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World Juniors

West Notes: McLeod, Jets, Lambert

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The Oilers have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign in Ryan McLeod.  Speaking with 630 CHED (audio link), GM Ken Holland indicated that they expect to have the center signed by training camp on either a one-year or two-year deal.  The 22-year-old spent most of last season with Edmonton, picking up 21 points in 71 games plus four more in 16 playoff contests.  McLeod didn’t have salary arbitration rights so these talks could drag out closer to training camp.  With the Oilers being pretty tight to the cap even after factoring in their LTIR-eligible players, getting McLeod signed for cheap will be critical so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ultimately settles for a one-year pact to keep the AAV as low as possible next season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Jets showed interest in forward Calle Jarnkrok earlier this summer, even offering him more money than he ultimately accepted from Toronto, reports Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe. The 30-year-old is coming off a quiet finish to his season with Calgary but his track record of being a capable and versatile third-liner would have helped him fit in quite well with Winnipeg.  The Jets are one of the few teams that still have some money to spend this offseason – they have over $6MM in cap space per CapFriendly – so while they didn’t add Jarnkrok, they will certainly be adding a player or two in the coming weeks.
  • Still with the Jets, after missing pre-tournament games for Finland, prospect Brad Lambert will be available for the start of the World Juniors, reports Corey Pronman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 18-year-old slipped to 30th overall in the draft last month after being touted as a likely top-ten selection not all that long ago.  Meanwhile, Lambert told Petteri Ikonen of Helsingin Sanomat that a decision on where he will play next season will be made next month during training camp.  His contract with Pelicans in Finland is now up although he could sign a new one there.  Alternatively, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL hold his major junior rights while Lambert is eligible to play in the minors as well.

Team USA Announces 2022 World Juniors Roster

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The World Juniors are a little under 48 hours away and slated to kick off their tournament Tuesday night at 10:00 pm ET, Team USA had to make its final round of cuts for the tournament. Today they did just that, USA Hockey announcing its final roster for the tournament, cutting two players to bring the group down to 25. Frank Nazar (CHI) and Aiden Hreschuk (CBJ) were the final two players cut from the USA roster. The final group is as follows:

Goaltenders

Remington Koepple (2023 draft eligible)

Kaidan Mbereko (2023 draft eligible)

Andrew Oke (2023 draft eligible)

Defensemen

Sean Behrens (COL)

Brock Faber (MIN)

Luke Hughes (NJD)

Wyatt Kaiser (CHI)

Tyler Kleven (OTT)

Ian Moore (ANA)

Jack Peart (MIN)

Jacob Truscott (VAN)

Forwards

Brett Berard (NYR)

Thomas Bordeleau (SJS)

Logan Cooley (ARZ)

Matt Coronato (CGY)

Riley Duran (BOS)

Dominic James (CHI)

Matt Knies (TOR)

Carter Mazur (DET)

Hunter McKown (2023 draft eligible)

Sasha Pastujov (ANA)

Mackie Samoskevich (FLA)

Red Savage (DET)

Landon Slaggert (CHI)

Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible)

Of note for this USA team, it features 17 of the 25 players who were on the roster for the original 2022 WJC before it was ultimately cancelled and postponed due to COVID-19. Four of these 25, including Berard, Faber, Kleven, and Slaggert, were also on the 2021 team that won Gold. Team USA General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck had this to say about the difficult selection process:

“We had a great week of camp followed by a pair of good pre-tournament games to help us finalize our roster. We had some spots to fill from December and we filled them in well. These are hard decisions, but we believe these are the 25 best players to achieve our goal.”

Team USA’s coaching staff is made up of Head Coach Nate Leaman, Assistant Coaches Grant Potulny, Kris Mayotte, and Steve Miller, as well as Video Coach Theresa Feaster. The team will be captained by Faber, along with alternate captains in Bordeleau and Slaggert. USA will open the tournament with a preliminary round game against Germany Tuesday evening at 10:00 pm ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, where the entire tournament is being held.

Ethan Del Mastro Replaces Daemon Hunt On Team Canada’s World Juniors Roster

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According to NHL.com’s Mike Morreale, Team Canada defenseman Daemon Hunt will not be able to join the team for the World Junior Championship due to injury, and has instead been replaced by fellow defenseman Ethan Del Mastro (link). The move comes just three days before Canada is set to kick off its 2022 World Juniors run, matching up against Latvia Wednesday evening. Both players are left-shot defensemen, so the impact on the rest of the lineup should be minimal at most, and though Hunt was Canada’s first choice among the two, Del Mastro represents high-quality talent that should help the country chase Gold once again.

