10 Players to Watch During the World Juniors

The World Juniors are upon us once again. This tournament is one of the highlights for every hockey fan and this year it may be the biggest highlight due to the lack of NHL hockey. This years tournament will feature some extra talented players many of whom are NHL-Calibre, but in addition to players well on their way to their NHL career there are also several prospects playing to help improve their stock for the 2013 draft. So while the following list may not be the biggest names, they are players who have a lot to play for and don't always get the recognition they deserve.

10. Joel Armia- Finland

I'm not just saying this because he's a Buffalo Sabres prospect, but Armia does not get the recognition and respect he should for his talent. Finland is flying
high after defeating both Canada and the US in the pre-competition games and one major reason for their surging play is Joel Armia. He is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons for Finland and is extremely dangerous on the powerplay. Since he has not made the jump over to North America yet he has the added benefit of knowing the international style of play.

9. J.C Lipon- Canada

J.C Lipon is the underdog that you fall in love with. After not being selected in either of the last 2 NHL drafts, Lipon is hoping the 3rd time is the charm and now that he's made team Canada, he may just fulfill his dream and hear his name on draft day. After being dubbed a "late bloomer" Lipon is finally starting to turn heads and garner some interest. While he wont play a huge role with team canada (3rd or 4th line) he will be a key player while killing penalties and is one of those players that are crucial to every winning team.

8. Aleksander Barkov- Finland

Although Finland is sometimes considered a 2nd tier team at this tournament they have a serious chance of bringing home a medal from this years World Junior tournament. They have some high flying offensive players one of which is Aleksander Barkov who many are saying could be the highest scoring European in the tournament. He is also ranked as the highest European for the upcoming draft, with a big tournament he could challenge Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones for the first overall pick. This will be Barkov's second crack at the World Junior tournament and he'll look to provide more of a leadership role and lead the talented Finish squad to a gold medal.

7. Jonathan Drouin- Canada

Before the tournament almost nobody expected the young 17 year-old to even crack the Team Canada squad, but team Canada saw something special and made him a member of the team. But he's now slated in on the 2nd line and ranked ahead of teammate MacKinnon. If you've read my last articles about team Canada you'll know how excited I am to see Drouin play in the tournament, strong play will significantly help his draft stock. Drouin may be one of the underdogs on the Canadian squad and could play a big role in the end.

6. Olli Maatta- Finland

I said Finland had a solid team this year and the addition of first round pick Olli Maatta doesn't exactly hurt their cause. He played in just 1 game for the Finish team at last years World Junior Championship but will undoubtedly have a much bigger role this time around. He will be relied on to be the top shutdown defenceman and help calm down a offensive focused squad.



5. Jake McCabe- United States

Now if you're not familiar with the NCAA and the Wisconsin Badgers chances are the name Jake McCabe means nothing to you. But that should be changing within the next week. The US junior team named McCabe captain for this years World Junior tournament ahead of fan favourite J.T Miller. It's a smart move by the Americans naming their captain as a defenceman since their team is focusing on a strong defence this year. McCabe along with Jones will both be key leaders on the backend and the captain should help with Jones' game.

4. Elias Lindholm- Sweden

Elias Lindholm is another top notch European player looking to up his draft stock for the upcoming draft. He's playing against older and stronger men in the swedish elite league but has still managed 21 points in 32 games and currently sits 4th in the draft rankings. He'll be responsible for replacing the offence of Mika Zibanejad who will not be suiting up for team Sweden. Leading the team will be no easy task for the un-drafted prospect but considering he's already drawing comparison's to Peter Forsberg he should have a big tournament.

3. J.T. Miller- United States

Despite being drafted in the first round in 2011 and playing in the AHL. J.T. Miller is one of the most unknown players for the United States. Despite not being given the captaincy of the US national team, he was given the role of alternate captain. Miller will be called upon to lead the offence for the Americans and help score goals for the defensive minded squad.

2. Mikhail Grigorenko- Russia

The Russians have some fantastic offensive talent and having Buffalo Sabres first round pick Mikhail Grigorenko at their disposal wont hurt their chances of making it to the finals. Grigorenko is a big, tough natural goal scorer, he's 2nd in QMJHL scoring with 29 goals and 21 assists for 50 points. While he may have to sit in the passenger seat while Nail Yakupov leads the team it doesn't mean he won't be a productive scoring leader for the Russians. After last years 5 points and a silver medal, Grigorenko is hungry to add a gold medal.

