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World Juniors

Hockey Canada Names WJC Coaching Staff, Development Camp Roster

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Hockey Canada has announced the coaching staff for this year’s National Junior Team, introducing Dave Cameron as the replacement for the outgoing Andre Tourigny. Tourigny of course recently took an NHL head coaching job with the Arizona Coyotes, meaning he would no longer be able to fulfil his duties to the national program. Cameron will be joined by assistants Michael Dyck, Louis Robitaille and Dennis Williams, along with goaltending consultant Olivier Michaud. Hockey Canada senior VP Scott Salmond released a statement on the new staff:

We are excited to welcome five experienced coaches to Canada’s National Junior Team for the 2021-22 season, all of whom bring a wealth of experience from the National Hockey League, Canadian Hockey League and internationally. We know these five men will represent our country with pride as they use their leadership and expertise to help Canada compete for a gold medal this December.

Cameron, who also replaced Tourigny as head coach of the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL, is returning to the WJC program for the first time since 2011. He led the team to a silver medal that year, coaching a group that included future NHL staples like Ryan Ellis, Tyson Barrie, Casey Cizikas, Sean Couturier, and Brayden Schenn. This time around he’ll have a new list of young stars to pick from, including top 2021 prospects like Brandt Clarke, Dylan Guenther and Mason McTavish.

The full list of players invited to development camp was also announced today:

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USA Hockey Invites 44 Players To 2021 Summer Showcase

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The World Junior Summer Showcase, an opportunity for players from around the world to show what they can do against similarly-aged international competition before World Junior Championship rosters are selected is scheduled for July 24-31 in Plymouth, Michigan. The event will not include Canada this year, but will still include teams from the U.S., Finland, and Sweden. The European teams already announced their camp rosters earlier this month, but today USA Hockey joined them by officially inviting 44 players.

Those players are:

G Aidan Campbell (2021 draft eligible)
G Drew Commesso (46th overall, CHI)
G Kaidan Mbereko (2021 draft eligible)
G Tucker Tynan (2021 draft eligible)

D Sean Behrens (2021 draft eligible)
D Shai Buium (2021 draft eligible)
D Brock Faber (45th overall, LAK)
D Alex Gagne (2021 draft eligible)
D Aidan Hreschuk (2021 draft eligible)
D Luke Hughes (2021 draft eligible)
D Wyatt Kaiser (81st overall, CHI)
D Connor Kelley (2021 draft eligible)
D Tyler Kleven (44th overall, OTT)
D Ian Moore (67th overall, ANA)
D Scott Morrow (2021 draft eligible)
D Jack Peart (2021 draft eligible)
D Eamon Powell (116th overall, TBL)
D Jake Sanderson (5th overall, OTT)
D Jacob Truscott (144th overall, VAN)
D Ryan Ufko (2021 draft eligible)

F Carson Bantle (142nd overall, ARI)
F Matthew Beniers (2021 draft eligible)
F Brett Berard (134th overall, NYR)
F Cameron Berg (2021 draft eligible)
F Thomas Bordeleau (38th overall, SJS)
F Tyler Boucher (2021 draft eligible)
F Tristan Broz (2021 draft eligible)
F Logan Cooley (2022 draft eligible)
F Matt Coronato (2021 draft eligible)
F Tanner Dickinson (119th overall, STL)
F Josh Doan (2021 draft eligible)
F Dylan Duke (2021 draft eligible)
F Matthew Knies (2021 draft eligible)
F Chaz Lucius (2021 draft eligible)
F Carter Mazur (2021 draft eligible)
F Declan McDonnell (217th overall, TBL)
F Sasha Pastujov (2021 draft eligible)
F Dylan Peterson (86th overall, STL)
F Mackie Samoskevich (2021 draft eligible)
F Red Savage (2021 draft eligible)
F Landon Slaggert (79th overall, CHI)
F Ty Smilanic (74th overall, FLA)
F Luke Tuch (47th overall, MTL)
F Chase Yoder (170th overall, PIT)

The U.S. players will be split into two squads for the event. The group includes six players from the group that won gold at the last World Junior tournament and several other familiar names. Tynan, for instance, was the goaltender that suffered a major laceration in a 2019 OHL game and was forced into a long grueling recovery. Others like Doan catch the eye because of their hockey-playing parent, in this case, Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan.