By losing Hunt, Canada will be without a very talented two-way defenseman who even comes with a bit of pro experience as well. Hunt has played parts of five seasons as a member of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, his best season coming in 2021-22 where he had 17 goals and 22 assists in 46 games en route to a playoff berth and fourth-place finish in the league’s Eastern Conference. A third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2020, the defenseman made his professional debut during the 2020-21 season, getting into six games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, scoring a goal. Missing the tournament is an especially tough break for Hunt, now age 20 and in what would have been his final year of eligibility for the tournament with a chance to represent his country in his home province of Alberta.

In Del Mastro, Hunt’s replacement, Canada will be bringing in a large, physical defenseman with some bite and playmaking ability, albeit with less experience. A fourth-round pick in 2021 by the Chicago Blackhawks, Del Mastro debuted for the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2019-20, recording seven assists in 57 games. With the OHL cancelling the 2020-21 season amid COVID-19 concerns and restrictions, Del Mastro himself missed the entire season, but came back better than ever this year, scoring seven goals to go with 41 assists, a plus-34 rating and 91 penalty minutes in 68 games. Though losing Hunt is far from ideal, Del Mastro’s addition to the roster gives Canada another quality two-way defenseman, this one with a bit more size added to his game.

The tournament begins this Tuesday, August 9th at 2:00 pm ET, as Czechia plays Slovakia (link for full schedule). The United States will see its first game action Tuesday night at 10:00 pm ET, with Canada and Latvia hitting the ice Wednesday at 6:00 pm ET. The Bronze and Gold medal games will take place on Saturday, August 20th.

Metropolitan Notes: Hurricanes, Zucker, Jiricek

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Hurricanes GM Don Waddell indicated to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he expects to reach a settlement with defenseman Maxime Lajoie in advance of Tuesday’s arbitration hearing.  The 24-year-old spent most of the season in the minors so a new agreement shouldn’t be hard to come to.  What’s notable is that once that new deal is reached, Carolina will get their second buyout window soon after and Waddell didn’t rule out the possibility of using it but noted that they could make things work without going that route.  A player must make $4MM to be eligible to be bought out in this window and blueliner Jake Gardiner – who missed all of last season with back and hip issues – makes $4.05MM.  He has been cleared to return which does make him eligible to be bought out.  Once Lajoie’s deal is signed, the buyout window will open up three days later and lasts 48 hours.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Penguins winger Jason Zucker has recovered from the series of lower-body injuries that plagued him in the second half of last season, notes NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. It has been a tough go for the 30-year-old who has recorded just 47 points in 94 games since being acquired by Pittsburgh just before the 2020 trade deadline.  Next season will be a contract year for Zucker and unless he can get back to the form he had with Minnesota, he’ll be looking at a considerably cheaper deal next summer compared to his current $5.5MM AAV.
  • Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek has been cleared to join the Czechs for the upcoming World Juniors, their hockey federation announced (Twitter link). The 18-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 late last month and wasn’t able to travel with the rest of the team to begin tournament preparations.  Jiricek, the sixth-overall pick last month, will be Czechia’s top defenseman in this event and a strong performance could help get him in the mix for a roster spot with Columbus for the upcoming season.

West Notes: Kaprizov, Klingberg, Cooley, Kawaguchi

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While there was some concern expressed last month about Kirill Kaprizov’s ability to return to North America after being denied entry, the winger has successfully returned to the United States, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link).  It’s unknown at this time whether or not the Wild managed to secure a U.S. work visa for the 25-year-old or if he was able to secure another deferment to his mandatory Russian military service.  Meanwhile, Russo adds that Kaprizov recently underwent surgery but has been cleared to resume skating and his full workout routine so while it has been an adventurous few weeks, Minnesota should have their star available to them on opening night in October.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Anaheim defenseman John Klingberg met the media, including Matt Weller of the Ducks’ team site, for the first time since signing with the team last week. He indicated that he had similar one-year offers from other teams that he was considering while reiterating his desire to secure a long-term agreement next summer.  Klingberg had 47 points in 74 games with Dallas last season and will have a chance to play a big role with Anaheim next season.  His full trade protection expires in January so if the Ducks are out of the mix near the trade deadline, he could be on the move in late February as well.
  • Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley is expected to return to practice tomorrow as he looks to ensure he’ll have a spot on Team USA’s entry for the World Juniors, relays NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). The third-overall pick was listed on their 27-player roster earlier today but there are two cuts that still need to be made.  The fact that Cooley will be able to return to practice bodes well for his availability for the tournament which gets underway next week.
  • After non-tendering him last month, the Stars have brought back Jordan Kawaguchi on a minor-league deal, their AHL team announced. Dallas signed the 25-year-old winger as an undrafted college free agent in March of 2021 and he had a decent season, collecting 23 points in 49 games.  While that wasn’t enough to garner a qualifying offer, Kawaguchi will stick around with Texas for another year.

