Islanders Journeys in the World Juniors

While NHL hockey is on hiatus during the holidays, the World Juniors have become a holiday tradition.

Starting the day after Christmas, the top U20 players in the world compete for their country, as the hockey world tunes in to watch. It’s a staple part of the holiday season, nostalgic for many pros.

“It’s like a Christmas tradition," said Emil Heineman, who played for Team Sweden at the 2021 World Juniors. "You love to see that. Always high energy, it’s fun to watch.”

This year five Islanders prospects are playing in the international tournament. Cole Eiserman is looking to defend Team USA’s gold medal as he returns for his second trip to the World Juniors and will be joined by fellow Isles prospect and BU teammate Kamil Bednarik, who is making his first appearance. Victor Eklund is also making his second World Juniors appearance for Team Sweden, while Kashawn Aitcheson (Canada) and Tomas Poletin (Czechia) are experiencing the tournament for the first time.

The current Islanders can relate to the excitement, anticipation and nerves of World Juniors.

“Those weeks leading up to the tournament, it’s a grind,” said Cal Ritchie, who was an alternate captain for Canada at last year’s WJC. “You’re in your head if you’re going to make the team or not, but you have to enjoy it. As soon as the tournament gets started, the crowd gets pretty unreal. All of Canada’s watching it, it’s a special time.”

Ritchie contributed two points (1G, 1A) in five games of last year’s tournament that saw Canada eliminated in the quarterfinals. This year, Ritchie will be cheering for his friend and fellow Isles prospect in Aitcheson, who will be on the hunt to get revenge for Canada.

“Last year, it wasn’t the result we wanted, but this year I think Canada has a really good chance of winning,” Ritchie said. “I’m rooting for Aitcheson for sure.”

For international players, like Eklund and Poletin, they’ll have to acclimate to the feel and speed of a smaller rink. That was the case for Heineman, who represented Sweden in 2021 and recorded a goal through five games of the tournament that was hosted in Edmonton, AB.

“It was a crazy experience,” Heineman said. “It was my first time being over and playing on smaller ice, skating on my first NHL rink in Edmonton.”

Heineman played with current Islanders teammate Simon Holmstrom on Sweden’s squad. Their experience was certainly unique, as players in the World Juniors that year went through COVID-19 testing protocols before getting to play in the tournament. Despite this, it was a surreal experience that provided a boost of confidence for the second half of the season.

“It was a crazy feeling, you watch a lot of World Juniors growing up, and to finally be part of that was a dream come true,” Heineman said. “I came back to the Swedish Hockey League with a lot of confidence. Playing against the best in the U20s, I came back ready to go.”

Aside from Heineman and Holmstrom getting an early taste of being teammates, there are a few other connections in the Isles locker via World Juniors. Bo Horvat, Jonathan Drouin and Adam Pelech all represented Team Canada in 2014.

“Dru and Pelly, they’ll haven’t changed,” Horvat said. “[Pelech] has been playing the same way for a long time, and [Drouin], his skill and playmaking ability was special to watch. It’s a full circle moment, playing with them now.”

Behind the bench for the 2014 Canadian squad was former Islander and two-time Stanley Cup champion Brent Sutter, coaching the young Horvat, Drouin and Pelech, as they were able to learn from Sutter’s wealth of knowledge and NHL experience.

"He's a very direct person, very hard on you," Drouin said. "Hard-nosed Canadian coach, I enjoyed playing for him. He has a lot of experience in the NHL.”

Most NHL players grew up watching the World Juniors, and now that they're busy with a packed NHL schedule, there's less time to tune in to games as intensely as they used to. Many of them are passing on the joy of the tournament to their children.

“I’ll definitely look at games and show my son too," said Drouin, whose son is three years old. "It was cool for me when I was younger to watch those tournaments."

For the Islanders who will be keyed in on the games' results and highlights with national pride, it might turn into some locker room fun.

“I’m sure everyone’s going to be following along a little bit," Ritchie said. "I don’t know if there will be chirps, we’ll see what guys have up their sleeves. Maybe some friendly wagers.”

Playing in the World Juniors can be a fun stop en route to a long NHL career, so Horvat shared some advice for this year’s players in the tournament.

“Just embrace everything,” Horvat said. “There are very few times when you get to represent your country. When you're lucky enough to do it, just enjoy the moment and have fun with it.”