Montreal Canadiens prospects stole the show at World Juniors

At the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships, the Montreal Canadiens prospects had an extremely strong showing, as many of them dominated.

With seven prospects at the World Juniors this year, the Montreal Canadiens had a heavy presence at the tournament. The Habs had Jesse Ylonen, Cayden Primeau, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Poehling, Jacob Olofsson, Nick Suzuki, and Josh Brook, all participate in the tournament. The Canadiens were tied with the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks as the NHL club with the most prospects at the tournament.

Now that the tournament is over, it is a great time to assess how the seven Canadiens prospects fared for their respective teams at the 2019 World Juniors.

Jesse Ylonen (F) – Team Finland

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Jesse Ylonen will not be forgetting the 2019 World Juniors any time soon and he has a gold medal to make sure of that. The Canadiens 2nd round pick in 2018 played a big role for the gold medal winning team. He was relied upon in all situations throughout the tournament and was constantly creating chances for his team.

His playmaking abilities and versatility were put on display throughout the tournament. He proved that he could put up offense in all sorts of forms. Whether it was standing in front of the net to get a perfect tip on a shot or putting pucks on net from a blistering one-timer, Ylonen showed just how versatile he could be.

Ylonen finished the tournament with 6 points in 7 games which were the third highest amount for any player on the Finnish roster. Only captain Arne Talvitie (7) and Aleksi Heponiemi (9) finished the tournament with more points than Ylonen.

Cayden Primeau (G) – Team U.S.A.

Cayden Primeau had a very song tournament as the starting goaltender for team U.S.A. Primeau did not start out as the teams starting goaltender but quickly won the trust from the coaching staff and stole the starting position. He brought his team all the way to the gold medal game against Finland and overcame the skilled forwards of the Russian team.

Although in the end, his team lost to Finland, Primeau had a great game. The United States defenders did not do enough to help their star goaltender out. He made 26 saves on 29 shots in the game which was more saves then Finnish goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukonen had to make.

Overall throughout the tournament, he finished with an eye-catching GAA of 1.61 and a save percentage of .936. The 2017 7th round pick had a great tournament and caught the eyes of many in the process.

Alexander Romanov (D) – Team Russia

There is no doubt that the 2019 World Juniors will be a defining moment for the Russian defenceman. Romanov was a surprise second-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft this past summer. He was not a relatively high-profile player but caught the eyes of some as he was named to the KHL roster CSKA Moskva. He has played 28 games for the KHL team so far the year and has not been known for his offense.

Romanov has not recorded a point in his time in the KHL so far. He was not expected to have a strong offensive presence at the World Juniors but turned heads by leading all blueliners with 8 points. That was tied with fellow hab prospect and tournament MVP Ryan Poehling, Artur Gatiyatov, and Morgan Frost.

Only Gregori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi finished the championship with more points than the Russian blueliner with 9 each. To put it into perspective just how great of a tournament Alexander Romanov had these are all of the awards that he won. U20 WJC Best Defenseman, U20 WJC Best Plus/Minus (+12), U20 WJC Bronze Medal, U20 WJC Most Assists (7), U20 WJC Most Assists by Defenseman (7), U20 WJC Most Points by Defenseman (8), and was also named to the U20 WJC All-Star Team.

Ryan Poehling (C) – Team U.S.A.

Things really could not have gone better for the Canadiens 2017 first-round pick. Not only was he named as the WJC U20 Best Forward for having scored 5 goals and adding 3 assists totalling up to 8 points, but he was also named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

Poehling was also named to the All-Star Team and a Top 3 Player on his team. Although his team lost to Finland in the gold medal game, Poehling could not have asked for a better tournament. He showed the world just how talented he really is and made an even bigger name for himself.

This is the second year in a row that a center from the United States has won Tournament MVP. Last year Casey Mittlestadt was named as the tournaments most valuable player. Not only was Poehling dominant offensively, but his defensive game was also strong throughout the tournament. He is known for his 200-foot style of play and it was on display throughout the tournament.

The 2019 World Juniors marks the second time that the Minnesota native got to participate in the tournament. Canadiens fans and management alike surely could not be more thrilled with Poehling’s success at this year’s tournament and hope that he can bring some of his success from the tournament to his game in the NCAA and the NHL alike at the end of this season and next year.

Jacob Olofsson (C) – Team Sweden

Out of all of the prospects that the Habs had at the tournament, Jacob Olofsson may have had the most disappointing tournament. His team (Sweden) was expected to go far in the tournament and avenge their gold medal game loss to Canada last year and with a depleted offence compared to last years team, Olofsson had a chance to be a key player for Sweden.

Unfortunately, he was not able to take charge of the opportunities given to him. The best moment of the tournament for him was his assist to Adam Boqvist for the overtime winner in the thrilling preliminary matchup against the United States. It was his first time playing in this tournament and may very well get another chance next year as he will still be eligible to participate.

Nick Suzuki (F) – Team Canada

Nick Suzuki may not have put up the number of points that habs fans were hoping he would but there is more to his game than points. Suzuki failed to score a goal throughout the 5 games Canada played in the tournament but was able to rack up 3 assists. While watching team Canada play you could tell that they relied on Suzuki in all types of situations.

He is a fast and skilled player with a strong hockey IQ and it showed throughout the tournament. He was constantly creating plays with good scoring opportunities. It would’ve been nice to see him score more but on a roster with so many talented players, there is only so much you can expect from one player.

It may not have been Suzuki at his best but his performance was not something to complain about. He did all the little things on the ice that tend to go unnoticed and was a strong presence all together for his team.

Josh Brook (D) – Team U.S.A.

At his first and final appearance at the U20 World Juniors, Josh Brook played a big role for team Canada. He was expected to be a big presence for team Canada and was expected to be a player who would be greatly relied upon. The coaching staff clearly had a ton of trust in Josh Brook as he spent the tournament playing on his off side which showed just how versatile Brook can be.

He did not put up as many points as many would have hoped but it is important to note that not only was he on his off side which could very well have hindered his point production but despite only recording two points in five games, he played a strong game as his defensive style was put on full display.

It is impressive for Brook considering that he was the one playing on his off side but only had one less point. Brook played a big role for Canada and was a very important piece of the team. He showed that he could adapt and be a strong two-way defender for Team Canada.