his second team with the club, after signing a five-year, $25MM contract with the club. He lost the starter job to Calder Trophy finalist Stuart Skinner last season, setting a 21-9-4 record and .888 save percentage through 36 games with the team. But he was only allowed five games with the Oilers this year, putting up a meager .873 save percentage before being placed on waivers and sent to the minor leagues. He’s since made 11 appearances with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, setting a 5-6-0 record and .893 save percentage.

Campbell was a productive goaltender in the two years he spent playing significant time for the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in his career but hasn’t looked the same since moving across Canada. His status will be one of the Oilers’ biggest questions to answer this summer.

More notes from around the league:

  • Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo returned to the team’s practices on Monday, working his way back from a lower-body injury that’s held him out of the team’s last two games. Okposo is still designated as day-to-day but is nearing a return. He’s managed 14 points in 38 games this season – his 17th NHL season.
  • Polarizing Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck has had his rights traded in the OHL, moving from the Peterborough Petes to the Saginaw Spirit. Saginaw sent Aiden Young and three draft picks the other way. Beck has managed 30 points in 25 points with Peterborough this season, adding one goal in five games at the World Juniors. He went 33rd overall to the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft.
  • The Ottawa Senators also had a prospect moved to Saginaw, as the Spirit acquired defenseman Jorian Donovan from the Brantford Bulldogs. Saginaw sent eight draft picks the other way, including two second-round picks and four third-round picks. Donovan has 28 points in 34 OHL games this season and also attended the World Juniors, though he went scoreless in all five Team Canada games. He was a fifth-round selection in 2022.

Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Fleury, Murray, Ciernik, Viel

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With Ilya Samsonov’s struggles, the Maple Leafs have been among the teams that have been sniffing around the goalie market.  However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Toronto’s foray into the market was believed to be them offering up a late-round pick – possibly a sixth-rounder – but teams were seeking a better return and preferred a prospect for even the lower-end options.  Clearly, there wasn’t anything out there to GM Brad Treliving’s liking which resulted in today’s recall of prospect Dennis Hildeby, a move that is likely only a short-term option given his inexperience.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • As part of today’s roster shuffle that brought up defenseman Philippe Myers to Tampa Bay, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that blueliner Haydn Fleury has been placed on LTIR. He exited yesterday’s victory over Montreal early and it appears the injury is significant enough for him to miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Fleury has had a limited role so far this season but does have four points in 12 contests with the Lightning.
  • The Stars announced that they sent down goaltender Matt Murray to AHL Texas today. With Jake Oettinger unavailable for a little longer, it’s likely this is a cap-related move and that he’ll be recalled before their game tomorrow against Montreal.  With Oettinger remaining on the active roster, they’re allowed to make this move even with their starter injured.  Murray has yet to play in Dallas this season but has a 2.86 GAA and a .908 SV% in 13 AHL appearances.
  • Flyers prospect Alex Ciernik has been replaced on Slovakia’s World Junior roster due to injury, relays Dennik Sport’s Matej Deraj (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was in his second appearance in the tournament and had one assist in three preliminary round contests.  Ciernik was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in June, going 120th overall.
  • One day after being brought up on an emergency recall, the Jets announced (Twitter link) that winger Jeffrey Viel has been returned to AHL Manitoba. The 26-year-old didn’t suit up versus Minnesota and has nine points in 24 games with the Moose this season along with 70 penalty minutes.

World Juniors Notes: Salomonsson, Jiříček, Wolf

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Jets prospect and Team Sweden defenseman Elias Salomonsson has been suspended for one round-robin game at the ongoing 2024 World Junior Championship for checking Latvian forward Emīls Veckaktiņš during yesterday’s contest, the IIHF announced.

The incident occurred seconds into the game, meaning Salomonsson took just one shift in his tournament debut. He racked up as many penalty minutes on the play (25) as he did seconds logged in the contest. The IIHF ruled that Salomonsson “recklessly endangered the safety” of Veckaktiņš, resulting in a de facto two-game absence for one of Sweden’s top defenders.

