Edmonton Oilers: Will Klefbom’s Injury Force a Trade Plus 2019 World Junior Championships Group A Preview

Team Canada | Last Year: Gold | Projection: Silver

Another World Juniors means another stacked Canadian team. I’m only highlighting three of their top talents, but there are so many that deserve a mention. Gabe Vilardi is one, but he is just returning from injury and his condition is in question after a tough stint in the AHL. The Canadian team might not have the goaltending they did in previous years when they had Carter Hart, but it’s nothing to worry about. All around Canada is one of the best teams at this tournament with no glaring weaknesses.

Evan Bouchard | D | London Knights | Edmonton

Bouchard is the clear #1 defender for this stacked Canadian squad. He spent 7 games up with the Edmonton Oilers where he saw limited ice time. He was then sent back to London of the OHL where he has been dominant in every sense of the word. He’s well over a point per game and the captain of another great London team. Last season he registered 87 points in 67 games which lead him to be selected 10th overall by the Oilers. Bouchard is one of thepuck-movingmoving defenders in the tournament, and most defiantly the best passer. Even with an amazing d-core, Canada will rely heavily on Bouchard.

Cody Glass | C | Portland Winterhawks | Vegas

This is Cody Glass’ year. Glass would have been in the NHL this year if it wasn’t for Vegas GM, George McPhee’s, bias against teenagers in the NHL. He’s here to prove not only that he should be in the NHL, but that he should’ve been on last year’s gold medal team too. Glass is hovering around 2.00 points per game in the WHL with Portland. He’s got a lot to prove to Hockey Canada, Vegas, and to himself. As a 6th overall pick, the expectation is that he should be able to compete at the NHL level. There is a lot of pressure on Glass, and he’s a name you have to keep an eye on.

Maxime Comtois | LW | Drummondville Voltigeurs | Anaheim

Comtois is this year’s big surprise. After his start in the NHL nobody thought he’d be going to the World Juniors. He spent 10 games with Anaheim and score in his first games, and had 7 points in those 10 games until being sent down to the AHL where he had a goal in 4 games. Now he’s back in the QMJHL joining a stacked Drummondville squad. Comtois is going to be completely dominant if he plays in the tournament like he did for Anaheim.

Alexis Lafrenière | LW | Rimouski Océanic | 2020 Draft

What’s there to say that already hasn’t been said with Lafrenière? A 17-year-old not draft eligible until 2020 is going to play in the World Juniors. Lafrenière sits around 3rd in QMJHL scoring at the moment. The Rimouski player won CHL Rookie of the Year over 2nd overall pick from this past draft, Andrei Svechnikov last year. At the Hlinka tournament earlier this season he was tied for 1st in points with Vasili Podkolzin. Lafrenière is no joke and the projected 1st pick in 2020. He’s dynamic, he’s highly skilled, and he’s ridiculously smart. Lafrenière being on the team is accomplishment enough, but he could also be one of their top players.

Raphaël Lavoie | RW | Halifax Mooseheads | 2019 Draft

This was a controversial pick. If Hockey Canada hasn’t already put out their camp roster for the tournament then I would not have had Lavoie here. I have a multitude of Canadians ranked ahead of Lavoie for the upcoming draft. My pick to make this team would have been Dach and an overeager that will be mentioned later on. Lavoie is around a point per game in the Quebec League and isn’t exactly dominant like Kirby Dach. Lavoie is late birthday and is older than most of the 2019 class which defiantly influenced his chances in making this team. Hockey Canada likely fell in love with his height, weight, and grit.

Brett Leason | C | Prince Albert Raiders | 2019 Overager

Leason has shocked everyone with WHL leading performance so far this season. Leason was a 2018 draft eligible but was undrafted. This season he’s at over 2.00 points per game in the WHL. Not many saw this coming. Leason is a double threat player that can score and pass. He’s squaring up to be this year’s Drake Batherson.

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Russia | Last Year: Quarters Loss | Prediction: Fifth

Overall this Russian team is just ok. They have some big-time talent up front, but not a lot of depth. There’s not much to brag about on defense either. The Red Deer Rebel’s Alexander Alexeyev is the main threat on the blueline. Their first two lines have some middle tier guys like Ivan Chekovich and Alexander Khovanov plus the players mentioned below could be dangerous. Their goaltending is average, but nothing special. They have a solid goaltender in Daniil Tarasov, but he’s not top tier in this tournament. Nothing about this Russian squad screams medal winner this year.

Vitali Kravtsov | RW | Traktor Chelyabinsk | New York Rangers

New York Rangers fans will argue that Vitali Kravtsov could be the top player at this tournament. He’s just over half a point per game in the KHL and is in competition for Traktor Chelyabinsk’s top scorer as an 18-year-old. Kravtsov is a 6’4” (192cm) winger with elite skill. He plays with a lot of feistiness and isn’t afraid to use his size. He’s great at breaking away from defenders with his hands and using that thick frame for puck protection. Kravtsov has proven that he can stand with pro players in the KHL, so he should have no problem at the World Juniors. The fate of the Russian squad revolves around Kravtsov and what he can do for this team.