Finland, Sweden Announce Camp Roster For Summer Showcase

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The World Junior Summer Showcase is usually a great place for prospects to start getting in front of NHL scouts. The short event, that this year will be held in July, is a battle between junior-aged players trying to make their respective national rosters ahead of the IIHF World Junior tournament that starts in December and gives some of them their first chance to test themselves against the best in their age group. This year, Canada is not expected to take part in the event, but the U.S., Sweden, and Finland will all field teams.

Yesterday, Finland revealed their roster for the event (via Corey Pronman of The Athletic):

G Joel Blomqvist (52nd overall, PIT)
G Juho Markkanen (112th overall LAK)
G Leevi Merilainen (71st overall, OTT)

D Karri Aho (undrafted)
D Valtteri Koskela (2021 draft eligible)
D Rami Maatta (undrafted)
D Topi Niemela (64th overall, TOR)
D Ville Ottavainen (undrafted)
D Kasper Puutio (153rd overall, FLA)
D Ruben Rafkin (undrafted)
D Matias Rajaniemi (183rd overall, NYI)
D Christoffer Sedoff (undrafted)
D Eemil Viro (70th overall, DET)

F Samuel Helenius (2021 draft eligible)
F Roni Hirvonen (59th overall, TOR)
F Aatu Jamsen (190th overall, LAK)
F Roby Jarventie (33rd overall, OTT)
F Oliver Kapanen (2021 draft eligible)
F Ville Koivunen (2021 draft eligible)
F Brad Lambert (2022 draft eligible)
F Eetu Liukas (2021 draft eligible)
F Juuso Maenpaa (undrafted)
F Aatu Raty (2021 draft eligible)
F Samu Salminen (2021 draft eligible)
F Kasper Simontaival (66th overall, LAK)
F Oliver Suni (undrafted)
F Iivari Sakkinen (undrafted)
F Samu Tuomaala (2021 draft eligible)

The Finns will bring a young group to the event, especially up front with a number of 17 and 18-year-olds working for a place on the roster. Still, they’ll also have WJC veterans like Niemela, who not only took part but was named the tournament’s best defenseman earlier this year. Perhaps the name to watch here is Lambert, who also has a U20 appearance under his belt already despite only turning 17 last December. He won’t be eligible to draft until 2022 but should be among those in early first-round contention at that point.

Today, Sweden followed up with their own roster (via Pronman):

G Jesper Wallstedt (2021 draft eligible)
G Calle Clang (77th overall, PIT)
G Carl Lindbom (2021 draft eligible)

D Leo Loof (88th overall, STL)
D Emil Andrae (54th overall, PHI)
D Anton Olsson (2021 draft eligible)
D Mans Forsfjall (undrafted)
D Simon Edvinsson (2021 draft eligible)
D Joel Nystrom (undrafted)
D Helge Grans (35th overall, LAK)
D William Wallinder (32nd overall, DET)

F Daniel Ljungman (154th overall, DAL)
F Jeremias Lindewall (200th overall, EDM)
F Alexander Ljungkrantz (90th overall, NYI)
F Ake Stakkestad (undrafted)
F Victor Stjernborg (2021 draft eligible)
F William Eklund (2021 draft eligible)
F Zion Nybeck (115th overall, CAR)
F Isak Rosen (2021 draft eligible)
F Elliot Ekmark (198th overall, FLA)
F Isak Garfve (undrafted)
F Simon Robertsson (2021 draft eligible)
F Theodor Niederbach (51st overall, DET)
F Oskar Olausson (2021 draft eligible)
F Daniel Torgersson (40th overall, WPG)

Sweden on the other hand is bringing an older squad, but even this group doesn’t have their most dynamic skaters. Names like Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz are missing, despite still being eligible for the World Junior tournament. Of course, there absence is just an opportunity for someone else and there are plenty of names in the Swedish group that stand out. Edvinsson actually tied for second on Bob McKenzie’s midseason draft rankings for TSN, which is created by polling active scouts around the league. The Frolunda defenseman should be off the board quite quickly later this summer.

