Five Sens prospects to feature at 2022 World Juniors
This year, Ottawa Senators fans will be keeping their eyes on five prospects lining up in the tournament.
Ridly Greig will represent Canada, Tyler Kleven and Jake Sanderson return for the USA while Roby Jarventie and Leevi Merilainen will wear the Finnish jersey.
"We look forward to seeing each of our five prospects participating in the World Junior Championship," Senators chief amateur scout, Trent Mann, said. "This is a great opportunity for each player to use the tournament to help take another step in their development path.
"While this tournament does not determine their NHL future, the opportunity to represent their country, play a role in their teams success and bring their own game to another level is a great opportunity that every hockey player dreams of."
For Greig, the 2022 World Juniors are a redemption, of some sort. In 2021, he was named to the team's selection camp but before he could make the tryout, he tested positive for Covid-19. He was behind the eight-ball from that point on and wound up missing out.
But 2022 was a different story. Yes, Greig was named to the team's selection camp but his spot on the roster was all but secured after a dominant first half of the season with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings.
TSN Race for the Roster: Ridly Greig
In 19 games, the Brandon captain has 14 goals and 28 points. He's won 51.5 per cent of his faceoffs and has also tallied 46 penalty minutes.
"He's going to be a good player in the NHL," Senators head coach D.J. Smith said from Sunrise on Dec. 13. "You don't make the World Juniors if you're not an elite prospect."
Greig, who was taken 28th overall by the Sens in 2020, previously has an international medal after he claimed silver at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In Canada's lone warmup game against Russia on Thursday, Greig centred a line alongside Jake Neighbours and Justin Sourdif where they are expected to shut down opposing team's top lines.
They are also going to add some scoring as Greig highlighted Thursday as he buried a rebound during the first period of Canada's 6-4 pre-tournament win over Russia.
"I can see Ridly playing anywhere in our lineup, probably against the other team's top unit," James Boyd, Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence lead, said. "That feisty style, that aggressive style, is going to be frustrating for the opponent … he's going to be a threat offensively as well."
The defending World Juniors champions are the USA after they beat Canada 2-0 in the 2021 final.
Kleven and Sanderson were part of that team and are two of six returnees this year alongside Matty Beniers, Brett Berard, Brock Faber and Landon Slaggert.
If the USA repeat as champions, it will be Sanderson who lifts the trophy as he was named captain Tuesday.
"I want to be someone that dominates every time I am on the ice," Sanderson said. "As a team, we want to win … we're all winners. We've got a lot of good chemistry. The guys gel really well. I'm excited about our group."
Sanderson, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is the seventh Sens prospect to be named captain of their World Juniors team after Tim Stützle (Germany, 2021), Lassi Thomson (Finland, 2020), Andreas Englund (Sweden, 2016), Christian Jaros (Slovakia, 2016), Curtis Lazar (Canada, 2015) and Bryan Berard (USA, 1996).
The d-man has had a monster season so far with North Dakota where he has six goals and 13 assists in just 15 games. His 19 points this year are the third most by a defenceman in the NCAA while his 1.27 points per game are the second most among blueliners.
"Jake is a winner," said USA head coach Nate Leaman. "The way he plays the game from last year, this summer, to now at North Dakota, he plays the game like a winner. I don't think he's ever been about himself. That's why he goes unnoticed sometimes.
"I think he is the best player in college hockey this year. He's well respected within our room because of the way he carries himself. He's never been about himself; he's always been about the team."
As for Kleven, a second round pick in 2020 by Ottawa, he has four goals and six points in 19 games with the Fighting Hawks. His 58 penalty minutes this year leads the NCAA.
"Klev is one of my best friends," Sanderson said. "I've known him for about five years now. We've roomed together. We have so many great memories including the gold medal win last year and if we get to go back-to-back again with him, that would be really special."
As for the Finns, they too have a returnee in Jarventie, as he looks to medal for the second straight year too.
Jarventie played six games in the 2021 tournament as Finland beat Russia 4-1 to win bronze.
The 33rd overall pick in 2020 has three goals and nine points in 21 games with the Belleville Senators this year in his first full year of pro in North America. He scored a pair of goals in four games at the end of the 2020-21 season with Belleville after scoring 14 goals in the Liiga with Ilves.
The 19-year-old isn't the lone Sens prospect on the Finnish team as he'll be joined by newcomer Merilainen.
In his first year in the OHL, Merilainen has boasted an outstanding 14-4-3 record with a 3.19 GAA and .897 save percentage.
He recorded his first OHL shutout on Dec. 3 in a 5-0 win over Oshawa as he made 28 saves. His 14 wins rank second in the OHL and his 572 saves place fourth.
In Finland's lone pre-tournament game against the USA, Merilainen played the first two periods and stopped 22 of 23 shots he faced in a 4-3 overtime win as his side erased a late 3-1 deficit to clinch victory thanks to three straight power play goals.
Sanderson played on the USA's top pairing alongside Ducks prospect Ian Moore while Kleven was paired with Luke Hughes of the Devils. Jarventie was a healthy scratch.
Canada is in Group A where they will face Finland, meaning Greig will get the chance to oppose Jarventie and Merilainen. Austria, Czechia and Germany round out the group.
Sanderson and Kleven are in Group B where they will battle Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland.
For a full tournament schedule,
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. Every game of the tournament can be seen live on TSN.
* Photo courtesy of Hockey Canada.
