The 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships starting Saturday in Helsinki have grown in prominence in recent years not only because of increasing national pride or more TV coverage, but because it is a stage for the game’s top young prospects and a preview for the NHL Draft.
Unlike last year’s WJC in Toronto and Montreal, where the hype was split between Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, the focus will be on 18-year-old Auston Matthews, the presumptive first overall pick in Buffalo next June.
Matthews played for Team USA last season as a 17-year-old and instead of going the college route like Eichel or play in the CHL like McDavid, he took the unusual path of playing in the Swiss League.
The results have been positive and impressive, as the Scottsdale, AZ native is second in scoring for the ZSC Lions and in the top 5 of the league in goals scored.
Team USA is placing Matthews in a prominent position on their top line with 2016 Draft eligibles Matthew Tkachuk and Alex Debrincat, but even if he does not dominate the tournament or lead the Americans to a medal, his place at the top of the draft is secure based on his success against experienced competition.
The son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk has thrived in his first season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League and is second in league scoring behind line mate and Team USA member Christian Dvorak.
A solid performance in Finland could vault Tkachuk from the lower half of the top 10 to as high as second on many draft lists.
DeBrincat is following up a 104 point season as a 16-year-old playing understudy to McDavid with the Erie Otters by leading the OHL with 33 goals. In spite of the NHL success of smaller forwards like Johhny Gaudreau and Tyler Johnson, some clubs may still be hesitant about investing a top pick in a 5’7”, 160 lb forward.
If the Detroit, MI native scores and handles his own against the top youngsters in the world, he could move up into the top 10.
Three other players who will be on the radar of NHL scouts will be Swedish winger Alexander Nylander and Finnish forwards Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine.
Nylander leads the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads with 49 points and comparisons to older brother William (8th overall pick in 2014 of the Toronto Maple Leafs) are obvious. The pair will be on Sweden’s top line in a tournament.
Puljujarvi and Laine are wingers with NHL size already playing in the Finnish SM-Liiga as 17-year-olds. Puljujarvi played in the 2015 WJC as a 16-year-old and is known for his skating, strength and long reach, while Laine has been described as being more of the prototypical power forward who operates well in front of the net.
Both Finns are projected to be selected in the top five of next June’s draft and a successful tournament will only solidify that standing.
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