These groups will be paired down to create the final roster for the event, which will then be taken into consideration to make the roster for the World Junior Championship later this year. If a player was not included here, that doesn’t necessarily disqualify him for competition at that tournament.

Note: “undrafted” in this case means that the player was not selected in his first year of eligibility. Many of the players in this category will be chosen this year. 

Adam Raska Signs With San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks have signed one of their 2020 draft picks, inking Adam Raska to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward competed for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL this season after taking part in the World Juniors for the Czech Republic.

Raska, 19, was the 201st player taken in 2020, after his first season in North America with the Oceanic. He scored 21 points in 35 games during that 2019-20 campaign, but came back at a better than point-per-game pace this time around. In 22 games this season he scored 25 points and added six more in eight playoff contests. Unfortunately, his club was defeated in the quarterfinals.

While those numbers don’t jump off the page and scream NHL talent, Raska is still very young and has scored at a high rate in the Czech junior system. It will be interesting to see if the Sharks send him to the AHL next season or loan him back overseas to continue his development at home. In his 11 career games in the Czech Extraliga, he has just one goal.

Roberto Luongo Named GM Of Team Canada

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After a year where almost every international hockey event was canceled, things are getting back to normal soon. The IIHF World Championships are scheduled for May 21 – June 6 in Riga, Latvia, where teams including many playoff-eliminated NHL players will represent their respective countries. Canada has announced its management team for the event today, with an interesting name at the top.

Roberto Luongo has been named general manager, with Shane Doan and Scott Salmond assisting him as part of the management group. Both Luongo and Salmond are part of the Olympic management group as well for Canada, meaning this is something of a test run for the bigger event. Tom Renney, CEO of Hockey Canada, released a statement explaining the decision:

Hockey Canada is excited to have Roberto lead our management group at the IIHF World Championship this year, and to continue to work with our entire Olympic management team as we continue to prepare for the 2022 Olympics. We are also fortunate to have Shane and Scott contribute as assistant general managers; both individuals bring a wealth of experience to Canada’s National Men’s Team. Roberto, Shane and Scott bring a strong combination of NHL and international experience, both on and off the ice, and they will complement each other as we work towards building a team that can compete for a gold medal.

Luongo certainly brings international experience. The former goaltender competed at two World Juniors, four World Championships, three Olympic Games and a World Cup over his long, exceptional career. He’ll now have to do his best work off the ice, selecting and convincing the best available players to compete in the spring tournament.

College Notes: Team USA, Hellickson, Ford, Peart

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Though it should come as no surprise, USA Hockey has officially tabbed Providence College head coach Nate Leaman to lead the American entry into the 2022 World Junior Championship. Leaman coached Team USA to a gold medal this year and more than earned another go-round as head coach. “It’s always an honor to be asked to coach for my country and I’m grateful to be back behind the bench,” Leaman stated. “I’m excited to see some familiar faces, and coach some of America’s best young talent, as we look to build another championship roster.” The Friars’ bench boss, who has also been linked to NHL openings in the past, has nearly two decades of experience as a head coach at the college level, not only finding consistent success in the standings, but also in developing NHLers. Leaman will also be making his fourth appearance at the WJC for the U.S., but only his second as head coach. The Americans have medaled in six of the past seven tournaments, including two gold medals, so the bar has been raised for their performance. Fortunately, with Leaman at the helm they are in good hands in 2022.