Winnipeg’s 55th overall pick in the 2022 draft is playing in his first and final World Junior tournament, as he’ll age out of eligibility before the 2025 edition. A smooth-skating two-way defender with size, Salomonsson is under contract with Winnipeg but is on loan to Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. He has four assists and a +1 rating in 15 games this season while factoring in on the team’s second and third pairing. He’s been impressive on the pro international stage against other opponents from across Europe, notching a goal and three assists in eight Champions Hockey League games.

Other notes from the ongoing 2024 WJC this morning:

  • Team Czechia defenseman Adam Jiříček will reportedly miss the remainder of the tournament with a knee injury sustained in yesterday’s round-robin opening loss against Slovakia. It’s a tough break for the 2024-draft-eligible defender, who is widely viewed as a likely top-15 pick. The 17-year-old younger brother of Blue Jackets standout prospect David Jiříček is also a right-shot defender and, at 16 years old last season, led all defensemen in goals with 12 in the Czech U20 league. Playing with HC Plzeň in the top Czech men’s league this year, the Tipsport Extraliga, he has one assist and a -10 rating in 19 games. Czechia has replaced him on the roster with Tomáš Galvas, another 2024-draft-eligible defenseman, although he’s not projected as a first-round caliber prospect.
  • The injury bug has also hit Team Germany, who will be without projected starting goaltender Simon Wolf for the entire tournament, per Rinkside.de’s Chapin Landvogt. Wolf has returned to Germany from Gothenburg with an undisclosed ailment. The 19-year-old has put up good numbers in the Austrian circuit this season, posting a .916 SV% and 2.52 GAA in 13 games with EC Salzburg’s junior club in the second-tier AlpsHL and a .933 SV% in two appearances with the main club in the top-tier ICEHL. 19-year-old Philipp Dietl, who plays for EV Landshut in the second tier of German pro hockey, started today’s tournament opener against Finland.

World Junior Notes: Donovan, Nelson, Molendyk, Luneau, Lindstein

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Senators prospect Jorian Donovan was cut by Team Canada at their World Juniors selection camp earlier this month but Hockey Canada announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been added to their roster along with Kraken defense prospect Ty Nelson, another player originally cut from their selection camp.

Donovan was a fifth-round pick of the Sens in 2022 and has eight goals and 26 points in 31 games with OHL Brantford so far this season.  He was notified of his addition on Friday and arrived in time for today’s 6-5 overtime loss to the United States in pre-tournament action and was named their Player of the Game.

As for Nelson, he was a third-round pick by the Kraken in 2022 and has been a prolific point producer with OHL North Bay.  Last season, he finished third in the league for points by a defenseman with 76 in 67 regular season games while adding 25 more in 20 playoff contests.  He’s producing at a similar rate this season with 31 points in his first 28 appearances.

Other news from the World Juniors:

  • Those two being added to the roster means that two players have to come off. Those are Predators blueliner Tanner Molendyk and Ducks defenseman Tristan Luneau who are both out due to injury.  Molendyk was dealing with a wrist issue while Luneau had missed pre-tournament games due to illness which has turned out to be a viral infection.  Molendyk was off to a nice start with WHL Saskatoon before making the team as he already has 28 points on his season in just 24 games.  Luneau, meanwhile, cracked Anaheim’s roster in training camp although playing time has been limited; he has played in seven games for the Ducks and six more while on a conditioning loan with AHL San Diego.
  • Team Sweden has also made a roster move for the upcoming World Juniors. They announced (Twitter link) that Blues defenseman Theo Lindstein has been added to their roster for the event, replacing Jakob Noren who was injured in pre-tournament action.  The 18-year-old was the 29th pick back in June and has spent the majority of this season in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan level, recording 11 points in 27 games so far.  Louis now has seven prospects at the tournament, tied for the most among NHL teams with Arizona and Buffalo.

Bruins Loan Matthew Poitras To Team Canada For 2024 World Juniors

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The Bruins have loaned rookie center Matthew Poitras to Team Canada for the upcoming 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, a team release states.

Poitras, 19, is a tremendous addition to a Canada roster that’s thinner on offense than we’re used to seeing. Canadiens prospect Owen Beck is the only returnee from last year’s group, which captured the gold medal thanks to one of the best single-tournament showings of all time from then-17-year-old Connor Bedard. The roster still features six recent first-round picks on offense and one future first-overall selection: 17-year-old Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who is third in NCAA Division I men’s hockey in points per game.