Canada Names Roster For The 2022 World Juniors

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With the tournament now a little more than a week away, Hockey Canada is the latest to reveal its roster for the upcoming World Juniors.  Their team is as follows:

Goalies

Brett Brochu
Sebastian Cossa (DET)
Dylan Garand (NYR)

Defense

Lukas Cormier (VGK)
Daemon Hunt (MIN)
Carson Lambos (MIN)
Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
Donovan Sebrango (DET)
Ronan Seeley (CAR)
Jack Thompson (TB)
Olen Zellweger (ANA)

Forwards

Connor Bedard
Will Cuylle (NYR)
Elliot Desnoyers (PHI)
William Dufour (NYI)
Tyson Foerster (PHI)
Nathan Gaucher (ANA)
Ridly Greig (OTT)
Kent Johnson (CBJ)
Riley Kidney (MTL)
Mason McTavish (ANA)
Zack Ostapchuk (OTT)
Brennan Othmann (NYR)
Joshua Roy (MTL)
Logan Stankoven (DAL)

As is the case with other countries, there are some notable absentees from Canada’s squad.  On the back end, Owen Power and Kaiden Guhle aren’t returning while up front, Cole Perfetti, Jake Neighbours, and Shane Wright are among the seven forwards that won’t be back after playing briefly in the original tournament last December.

However, there are still some notable players to watch for.  Johnson and McTavish both got their feet wet in the NHL last season while Bedard is widely expected to be the first-overall selection in 2023.  He had four goals in two games before the tournament was canceled.  On the back end, there are six returnees while Canada’s goalie tandem from the December tourney remains intact.

The tournament will run from August 9th through the 20th with pre-tournament games getting underway later this week.

USA Hockey Trims World Junior Roster

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With the 2022 World Juniors now less than two weeks away, hockey federations are in the process of trimming down or setting their rosters for the tournament.  USA Hockey is the latest to do so, officially announcing that their current roster for the upcoming tournament is as follows:

Goaltenders

Remington Koepple (2023 draft eligible)

Kaidan Mbereko (2023 draft eligible)

Andrew Oke (2023 draft eligible)

Defensemen

Sean Behrens (COL)

Brock Faber (MIN)

Aidan Hreschuk (CBJ)

Luke Hughes (NJD)

Wyatt Kaiser (CHI)

Tyler Kleven (OTT)

Ian Moore (ANA)

Jack Peart (MIN)

Jacob Truscott (VAN)

Forwards

Brett Berard (NYR)

Thomas Bordeleau (SJS)

Logan Cooley (ARZ)

Matt Coronato (CGY)

Riley Duran (BOS)

Dominic James (CHI)

Matt Knies (TOR)

Carter Mazur (DET)

Hunter McKown (2023 draft eligible)

Frank Nazar (CHI)

Sasha Pastujov (ANA)

Mackie Samoskevich (FLA)

Red Savage (DET)

Landon Slaggert (CHI)

Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible)

With this trimmed roster, there are a few notable cuts, quality prospects for NHL organizations who didn’t quite make it for this tournament. One thing to note is that many national hockey bodies are prioritizing older players in this rescheduled WJC, as this tournament is the final chance for quite a few players to represent their country at the junior level.

A few notable names among the players who were cut from the evaluation camp roster include recent second-round defensemen Ryan Chesley (WSH), Seamus Casey (NJD), and Lane Hutson (MTL). Among forwards, a few quality prospects missed the cut, including a 2021 top-ten pick in Tyler Boucher (OTT), a few 2022 top picks in Cutter Gauthier (PHI), Issac Howard (TBL), Rutger McGroarty (WPG), and Jimmy Snuggerud (STL). Second-rounders Jack Hughes (LAK), Josh Doan (ARZ), and Cam Lund (SJS) also missed the cut.

There are quite a few top prospects remaining on this team, though, including Nazar, the 2022 13th overall pick, Hughes, the 2021 fourth-overall pick, and Cooley, the 2022 third-overall pick. The Americans still have some outstanding cuts to make, but the bulk of their roster-trimming business is now done.

