5 Players to Watch at the World Juniors
The World Junior Championships start today at 2 pm when Germany and Finland kick off the tournament. Below I've provided a list of 5 players to watch in this year's tournament.
Shane Wright
Team Canada
Draft: Expected 1st Overall Pick in 2022
Current team: Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Games Played: 22
Goals: 11
Assists: 19
Points: 30
Why Watch: People have called Wright the best prospect since Matthews and McDavid. It'll be interesting to see if the 17 year old can dominate in a tournament usually controlled by 19 year olds.
Connor Bedard
Team Canada
Draft: Expected 1st/2nd Overall Pick in 2023
Current team: Regina Pats (WHL)
Games Played: 24
Goals: 14
Assists: 10
Points: 24
Why Watch: Bedard and Matvei Michkov are the two most talented players in the 2023 draft with Michkov's KHL contract being his biggest hurdle. It will be interesting to see how Bedard showcases himself as one of the few 16 year olds to make this tournament.
Owen Power
Team Canada
Draft: 1st Overall Pick 2021 (Buffalo Sabres)
Current Team: University of Michigan
Games Played: 18
Goals: 3
Assists: 20
Points: 23
Why Watch: This is Power's first World Juniors because he was not released to play last year but UoM, so this is his chance to prove what all the hype is about.
Matvei Michkov
Team Russia
Draft: Expected top 5 pick in2023
Current team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Games Played: 13
Goals: 2
Assists: 3
Points: 5
Why Watch: This kid is a human highlight reel! Plain and simple. He's superbly talented and if he didn't have a 5 year KHL deal we'd be talking about Bedard versus Michkov already. Don't be shocked if he even tries the Michigan this tournament because he's already nailed it twice this year.
Logan Cooley
Team USA
Draft: Expected top 5 pick in 2022
Current team: USA National Development Program
Games Played: 7
Goals: 4
Assists: 4
Points: 8
Why Watch: Cooley is a USNDP product and has been playing his way up most draft boards. Cooley is a dominate two-way forward with very few holes in his game. If he were 6'2 we'd be talking about him as the clear cut 2nd overall pick.
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