  • Notre Dame defenseman Matt Hellickson has signed with the Devils, but not the ones who drafted him – at least not yet. Hellickson, a seventh-round selection of New Jersey back in 2017, has signed a contract with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils for the remainder of the season, the team announced. The organization going in this direction with the prospect defender as opposed to signing an entry-level contract that begins next season and merely finishing the year in Binghampton on an amateur tryout raises questions about his future. It seems possible that the Devils are still hoping to see more development from the four-year Fighting Irish starter before handing him an NHL contract. Hellickson, 23, was not as productive in the NCAA as he had been in the USHL before he was drafted, but was still a reliable presence on the back end for Notre Dame. Perhaps the concern from New Jersey is not that Hellickson is not pro ready, but simply lacks NHL upside. He will look to prove otherwise over the rest of the season.
  • As the NCAA transfer market continues to operate like NHL free agency this off-season, another notable name is moving on. Bowling Green captain Connor Ford has announced that he will spend his graduate season at North Dakota. Ford, 23, has been one of Bowling Green’s best players in each of his four seasons and has certainly drawn some attention from the pro ranks. However, this move likely indicates that his current offers were of the AHL variety instead of NHL entry-level proposals, so he will take his chances with a fifth year in college. If Ford is able to maintain his top scorer status with a power house like North Dakota, those NHL offers should roll in next year for the impressive forward.
  • As if St. Cloud State University needed anything else to be excited about, the NCAA Tournament finalist can now claim to be the future home of the best high school player in the state. Defenseman Jack Peart has been named the 2021 recipient of the Mr. Hockey Award as Minnesota high school hockey’s top athlete. The dynamic defender recorded a stunning 11 goals and 35 points in just 18 games for Grand Rapids High this year, earning him the honors. He added 11 goals in 18 games for the USHL’s Fargo Force as well. The offensive blue liner is a game-changer on the back end, which will likely lead to his selection in the second or third round of the upcoming NHL Draft. He will then head to St. Cloud where he will be expected to take on a big role right away. There is a strong correlation between winning the Mr. Hockey Award and finding NCAA success and playing in the NHL, with past winners including Ryan McDonagh, Nick Leddy, Nick Bjugstad, and Casey Mittelstadt. Peart is a name to keep an eye on.

New Jersey Devils Sign Aarne Talvitie

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The New Jersey Devils have added another college prospect to the mix, signing Aarne Talvitie to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in the 2021-22 season, but the young forward has signed an AHL contract for the rest of this year and will join the Binghamton Devils after a short quarantine.

Talvitie, 22, was a sixth-round selection of the Devils back in 2017 and is coming off his junior season at Penn State. In 21 games this season he recorded seven goals and 13 points but also contributed just as much in the defensive zone where he routinely shadowed opponents. That two-way game has become Talvitie’s calling card, as it was during the 2019 World Juniors when he captained Finland to a gold medal.

During that tournament, despite Finland having top NHL draft picks like Kaapo Kakko, Rasmus Kupari, and Eeli Tolvanen, it was Talvitie that drew rave reviews for his play. He led the Finns with four goals and trailed only Aleksi Hoponiemi in scoring.

By that point, it was clear that Talvitie would have an NHL contract waiting for him whenever he chose to leave school and now he has finally signed it. He will be foregoing his senior year to start his professional journey, testing himself first at the AHL level.

André Tourigny Signs Contracts With Hockey Canada, Ottawa 67’s

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It’s been a big day for André Tourigny. The junior coach has not only signed one contract but two, inking new deals with the Ottawa 67’s and with Hockey Canada.

For Canada, it is a one-year deal to become a full-time coach, with a guarantee that Tourigny will be behind the bench at four different events. He will serve as head coach at the 2022 World Juniors and 2022 IIHF World Championships while serving as an assistant for the 2021 IIHF World Championships and 2022 Olympic Games. This is the first full-time coaching agreement with Hockey Canada since Marc Habscheid in 2005 and provides even more stability to an organization that always puts a competitive team on the ice. Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s senior vice president of national teams, released a statement on the agreement:

We are extremely excited to welcome André Tourigny to Hockey Canada as a full-time coach for the 2021-22 season, as his extensive hockey pedigree makes him a key asset to our national teams. André’s knowledge, insight and international experience will be a critical factor in supporting our Olympic preparation in addition to leading Canada’s National Junior Team for the second consecutive year at the IIHF World Junior Championship. André will also contribute to our work with our NextGen players and coaches through his involvement with our development programs. We are thankful to the Canadian Hockey League and the Ottawa 67’s for their support in releasing André to Hockey Canada for next season.

