There isn’t really much to talk about, so let’s talk about the World Juniors. Last night they completed the round robin portion, and will begin the elimination games tomorrow. Canada beat Finland to clinch top spot in their group with an undefeated 4-0 record, and a 27-7 goal differential. Latvia and Czechia are the other two to advance to the elimination round. Latvia is the feel good story, upsetting Slovakia and winning their first ever game at the WJC to advance.

In Group B, Team USA dominated with an undefeated 4-0 record, and a 22-4 goal differential. Sweden finished second in the group, with Germany and then Switzlerland rounding out the group.

The leaders stats wise are about who you would expect. Mason McTavish is clearly too good for the tournament, leading the tournament with 7 goals and 13 points in only 4 games. Joakim Kemell and Aatu Raty are tied for second with 9 points each. Connor Bedard, the D-1 player who will very likely be the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, is tied for third with 7 points in 4 games. He’s tied with USA’s Thomas Bordeleau.

For the Leafs’ prospects, they’ve all had good but not outstanding tournaments so far. Hirvonen is tied for 4th in the tournament with 6 points in 4 games. Niemelä has four points in four games, and Knies finished with 2 points in 4 games.

All three of them will advance with their teams to the next round, and will look to build on their totals and lead their teams to a medal.

Speaking of Team Canada, the Women’s national team released their roster for the upcoming World Championship tournament in Denmark:

Continuing the T25 series...

2022 Top 25 Under 25: Joseph Woll is #23 | by brigstew

Will Woll soon be ready for the NHL? He is 24, and a good season in the AHL this year would go a long way to making that more certain in the event of an injury to either Matt Murray or Ilya Samsonov. But another bad or mediocre season and he may see his role in the organization start declining.

The Leafs Nation started their top 5 ranked prospects.

TLN Prospect #5: Fraser Minten brings potential and projectability to the Leafs | by TLN

It figures to be a big year for Minten with Kamloops gunning for a Memorial Cup title as the host city in 2023. Lauded for his maturity and leadership skills by his teammates and Leafs management alike, he is primed to take on an even larger role for the Blazers than he did in 2021-22. Minten was also invited to the recent evaluation camp for Canada’s 2023 World Junior squad, and a strong start to his WHL campaign would help to solidify his place on that team for the annual holiday tournament.

The end of an era...

Good for Huberdeau.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

From The Branches