1. Andrey Vasilevskiy- Russia

Vasilevskiy was the first goaltender selected in the 2012 draft ahead of team Canada's starter Malcolm Subban. He helped lead Russia to a silver medal in last years tournament and finished the tournament with the highest save percentage (95.31). He was also the netminder who surrended 5 goals against Canada in the nail bitting 6-5 Russia win. Because of his poor play against Canada he was benched during the finals but this year he's looking to avenge last years benching and help lead Russia to a gold Medal. Vasilevskiy will need to shut things down in net and keep opponents goals total to a minimum or face losing his job to Sabres prospect Andrey Makorav who took over in the finals for Vasilevskiy and played exceptionally well.

 







 

 

Can Nathan MacKinnon Crack Team Canada's Roster?

On Monday afternoon Hockey Canada released the names of the 37 players who would be invited to the World Junior selection camp to battle it out for their chance to don the Red and White for the World Junior Championships in Russia. Amongst the 37 players was QMJHL star and projected 1st overall pick Nathan MacKinnon. But the question now becomes can MacKinnon crack the lineup for Canada when they kick off the tournament on boxing day?

Now you're probably thinking "of course the projected 1st overall pick is going to make the World Junior team, what a silly question", but there is some serious debate on whether he will be on the final 20 man roster and if he is at what position? There has never been a question about the depth Canada has to draw from, especially at the forward position and with the NHL lockout sending top prospects down to the minors the competition is that much tougher.

There is a very strong chance that in oder for MacKinnon to crack the team, he will be moved to the wing. With Edmonton Oilers youngster Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being invited it's almost a guarantee he'll centre the first line and having returning bronze medal winner and 3rd overall pick from 2011 Jonathan Huberdeau from last years squad tie up the 2nd line centre spot. Also in the mix for jobs at centre are, member of the 2012 squad Mark Scheifele and fellow 2012 Bronze medalists Boone Jenner and Ryan Strome. One of the new players battling for a spot against MacKinnon will be Ottawa 67's Sean Monahan. Of course Scheifele can move to the wing but that still leaves 4 centres, 3 of whom were on the bronze medal winning team in 2012, the chances of MacKinnon snagging a centre spot are slim to none at this point.

After being left off the roster last year as a 16 year-old, MacKinnon will be even more motivated to show team Canada that age is but a number and he can help bring home that elusive gold medal. He will be in tough again this year as 1 of 2 17 year-olds invited to camp who are facing off against mainly 19 year olds. At 5 foot 11 and 180 MacKinnon certainly won't be lacking size but he may be lacking maturity and experience which are vital aspects at the World Junior Championships. Another thing MacKinnon has that the 6 other centres don't is time, there are still 2 more World Junior Championships that he will eligible to play in.

On paper at the moment the best chance for the 17 year-old to crack the team is on the 2nd or 3rd line wing. Although putting him on the wing with Nugent-Hopkins would do wonders for his development and make for a flashy line up, putting the young kid on the first line is a bit of a risk and there's no guarantee the two would find chemistry. The best thing that could have happened for MacKinnon at development camp is his fellow linemate with the MooseHeads Jonathan Drouin was also invited. If the two of them get paired up for any stint during camp look for instant chemistry and stints of brilliance from the youngsters which may be enough to push MacKinnon into the top 6.

In a way the lockout is unfortunate for players like Drouin, Monahan, MacKinnon and even Hunter Shinkaruk who didn't earn an invite to camp as they may miss out on a chance to play for their country at the World Junior championships. Any other year and MacKinnon would easily be slated as the number 1 or 2 centre and one of the leaders on the team but this year he'll be in tough just to crack the top 9. But it's great for Team Canada as a whole as they have the ability to ice a team near the same calibre as 2005. This years squad may be Canada's best chance to win gold since 2005, but one thing to remember is both the Americans and Russians will also benefit from the lockout.

As of right now I imagine the majority of top 6 spots are already pencilled in, the only variable being MacKinnon. If he can spark some chemistry on the wing with one of the older centres then he'll likely earn a spot, if not he'll have to wait yet another year to play for the World Juniors. Do I see MacKinnon making the team as a centre, not a chance. Him on the wing, possibility.