Slovakia Trims World Junior Roster

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With the 2022 World Juniors now less than two weeks away, hockey federations are in the process of trimming down or setting their rosters for the tournament.  Slovakia is the latest to do so as Dennik Sport’s Matej Deraj reports (Twitter link) that their roster for the tournament now stands as follows:

Goaltenders

Patrik Andrisik
Tomas Bolo
Simon Latkoczy

Defensemen

Denis Bakala
Simon Becar
Simon Groch
Viliam Kmec
David Natny
Rayen Petrovicky
Maxim Strbak
Adam Stripai
Boris Zabka

Forwards

Jakub Demek (VGK)
Dalibor Dvorsky
Roman Faith
Samuel Honzek
Maros Jedlicka
Matej Kaslik
Jakub Kolenic
Lubomir Kupco
Michael Laurencík
Martin Misiak
Oleksij Myklucha
Libor Nemec
Servac Petrovsky (MIN)
Peter Repcik
Oliver Stumpel
Adam Sykora (NYR)

Earlier this month, Slovakia made history as the first two selections in the draft were from there in Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky and New Jersey’s Simon Nemec while Montreal also picked up Filip Mesar later in the first round.  Notably, none of those players will be on the roster as their NHL teams expressed a desire for them to focus on getting ready for training camp.  Several other countries will be in the same situation as their rosters are released in the coming days.

There are still some players of note on this Slovak squad, highlighted by Sykora who was picked at the back of the second round by the Rangers earlier this month.  Petrovsky was a sixth-rounder by the Wild in that same draft while Demek was a 2021 fourth-rounder.  Dvorsky is also one to keep an eye on as early projections have him in the mix for being a top-five selection in 2023.

The Slovaks will still have a handful of cuts to make barring injuries but have some time to do so as the tournament, which was canceled in late December, will now run from August 9th through the 20th.

Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Bourgeault, Free Agency

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While Edmonton settled for a one-year deal with Jesse Puljujarvi, they’re hoping to sign Kailer Yamamoto to a multi-year contract prior to his arbitration hearing, notes Postmedia’s Derek Van Diest.  The 23-year-old winger is coming off a nice bounce-back year that saw him put up 20 goals and 21 assists in 81 games last season while chipping in with seven points in 14 playoff contests.  Without arbitration rights last summer, Yamamoto settled for a one-year, $1.175MM agreement but now stands to receive more than double that this time around, even if it doesn’t get to a hearing.  With Yamamoto’s hearing slated for August 7th, filing numbers will be exchanged on August 5th if a new deal isn’t in place by then.

More from Edmonton:

  • Prospect Xavier Bourgault is leaning towards not participating at the upcoming World Juniors, mentions Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Several Canadian forwards are opting out of the summer tournament to instead prepare for NHL training camps in the fall.  Bourgault was a first-round pick by Edmonton last year (22nd overall) and had a strong season with QMJHL Shawinigan with 36 goals and 39 assists in 43 games and with the Oilers needing some low-cost players to round out their roster to stay cap compliant, he could have a chance to push for a roster spot in the preseason.
  • In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek posits that UFA winger Phil Kessel could wind up with the Oilers. The 34-year-old had just eight goals last season with Arizona but still put up 44 assists in 82 games.  Kessel’s days as a top winger are basically done but in a secondary scoring role, he can still be a contributor.  However, once Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod sign their contracts, Edmonton will be capped out so a trade or two will need to be made to free up the money to take a run at Kessel later in free agency.

Prospect Notes: Beck, Nelson, Lucius, Guhle

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Hockey Canada has made some changes to their National Junior Team summer development camp roster, from which the organization will select their contingent for the 2023 World Junior Championship in December. In lieu of San Jose Sharks defense prospect Gannon Laroque being unable to participate due to injury, Hockey Canada has added a pair of 2022 draft-eligible prospects in forward Owen Beck and defenseman Ty Nelson to their list.

Beck, ranked 33rd in TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s final scouting poll, netted 51 points in 68 games for the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2021-22. The public opinion on him is rather skewed, with some listing Beck in the mid-to-late first while some have him deep within the second round. Regardless, he’s one of the better OHLers available in this year’s class. He’ll rely on his strong skating and transitional play to try and improbably work his way onto the final roster. Nelson, who hails from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, was ranked 50th in McKenzie’s consensus rankings after a 51-point season.

  • A second Lucius brother has officially left the University of Minnesota program. 2022-eligible Cruz Lucius, the younger sibling of Winnipeg Jets prospect Chaz Lucius, has switched his college commitment to rival Wisconsin. Cruz’s draft stock was hurt by injury this season, but he still managed eight points in six games for the U.S. at the U18 World Juniors and 25 points in 33 games with the U.S. National Development Team Program. If McKenzie’s consensus rankings are a proper indication, he’s slated to hear his name called in the mid-to-late third round.
  • Anaheim Ducks defense prospect Brendan Guhle won’t be staying in North America for 2022-23 after signing a contract with the DEL’s Eisbären Berlin. Guhle, originally selected 51st overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2015, will still belong to the Ducks organization if they issue the pending restricted free agent a qualifying offer. Guhle has just 65 NHL games to his name at this point, tallying 14 points. He had just seven points in 37 games last season in the AHL with San Diego.

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