When Hockey Canada announced the cuts from their preliminary roster last week, they left a spot open for one forward to join the team, hoping an NHL team would part with a rostered under-20 prospect. That spot will go to Poitras, the 54th overall pick in 2022, who few expected to crack the Bruins’ roster out of camp.

Poitras’ 13 points in 27 games rank eighth on the Bruins in scoring, although he’s seen a diminished role as the calendar shifted to December. Head coach Jim Montgomery has made Poitras a healthy scratch in two of the last five games after playing in all of Boston’s first 24 contests.

Still, given how well he fits into the Boston lineup, Poitras is expected to return to the Bruins after the tournament ends instead of being loaned out to his junior team, the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He’s averaged 14:06 per game this season for Boston, ranking seventh among their forwards and solidly positioning him in a top-nine role.

Assuming Canada advances to the medal games, Poitras will miss the Bruins’ next eight games at a minimum. The tournament wraps up on January 5, 2024, making him doubtful for the Bruins’ game against the Lightning on January 6, meaning at least a nine-game absence is most likely.

Slovakia Announces Roster For 2024 World Juniors

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Hockey Slovakia has announced its contingent for the upcoming 2024 World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, via Matej Deraj of Dennik Sport.

It’s a testament to the state of Slovak hockey to see a bevy of first-round picks and NHL-drafted names on the roster, even without the country’s two top youngsters in Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky and Devils defenseman Simon Nemec, both of whom will stay with their pro squads and were not loaned out for the event. Nonetheless, they’re still a potential upset candidate for a medal and have a strong, well-rounded offense. The full roster is here:

F Peter Císar (undrafted)
F Alex Čiernik (PHI)
F František Dej (undrafted)
F Dalibor Dvorský (STL)
F Samuel Honzek (CGY)
F Roman Kukumberg (undrafted)
F Patrik Masnica (undrafted)
F Filip Mešár (MTL)
F Martin Mišiak (CHI)
F Juraj Pekarčík (STL)
F Servác Petrovský (MIN)
F Peter Repčík (undrafted)
F Markus Suchý (undrafted)
F Adam Sýkora (NYR)
F Alex Šotek (undrafted)
F Adam Žlnka (ARI)

D Richard Baran (undrafted)
D Jakub Chromiak (undrafted)
D Viliam Kmec (undrafted)
D Marián Moško (undrafted)
D Dávid Nátny (undrafted)
D Milan Pišoja (undrafted)
D Luka Radivojevič (undrafted)
D Maxim Štrbák (BUF)
D Boris Žabka (undrafted)

G Rastislav Eliaš (undrafted)
G Adam Gajan (CHI)
G Samuel Urban (undrafted)

The roster is undoubtedly highlighted by Dvorský, the only top-ten selection on this list. After a disappointing start to the season on loan to the Swedish Hockey League’s IK Oskarshamn, in which he recorded no points in ten games, he signed on with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and has dominated since coming to North American ice. The 18-year-old has 18 goals and 34 points in 20 games on the season, including 11 goals and 22 points in his last ten games at the time of writing. He’s quickly looking like a threat to jump to the NHL full-time in 2024-25.

Honzek is also a player to watch. The 19-year-old sustained an injury at last year’s tournament, which limited him to two appearances, and a separate injury has limited him to just five games with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants this season. If he can remain healthy, the hulking winger will be among the team’s leading scorers at the tournament and will play a key role in helping them to some upset wins en route to a potential medal.

Mešár rounds out the first-round picks on this roster, selected 26th overall by the Canadiens in 2022. Like Dvorský, he’s putting up great production in the OHL, notching 32 points in 20 games. After recording six points in five games for Slovakia at last year’s tournament while serving as an alternate captain, he’ll assume the role of the team’s main leadership figure in Gothenburg.

Things thin out on defense. Kmec is expected to log big minutes for the Slovaks on the back end in his third trip to the World Juniors, although Štrbák will challenge for the de facto number-one role as the only NHL-drafted prospect. Radivojevič, who is 16 years old and not draft-eligible until 2025, is an intriguing inclusion after making his professional debut for the SHL’s Örebro HK this season.

