World Juniors Hockey Championship gets going on Boxing Day. Team USA has eight returning players and three players that have played multiple games in the NHL this season making them the early favourites.
Canada can run four scoring lines and will count on team Captain Ryan Ellis to quarterback the power play. Canada has put together a solid team that is very deep and is a contender for the title.
The team to watch out for are the Russians. Team Russia was embarrassed last WJHC when they lost to Switzerland in the Quarterfinals. The Russians will want to show they are on the way back up so expect them to win a medal in this tournament.
Here are ten players to keep an eye on:
- 10 – Jared Cowen (Canada): Cowen is probably the player with the most to prove heading into this year’s tournament. Cowen was expected to play a bigger role last year but struggled, scoring only a single point and found himself sitting on the bench a lot. Cowen was named an assistant captain this year so watch out for this big defenseman to be a dominant force.
- 9 – Andrej Nestrasil (Czech Republic): Nestrasil is the highest scoring returning player for the Czechs and should be the teams’ offensive leader this year. Nestrasil is on pace for a career year in the QMJHL playing for PEI. Nestrasil is a Detroit Red Wings draft pick and will see a couple seasons in the AHL before seeing action in the NHL.
- 8 – Maxim Kitsyn (Russia): Kitsyn was Russia’s best player at this years Super Series where he scored four goals and six points in the six game series. Kitsyn showed he can handle the physical side of the game and will need to be put up big numbers if Russia is going to medal this year.
- 7 – Ryan Ellis (Canada): This is the third tournament for Ellis who has scored seven and eight points in each of the last two tournaments. Ellis is no longer just the power play quarterback and will be counted on for much more now that he is the team captain. This should be a good test for Ellis to show he can be a leader.
- 6 – Nino Niederreiter and Benjamin Conz (Switzerland): Niederreiter scored six goals and ten points last tournament while Conz was named Top Goaltender. Conz and Niederreiter will have to put up similar numbers if the Swiss plan on improving off of last years fourth place finish.
- 5 – Jack Campbell (USA): Campbell came into the Gold Medal game last year part way through the second period and help secure the Championship for Team USA. This year Campbell is playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL but is not playing up to his level. Campbell is 12-9 with a terrible GAA of 3.68 and a low SV% of 0.887. This is Campbell’s team now and will need to be stellar if the States are to repeat as champions.
- 4 – Adam Larsson (Sweden): This season Larsson will be the go to player from the blue line for Team Sweden. Last year Larsson scored four points and finished with a plus three rating. This is Larsson’s draft year and he is being talked about as the number one pick but is off to a slow start in the Swedish Elite League where he is on pace to finish with fewer points then he scored last year. The key to remember with Larsson is that he is already playing against men making him NHL ready. Larsson needs a big tournament to secure top spot at the 2011 NHL Draft.
- 3 – Brett Connolly (Canada): Many scouts feel that Connolly has the same skill set as Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin and that he would have been right up there last year for first overall if he was healthy. Well he is finally healthy and now is his time to show. Connolly has 22 WHL goals already this season and a strong showing for Team Canada will prove those scouts right. Connolly should be a 50-goal scorer one day in the NHL.
- 2 – Jeremy Morin (USA): Morin scored seven points last year for Team USA and will be counted on this year for a lot more offence. Morin has played in nine NHL games this season for the Chicago Blackhawks and scored his first of many NHL goals on December eighth. Morin has all the tools to be an elite goal scorer in the NHL.
1 – Louis Leblanc (Canada): Leblanc is a Quebec born player who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2009 Draft. Leblanc made the move from NCAA hockey to the QMJHL this season, which should help him grow into an NHL player faster. Leblanc has scored 13 goals and 29 points in 24 games this season and should be a top scorer for Team Canada. Leblanc has the potential to be a point-a-game center in the NHL.
Fantasy Hockey Coach Brouwer
"Because 2nd place is the 1st loser!"
http://fantasyhockeycoach.com