Klim Kostin | C/W | San Antonio Rampage | St. Louis

Kostin is Russia’s key returning player on this squad. Last year he scored 5 goals and 3 assists in just 5 games. Kostin fell big time to the Blues at the 2017 draft due to injuries and questions regarding if he’d play in North America or stay in Russia in the future. He’s an impactful power forward currently playing for San Antonio in the American League. Kostin has long been a staple of Russian junior hockey as in his draft -1 year he captained both the U17 and U18 team. Kostin has struggled a little this season in the AHL, but it’s not a big concern.

Grigori Denisenko | LW | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Florida

Florida’s flashy left winger is Russia’s premier threat on the left side. Denisenko is a slick, agile player with a lot of finishing ability. Often we see the Russian team favor older players and restrict the minutes of younger guys, but that won’t be the case with Denisenko. He’s Russia’s 2nd youngest player and as the 15th overall pick last year, he will be an important cog for the Russians.

Czech Republic | Last Year: Fourth | Projection: Sixth

It’s worth noting that Filip Chytil of the New York Rangers was named to the preliminary roster, but he is currently playing in the NHL. It’s unlikely he’ll be released to play at the World Juniors.

In terms of draft eligibles, the Czechs have two on their preliminary roster, but neither of them really have a chance at the team nor are top prospects for the 2019 draft. The two being Petr Cajka of the Erie Otters and Martin Hugo Has of Tappara in Finland.

Overall this Czech team has a few big names up front but generally aren’t slated to be competitive with the top teams. They have don’t have a single noteworthy name on defense. It’s likely that most people wouldn’t recognize a single name on the blueline. Great goaltending and forwards only get you so far without defense.

Filip Zadina | W | Grand Rapids Griffins | Detroit

Zadina is the projected star for the Czechs. He played on the World Junior team last year and had 7 goals in 7 games. Zadina is a big-time goal scorer and a staple of any team he plays for. He’s currently playing in the American League where he got off to a slow start but is starting to heat up. Zadina will finally be reunited with his buddy Martin Necas where the pair will hope to lead the Czechs to a medal.

Martin Necas | C | Charlotte Checkers | Carolina

Necas is one of the few double returning players in this tournament. As a 17-year-old in his draft year, he was named to the team where he had 3 assists in 5 games. The next year he dominated as part of one of the tournament’s best duos in him and Zadina. With 11 points in 7 games, he lead the Czechs to a fourth-place finish. Necas is an offensive center with great speed and puck carrying ability. He’s great at dishing the puck to a linemates and creating space for his wingers. Necas will be a key piece to the Czechs if they want to have any success.

Jakub Skarek | G | Lahti Pelicans | New York Islanders

For the Czech’s, the big piece in net is going to be Skarek. The talented netminder was the consensus 1st or 2nd best goaltender in the 2018 draft but fell to the 4th spot and 3rd round. Since then he has outperformed any expectations for him with the Pelicans in the Finnish Elite League. He hovers around 3rd in Liiga save percentage at just 19. What Skarek is doing is something special. He’s a butterfly goaltender with natural goaltending talent. He’s a big guy with brisk reflexes and size to match. Skarek is actually a returning player as he played for the team in his draft year, but he struggled significantly in that spot and clearly wasn’t ready. This year though I expect him to be one of the top goaltenders at this tournament.

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Switzerland | Last Year: Quarters Loss | Projection: Seventh

This year isn’t squaring up to be much for Switzerland. The Swiss lack any high-end talent that they might have gotten in Nico Hischier a few years ago. They do have some solid returning talent, but nothing special. In goal, they have a solid netminder in Luca Hollenstein. Switzerland also has a few draft-eligible players, but none expected to make any sort of massive impact other than one overager. Their best option probably being Valentin Nussbaumer, who is playing in the QMJHL.

Nico Gross | D | Oshawa Generals | New York Rangers

A third time returning player in Nico Gross is the obvious choice to captain this team. As a 2000 born he played against the 1997 crop all the way back in the 2016-17 season. Gross currently plays for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL where he has been a reliable first pairing defender. The fourth round pick hopes to be an impact player in his third with the team.

Philip Kurashev | C | Quebec Remparts | Chicago

The Russian dual citizen decided to compete with Switzerland in IIHF competition and has been the go-to Swiss forward ever since. With the Quebec Remparts, he’s at about 1.30 points per game while driving a lot of the Remparts’ offense. In his second year at the World Juniors, Kurashev looks to be the focus of attention for the Swiss team.

Nando Eggenberger | Oshawa Generals | 2019 Overager

Nico Gross’ teammate from Oshawa and fellow triple returning player is Nando Eggenberger. Eggenberger is a veteran of Swiss hockey as he first made his pro debut at 16. Many were surprised when he went undrafted last season in a down year for him. Eggenberger has long been a player that Swiss hockey has groomed to be a pivotal player for their organization. It will be very interesting to see what he can do this year.

Denmark | Last Year: Relegation Win | Projection: Ninth

Denmark’s team, as always, is hard to predict. I won’t go over their players in depth because we don’t know enough about most of these guys. Few players are really on NHL radars other than possibly their goaltender Mads Søgaard. The 6’ 7” (200cm) behemoth of a 17-year-old is eligible for the 2019 draft and is considered by some to be a first two rounds talent. Søgaard towers over any goaltending prospect we’ve seen in the past. The Medicine Hat Tiger is expected to be their starter or at least number two guy. In terms of top players, I can only guess based on totals from last year. My best guess for their top guy is Jonas Røndbjerg, a 2017 Vegas 3rd rounder. Røndbjerg impressed last year in the SHL, but has struggled a lot this year.