Gajan, a second-round pick of the Blackhawks last season, will hold down the starter’s crease. He excelled in the 2023 World Juniors, recording a sparkling .936 SV% in four appearances en route to a very close quarterfinal loss against the Canadians.

USA Hockey Announces Roster For Upcoming World Juniors

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With the start of the World Juniors now just a week and a half away, rosters for the event are starting to be finalized.  The latest to do so is Team USA with USA Hockey announcing (Twitter link) their full squad for the tourney.  The team lines up as follows with their NHL affiliation in parentheses.

Goalies

Trey Augustine (DET)
Jacob Fowler (MTL)
Sam Hillebrandt

Defense

Zeev Buium
Seamus Casey (NJ)
Ryan Chesley (WSH)
Drew Fortescue (NYR)
Lane Hutson (MTL)
Aram Minnetian (DAL)
Eric Pohlkamp (SJ)
Sam Rinzel (CHI)

Forwards

Gavin Brindley (CBJ)
Quinn Finley (NYI)
Cutter Gauthier (PHI)
Gavin Hayes (CHI)
Isaac Howard (TB)
Ryan Leonard (WSH)
Rutger McGroarty (WPG)
Oliver Moore (CHI)
Frank Nazar (CHI)
Danny Nelson (NYI)
Gabriel Perreault (NYR)
Will Smith (SJ)
Jimmy Snuggerud (STL)
Casey Terrance (ANA)

As expected, it’s a roster that has many NHL prospects on it, including two of the top eight selections from the draft back in June.  Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are well-represented in this group with four prospects making the cut.

Corey Pronman of The Athletic points out (Twitter link) that there are still two cuts that will need to be made before the roster is formally registered for the tournament.  With 14 forwards and eight blueliners on the roster, it stands to reason that one will be trimmed from each of those groups.  However, those cuts will serve as standby injury replacements so they will still make the trek to Sweden for the event, which gets underway in Gothenburg, Sweden on December 26th.

Sabres Appear Unlikely To Send Benson To World Juniors

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News is reporting that it seems likely that the Buffalo Sabres will hold on to 18-year-old Zach Benson rather than sending him overseas to play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Nothing concrete has been decided yet, but as Lysowski writes, the Sabres will likely need the 2023 13th overall pick to fill in for the injured Jeff Skinner.

Hockey Canada is hoping to finalize their roster by the end of this week and purposely left a roster spot vacant because they were hoping to see if an NHL player could be made eligible at some point this week. With Skinner out, the Sabres have lost a top-line left winger and will have to try to fill that void by committee, and Benson could be a big part of that.

Benson has dressed in 20 games thus far this season posting three goals and five assists. While his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page at first glance, his analytics are quite good and he’s done a very good job of driving play at 5 on 5.

The Sabres are dealing with a bunch of injury issues at the moment and likely won’t be able to spare a forward when they are already missing Skinner, Jordan Greenway, Jack Quinn, and Zemgus Girgensons.

TSN’s Darren Dreger also weighed in on the situation and echoed what Lysowski had said. Dreger believes that Benson is not expected to be loaned to Team Canada.

Hockey Canada Announces Final 2024 WJC Roster

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Dec. 13: After their selection camp process was completed, Canada made eight cuts to arrive at their final roster: Barkey, Firkus, Ludwinski, Vidicek, Buchinger, Donovan, Nelson and DiVincentiis did not make the team. One forward will likely be reinstated before the tournament begins to arrive at a 23-player roster, but for now, the Canadians are leaving a spot open in hopes of an NHL team loaning out a top prospect such as Buffalo’s Zach Benson or Boston’s Matthew Poitras.

Dec. 5: The best time of the year for prospect watchers is right around the corner. The 2024 edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship begins later this month, as normal, on December 26. This year’s event will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, which was initially slated to host the event in 2022 but needed to be rescheduled due to COVID restrictions.

Yesterday, Team Canada’s biggest rival, Team USA, released their 29-man preliminary roster, building excitement for the tournament at the end of the month. With a different-looking roster than last year, Team Canada will now look to win their third consecutive title in the World Junior Championship.

