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6 Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­Canucks prospects aiming for World Junior Championship

Canucks well represented on four national teams as training camps begin
Carol Schram
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The 2017 Canucks prospect summer showcase.Contributed

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­Canucks fans could have a hard time tearing themselves away from their televisions when the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship kicks off in Buffalo, NY on Boxing Day.

The team’s prospect pool is starting to get deeper, and an unprecedented six players are vying for spots on four different national teams as pre-tournament selection camps begin this week.

One year before Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­and Victoria play host to the 2019 tournament, here's who to watch at this year's event.

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TEAM CANADA

Hockey Canada has invited 32 players to its evaluation camp in St. Catharines, ON, this week. The team will play three exhibition games, then cuts will be made. Junior-age players currently in the NHL can be added until Dec 19. Ultimately, a roster of 22 players will be set for pre-tournament games, starting Dec. 20.

Three Canucks prospects are in the mix for those 22 spots.

Michael DiPietro – Goal – Age 18 – Drafted 64th overall (third round) in 2017

Listed at 6’0” and 200 pounds, Michael DiPietro is undersized compared to most of today’s goalies, but has a fiery desire to win. He backstopped his OHL Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup win last May, one month before being drafted by the Canucks.

This season, DiPietro is 17-7-1-0 in 26 appearances with the Spitfires. He has a .917 save percentage and his 2.67 goals-against average is fourth-best in the league.

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carter Hart is expected to be Canada’s starting netminder. He appeared in four games at the 2017 World Junior tournament, including Canada’s shootout loss to the United States in the gold-medal game, and has been outstanding with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips this season.

DiPietro has an inside track on a backup spot against other hopefuls Samuel Harvey (age 19, undrafted, currently with Rouyn-Noranda of the QMJHL) and Colton Point (age 19, drafted 128th by Dallas in 2016, currently with Colgate University of the ECAC).

DiPietro will also be eligible for the 2019 tournament in Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­and Victoria. This year’s event will be a good opportunity for him to gain some experience on the World Junior stage.

Kole Lind – Right Wing – Age 19 – Drafted 33rd overall (second round) in 2017

A 6’1”, 178-pound sniper, winger Kole Lind got off to a great start in his third season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets before missing close to three weeks in late November and early December with mononucleosis.

Lind was named WHL player of the week when he started his season with eight points in two games, and was up to 11-21-32 in 20 games before he fell ill.

There was concern that his health issues might lower his chances of being selected from a competitive group of Canadian forwards.Ěý

Not to worry. Lind picked up where he left off when he got back on the ice on December 2, tallying four points in three games before heading to the selection camp in St. Catharines.

Jonah Gadjovich – Left Wing – Age 19 – Drafted 55th overall (second round) in 2017

At 6’2” and 209 pounds, winger Jonah Gadjovich is known for his high-energy, forechecking style of play and his willingness to go to the net. Not seen as much of a goal scorer early in his junior career, he rose in the 2017 draft rankings thanks to a breakout season that saw him score 46 goals and 74 points in 60 games with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL.

This year, with 15 goals and 26 points in 21 games, he’s on a similar pace. Most of his goals look a lot like this, scored from within a couple of feet of the net.
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Gadjovich showed off his tenacious playing style at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He was named to Canada's selection camp roster ahead of players like Michael Rasmussen (ninth) and Owen Tippett (10th), who were chosen well ahead of him at last summer’s draft.

Gajovich and Lind were placed on a line with returning forward Michael McLeod for the first day of the selection camp.

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TEAM SWEDEN

After a 2-1 loss to Russia in last year’s bronze medal game, the Swedes will gather in Niagara on Dec. 15 to begin their preparations for the 2018 World Junior tournament.

All eyes will be on draft-eligible defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, projected as a possible first-overall pick, but the Canucks' Swedish prospect should also draw plenty of attention.

Elias Pettersson – Forward – Age 19 – Drafted 5th overall (first round) in 2017

Elias Pettersson has excelled in his first year of men’s hockey, leading the entire Swedish Hockey League with 11-24-35 in 26 games with the Vaxjo Lakers.

Listed at 6’2” and 165 pounds when he was drafted last June, Pettersson looked like he’d need to mature physically before he was ready to compete at the senior level, but his success this season is virtually unprecedented. The only who has produced more than Pettersson’s current 1.3 points per game over a full season was Kent Nilsson, who had 54 points in 36 games (1.5 PPG) back in 1975-76.

Pettersson is currently tracking well ahead of the U20 seasons of Swedish greats like Peter Forsberg, Henrik Zetterberg — and the Sedins. He's a savvy playmaker as well as a reliable scorer.

The World Junior tournament could be an opportunity for North American hockey fans to catch up on the stir that Pettersson has caused in Europe this fall. There’s also talk that he could be on Sweden’s radar for its 2018 Olympic team.

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TEAM FINLAND

After a triumphant gold-medal win on home ice in Helsinki at the 2016 World Junior tournament, a disastrous performance by the Finns in Montreal last winter put the team in danger of being relegated out of the tournament’s top division. They salvaged their national pride by beating Latvia to finish ninth in the final standings and earn an invitation to this year's event.

Three draft-eligible Finns figured prominently in the success of that 2016 team — forwards Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine and defenceman Olli Juolevi, the Canucks prospect. Laine and Puljujarvi have since made the jump to the NHL.

Olli Juolevi – Defence – Age 19 – Drafted 5th overall (first round) in 2016

Playing with TPS Turku in Finland’s SM Liiga this season, Olli Juolevi will return for his third World Juniors this year. In addition to winning gold with the Finns in 2016, Juolevi was also part of the 2016 Memorial Cup-winning London Knights before the Canucks drafted him fifth overall.

The door was open for Juolevi to crack the Canucks roster this fall but he wasn’t ready. Ineligible for the American Hockey League because he’s still 19 and played his junior hockey in the CHL, the 6’2”, 182-pound blueliner returned to Finland, where he’s having success under the watchful eye of Turku assistant coach — and former Canucks defenseman — Sami Salo.

Like Pettersson, Juolevi is playing well in his first season in a men’s league. He’s 5-9-14 and a plus-nine with Turku.

As a veteran presence, Juolevi should play a significant role as Finland seeks redemption at this year’s World Junior tournament.

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TEAM USA

The defending gold medalists and the host team, the United States is bringing 28 players to its World Junior training camp in Columbus, Ohio, which opens on Dec. 15. Seven players are returning from the championship squad from 2017. One of the newcomers is a Canucks prospect who’s currently a sophomore in the NCAA.

Will Lockwood – Right Wing – Age 19 – Drafted 64th overall (third round) in 2016

Offseason shoulder surgery for Will Lockwood meant that he wasn’t able to get on the ice for the Canucks’ development camp or their Summer Showdown game last July, or skate with Team USA during the Summer Showcase in August.

As a result, Canucks fans haven’t had much opportunity to see the gritty winger in action. Though he’s listed at just 5’11” and 172 pounds, he’s known as much for his hard-hitting playing style as he is for his scoring.

Lockwood is 4-7-11 in 20 games this season at the University of Michigan, the team’s first under new coach and Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­native Mel Pearson. Legendary Wolverines bench boss Red Berenson retired after 33 years at the end of 2016-17.

Though Lockwood was ranked 108th among North American skaters in his draft year, the Canucks were impressed by his play with the U.S. National Team, which included a silver medal at the Under-17 level in 2014-15, then a bronze at the Under-18 tournament the following year.

It’s an accomplishment for him to be in the mix for a World Junior roster spot — one that will get even sweeter if he makes the team.

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