Four Blue Jackets to take part in summer World Junior Championship

Who's ready for some summer hockey?
The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship began in December but lasted only a few days before COVID cases led to the event's cancellation. But the decision was made to try it all again in the summer, and now the world's best U-20 players -- including four Blue Jackets -- will take to the ice again in Edmonton when the tournament begins anew tomorrow.

Three of the CBJ prospects involved were in the original event in Canada forward Kent Johnson as well as Czechia forward Martin Rysavy and defenseman Stanislav Svozil. The Czechs will be joined by the Jackets' top pick in this summer's NHL draft, David Jiricek, while Slovakia's Samuel Knazko took part in the original event but will not do so this time around. (In addition, goaltender Pavel Cajan, who has signed with the Cleveland Monsters, will be on the Czechia squad.)
The tournament has grown in stature in the past few decades and is one of the highlights of the international calendar each year, and each squad is stocked with high-level talent that you'll see in the NHL as soon as the start of the season in October.
The United States is the defending champion as a squad led by Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras and Florida Panthers goalie Spencer Knight beat Canada by a 2-0 score in the final to capture the crown for the fifth time and first since 2017.
That tournament took place in December 2020 and January 2021, so it's been about 20 months since the trophy was lifted. And with NHL training camps not set to open until September, this will be a good way to whet your appetite for hockey, with all games being shown on NHL Network.
Pool play runs from Tuesday through Aug. 15, with each team playing in four round-robin games. Quarterfinals are set for Aug. 17, semifinals on Aug. 19 and the final on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Here's when to watch each CBJ prospect and a little background on each.

Kent Johnson, LW, Canada

CBJ notes: Johnson was the Blue Jackets' first pick in the 2021 draft, going fifth overall. The Port Moody, B.C., native was the first of three first-round picks by the Jackets in that draft, and he's known for his incredible skill with the puck on his stick and ability to make plays at a high rate of speed. After being one of the top scoring players in college hockey last season, Johnson made his CBJ debut at the end of the season and had three assists in nine games.

Club notes:The 19-year-old had a busy year, playing on three Team Canada squads (World Juniors, Olympics, World Championships) while also skating with the University of Michigan. Johnson finished his season with the Maize and Blue with an 8-29-37 line in 32 games on a squad that went to the Frozen Four and also was impressive at the World Championships (four goals in 10 games) after making his CBJ debut.
Jersey number:13
Johnson's role:The highly touted forward will be a key part of Canada's efforts to win gold, as he will likely hold a top-six role and earn power-play time in the tournament. There is plenty of offensive firepower on the Canadian squad, but whoever Johnson is paired with will be considered one of the top lines for the team. He is also wearing an "A" on his sweater for the event.

Canada's chances: As always, the Canadians expect to win, especially skating on home ice. Some big names chose not to come back to Edmonton for this event, including the top pick in the 2021 draft, Owen Power, but this is still a star-studded squad led by such names as Johnson, Anaheim forward Mason McTavish, and the likely No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, Connor Bedard. Canada enters as the favorite and anything less than gold would be a disappointment.
Group A schedule: Latvia, Aug. 10, 6 p.m.; Slovakia, Aug. 11, 6 p.m.; Czechia, Aug. 13, 6 p.m.; Finland, Aug. 15, 6 p.m.

David Jiricek, RD/Stanislav Svozil, LD/Martin Rysavy, RW, Czechia

CBJ notes: Jiricek is one of the newest members of the organization, having been chosen sixth overall in the 2022 draft.
The big right-shot, two-way defenseman
is now considered one of the Jackets' top prospects and impressed in his first trip to Columbus last month for the team's annual development camp.

Svozil was the Blue Jackets' third-round selection (69th overall) in the 2021 draft. A two-way defenseman with excellent poise on the puck, Svozil is a few years away from Columbus but looks like he could become a dependable blueliner as he gains more experience.
Rysavy, meanwhile, was chosen in the seventh round of that 2021 draft. A winger with excellent size (6-2, 212) and some scoring touch, Rysavy attended the Traverse City Prospects Tournament this past year as well as CBJ training camp this past fall.
Club notes:Jiricek spent the past two seasons with HC Plzen in his home country, where the 18-year-old posted 20 points in 63 games combined. He would have played more but suffered a knee injury in December at the World Juniors that cost him some time this season, but he recovered in time to play five games at the World Championships this summer.
Svozil, 19, like Jiricek played in the Czech Extraliga for two seasons before he was drafted by the Blue Jackets. This past year, the Prerov, Czech Republic, native made the decision to come over to North America to continue his development and play big minutes with Regina of the WHL, where he had a 10-31-41 line in 59 games.

Rysavy also is a 19-year-old who hails from Prerov, and he skated in six games with HC Vitkovice in his Extraliga debut in 2020-21. He also headed to North America this year to play in the WHL, and Rysavy had eight goals and 18 assists in 45 games with Moose Jaw.
Jersey numbers:Jiricek -- 5; Svozil -- 14; Rysavy -- 29
Jiricek's role:Skating in his second World Juniors, Jiricek was an assistant captain with Czechia at the December event and will again be considered among the team leaders this time around. If he's fully recovered from a bout with COVID just before the event, Jiricek should earn top-pair minutes and will be expected to carry a big part of the load in all situations.
Svozil's role:Svozil skated on the second pair at the December event --
his goal in the opener vs. Canada
was one of the highlights of the short tournament -- and is expected to do so again. With excellent poise on the puck and some offensive skill, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he earns some power-play time and chips in offensively at times.
Rysavy's role: Rysavy was in a bottom-six role at the December event and on the third line in the pre-tournament games for Czechia. With his size, ability to play physical hockey and defensive capabilities, he could be an ideal fit there and perhaps even add a little offense.
Czechia's chances: The Czechs could be a sleeper with Jiricek and Jiri Kulich (28th overall, Buffalo) both being chosen in the first round of this year's draft. There's some high-end talent there, but there will be tough games against Canada and Finland in the group stage. Slovakia doesn't have some of its top players, though, so it might not be a surprise to see Czechia in the mix here.
Group A schedule: Slovakia, Aug. 9, 2 p.m.; Finland, Aug. 11, 2 p.m.; Canada, Aug. 13, 6 p.m.; Latvia, Aug. 14, 6 p.m.