| 21 December 2011
In a couple of days, the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships will be starting up. Otherwise known as two weeks of fans bickering with each other about who's country is better (Spoiler: Canada). Of course, there will be two weeks of excellent hockey featuring lots of potential stars in the making. Here's a couple of storylines for this year's WJCs.
Mark Visentin and Redemption
Hey, remember the epic meltdown Canada had last WJCs against Russia? No matter how much alcohol I consume, I cannot seem to forget that. One person who shouldn't forget it is Mark Visentin, the goalie who was in net for the epic meltdown. Guess what? He's back. And so far, in the exhibition games, he hasn't exactly been the best goaltender. The question i've got involving him is whether or not Don Hay continues to stick with Visentin. Scott Wedgewood is capable of providing solid goaltending, so it's up to Hay whether or not to stick with the reigning OHL goalie of the year or decides to ride the hot hand.
Important Returns
Several players are making their return to action. One of those players won't be Martin Frk of the Czech Republic, who is passing on the tournament despite just returning to action. As for players returning, Canada gets two of their top players back from injury- defenseman Ryan Murray (ankle) and forward Jonathan Huberdeau (broken foot). Russia gets Nail Yakupov back just in time (head) for the world juniors. Team USA gets two big returns- forward Brandon Saad (hand) and the most interesting return- Jon Merrill (discipline).
The Defending Champs
So can Russia defend their gold this year, with only one returning player? The only returnee is one of their best players- Evgeny Kuznetsov. Their replacements aren't chumps, however- they've got two draft eligible forwards that are in the running for 1st overall: Mikhail Grigorenko and Nail Yakupov. That's something not a lot of teams can boast about. Another solid addition is Windsor Spitfires forwards Alex Khokhlachev, who despite his small size is tearing it up in the OHL. While i'm not too sure about the rest, they look more than capable of defending their gold.
Expect Big Things From Sweden
I'm probably one of the people who's expecting quite a bit from team Sweden- they've got a very solid roster anchored by several top prospects, such as Johan Larsson, Jonas Brodin, Mika Zibanejad and Victor Rask. They've also got several top draft eligible prospects, such as Filip Forsberg, Pontus Aberg and Sebastian Collberg. I wouldn't be surprised if they do really well this year.
Five Players to Watch
Nail Yakupov- RW, Russia, 2012 Draft
It's the guy everyone wants to fail for, Nail. He's been sidelined with injury for a bit, but his numbers are still absurd- 49 points in 24 games with the Sarnia Sting. And this is without his regular center, Alex Galchenyuk, who will not play this season due to a torn ACL. Nail is the real deal, and an excellent WJC showing could propel his stock through the roof.
Mikael Granlund- C, Finland, Minnesota Wild
Granlund is considered one of the top prospects in hockey, and for good reason- he's got 38 points in 30 games in the SM Liiga this season. He's also achieved worldwide fame after scoring this lacrosse style goal against Russia in the World Championships. He's definitely going to be the most exciting player to watch, and has the potential to be the best player in the entire WJC. Even if you hate the Wild, he's a guy you have to watch.
Filip Forsberg- LW, Sweden, 2012 Draft
For many this will be the first time seeing Forsberg- mainly because there aren't a lot of people who've seen him in action early because he plays in Sweden. Unless you live in Sweden or love following Swedish hockey, you probably haven't seen him. He's one of the top ranked forwards in this year's draft, so his performance in the WJC could be interesting.
Jon Merrill- D, USA, New Jersey Devils
I've included him on this list simply because these games will be his first games these season, and potentially his only games this season, as he's currently serving an indefinite suspension from Michigan for unknown violations of team rules (seriously Michigan, you're not the Devils, you can tell people what he did). Despite not playing a single game this entire season, the argument could be made that Merrill is USA's top defenseman based on his skill alone and prior performance in last year's WJCs. What interests a lot of people is how well he's going to play after not being able to play because of his suspension.
Dougie Hamilton- D, Canada, Boston Bruins
Hamilton has been a huge surprise so far- he's tied for 8th in OHL scoring with 45 points- second amongst all CHL defensemen (Jerome Gauthier-Leduc of Rimouski has the most points by any CHL blueliner with 50 points). If not for Brandon Gormley being on Canada's blueline, Hamilton has a good chance of being one of the best defensemen for Canada. He's got size and skills, and he could easily be one of the standouts on team Canada's roster this year.