Last season, the team was led by top prospects Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, Adam Fantilli, and Brandt Clarke, and will now look to compete with more future high-end draft picks. Nevertheless, even without some of the greatest junior players of all time on the roster this season, Team Canada should still be considered a favorite to win. The full roster is as follows:

F Owen Allard (2024 draft-eligible)
F Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
F Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 draft-eligible)
F Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
F Nate Danielson (Red Wings, 2023, 9th overall)
F Jordan Dumais (Blue Jackets, 2022, 96th overall)
F Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
F Conor Geekie (Coyotes, 2022, 11th overall)
F Paul Ludwinski (Blackhawks, 2022, 39th overall)
F Fraser Minten (Maple Leafs, 2022, 38th overall)
F Carson Rehkopf (Kraken, 2023, 50th overall)
F Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
F Markus Vidicek (2024 draft-eligible)
F Matthew Wood (Predators, 2023, 15th overall)
F Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)

D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
D Michael Buchinger (Blues, 2022, 88th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
D Jake Furlong (Sharks, 2022, 140th overall)
D Maveric Lamoureux (Coyotes, 2022, 29th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Tanner Molendyk (Predators, 2023, 24th overall)
D Ty Nelson (Kraken, 2022, 68th overall)
D Noah Warren (Ducks, 2022, 42nd overall)

G Domenic DiVincentiis (Jets, 2022, 207th overall)
G Scott Ratzlaff (Sabres, 2023, 141st overall)
G Mathis Rousseau (2024 draft-eligible)
G Samuel St-Hilaire (2024 draft-eligible)

The team will be highlighted by top-10 selections in previous drafts such as Danielson and Savoie, while also the projected first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft in Celebrini. The Seattle Kraken will have the most representatives on the team, with three.

Finland Announces Preliminary 2024 WJC Roster

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The best time of the year for prospect watchers is right around the corner. The 2024 edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship begins later this month, as normal, on December 26. This year’s event will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, which was initially slated to host in 2022 but needed to be rescheduled due to COVID restrictions.

Exactly a week after Team Canada announced their preliminary roster, Team Finland made an official announcement on the players that will be joining them in Sweden. Unlike Canada and the United States, Finland released a 25-man roster instead of 29, meaning they will only have to cut one forward and one defenseman before the tournament begins.

As part of the “big six” in international hockey, Finland has had an up-and-down ride in the World Junior Championships over the last several years. The team won the gold medal in 2019 and has only medaled twice since that win. Hoping to get back into the top three after a disappointing performance last year, the Finnish roster is as follows:

F Rasmus Kumpulainen (Wild, 2023, 53rd overall)
F Konsta Helenius (2024 draft-eligible)
F Oiva Keskinen (Blue Jackets, 2023, 194th overall)
F Samu Bau (Coyotes, 2023, 162nd overall)
F Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
F Jesse Kiiskinen (Predators, 2023, 68th overall)
F Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (Blues, 2022, 73rd overall)
F Max Koskipirtti (2024 draft-eligible)
F Jere Lassila (2024 draft-eligible)
F Lenni Hämeenaho (Devils, 2023, 58th overall)
F Emil Hemming (2024 draft-eligible))
F Jani Nyman (Kraken, 2022, 49th overall)
F Tommi Männistö (2024 draft-eligible)
F Janne Naukkarinen (2024 draft-eligible)

D Veeti Väisänen (2024 draft-eligible)
D Otto Salin (Kings, 2022, 148th overall)
D Arttu Kärki (Golden Knights, 2023, 96th overall)
D Kasper Kulonummi (Predators, 2022, 84th overall)
D Emil Pieniniemi (Penguins, 2023, 91st overall)
D Joona Väisänen (2024 draft-eligible)
D Kalle Kangas (Penguins, 2023, 223rd overall)
D Jesse Pulkkinen (2024 draft-eligible)

G Eemil Vinni (2024 draft-eligible)
G Niklas Kokko (Kraken, 2022, 58th overall)
G Noa Vali (2024 draft-eligible)

Of players already drafted to the NHL, the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Seattle Kraken all lead the way with two prospects a team. Amongst the players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, Helenius leads the way, largely projecting to be a top-10 selection next summer. As a 17-year-old, Helenius is currently playing with Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga, scoring eight goals and 20 points in 28 games to start the season.

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