The 67’s may be releasing him for a year, but that doesn’t mean his involvement in Ottawa’s OHL team is over. Just minutes after Hockey Canada made their announcement, the 67’s made one of their own. Tourigny has signed a six-year extension with the team to remain head coach and vice president of hockey operations. Associate coach Mario Duhamel, who also signed a multi-year agreement, will serve as head coach while Tourigny is fulfilling his international duties.

Ottawa has been a powerhouse under Tourigny, compiling a 130-52-16 record since he took over in 2017. After losing in the OHL Finals in 2019, the team looked poised to compete for a title again given their .815 winning percentage before COVID shut down the 2019-20 OHL season. This year, while the OHL was still on pause, Tourigny coached the Canadian World Junior squad to a silver medal, a year after leading them to gold.

If there was any thought of bringing Tourigny up to the NHL level, it appears to be off the table for the time being. The 46-year-old has plenty of career left though and could chase that dream down the road. He last appeared at the NHL level with the Ottawa Senators in 2015-16, serving as an assistant coach.

Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi Out Indefinitely

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Troubling news on the Wild front as Minnesota announced that the team will be without 2020 first-round pick Marco Rossi indefinitely with an upper-body injury. The 19-year-old just returned from captaining Team Austria in the World Junior Championships.

“They tell me he’s unavailable,” Wild coach Dean Evason said when asked how long he might be out for (via NHL.com). “He’s unavailable for me.”

It’s a tough blow for Rossi. While most first-round picks usually need more seasoning after being drafted, many predicted that Rossi had a legitimate chance to earn a spot in the Wild’s lineup this season. Despite being just 5-foot-9, the centerman has elite skills and is believed to be close to NHL ready. Unfortunately, while the severity of the injury is unknown, this likely doesn’t help Rossi force his way into the lineup.

Rossi dominated the OHL last season with 39 goals and 120 points and has little to prove if the league ever gets going, suggesting that he might still get a chance to earn playing time in Minnesota. He was loaned to ZSC Lions in the NL, but only appeared in one game before play was shut down there.

Many now will suggest that it was a mistake of general manager Bill Guerin to allow Rossi to play for his home country during the World Juniors (since that could very well be where he was injured). Chicago has been faced with a similar situation when it lost Kirby Dach to a fractured wrist and will be without him for at least four months. Unfortunately, Rossi was unable to make much of an impact at the WJC, playing with little elite talent on the Austrian team. He did not score a point in the four games with most of the games being blowouts.

WJC Notes: Quarterfinals, Suspensions, Testing, Newhook

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After an off day, the 2021 World Juniors resume on Saturday with four quarterfinal games on the schedule.  Those matchups are as follows (all times in CT):

11:00 AM: Germany vs Russia
2:30 PM: Sweden vs Finland
6:00 PM: Czech Republic vs Canada
9:30 PM: Slovakia vs USA

It’s the first time that Germany has made it this far in the tournament, led in large part by a trio of players who rank third, fourth, and fifth in scoring in Tim Stuetzle (OTT), J-J Peterka (BUF), and Florian Elias (draft-eligible).  The winners of today’s games will move onto Monday’s semifinals with the medal games being held on Tuesday.  NHL prospects on teams that are eliminated will be able to make their way to training camp if they’ve been invited but will need to go through a quarantine period even though the tournament is being played in a bubble environment.

More news from the tournament:

  • A pair of players will be sitting out today’s action due to suspensions as the IIHF announced that Russian forward Mikhail Abramov (TOR) and German forward Justin Volek (draft-eligible) have both been suspended for one game. Abramov’s ban comes from a slew-footing incident against Sweden on Wednesday while Volek’s suspension came on a cross-check against Switzerland late in their matchup on Wednesday.
  • After multiple teams had positive tests upon entering the bubble, the IIHF released the results of their latest testing which had no new positives. Testing continues to be done daily for all players and team staff including for teams that are eliminated but are still in the bubble.
  • Canada center Alex Newhook (COL) did not practice with the team on Friday and is considered 50-50 to play against the Czechs, head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters including TSN’s Mark Masters.  He left Thursday’s contest against Finland late in the first period after taking a hit from defenseman Eemil Viro (DET).

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