WJC 2021: Five things we have learned after five days in Red Deer
Here’s five things we’ve learned after five days of the 2021 World Junior Championship.
Hockey is well and truly back thanks to the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Red Deer, Edmonton, and it has been one hell of a fun tournament so far.
Team Canada and Team USA are both looking like absolute juggernauts so far, as we mapped out here, Russia, Sweden and Finland are all looking dangerous and Austria probably wished they were never promoted.
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Future NHL stars are really making a name for themselves too, particularly Anaheim Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras who is lighting it up for Team USA with 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in three games.
There are a plethora of other high-end studs also impressing and catching the eye in what is a star-studded tournament, and there are also plenty of storylines to sink our teeth into despite the World Juniors only being five days old.
And, on that note, we are going to delve into the five things we have learned from the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton so far…
1. Trevor Zegras for MVP
As we’ve already mentioned, there have been a dozen impressive showings from future NHL stars in Edmonton, but none have perhaps been more impressive than Trevor Zegras.
In three games Zegras has five goals and five assists for 10 points with a plus / minus rating of +3 for Team USA, with the forward leading the entire tournament in points and in goals.
He has been electric so far and contributed two goals and three assists as Team USA shutout the Czech Republic 7-0 on Tuesday to book their place in the Quarter-Finals.
The No. 9 overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Zegras boasts a high ceiling and he is providing Ducks fans with a tantalizing glimpse of what could be to come right now.
Projected to be an elite two-way forward with blistering speed, the ability to both create and finish, elite vision and able to finish his checks with force, Zegras has the potential to be a franchise forward for Anaheim.
And, likely to start 2020-21 in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls, Zegras could find himself on the Ducks’ Taxi Squad or maybe even on their Opening Night roster if he continues to dominate the World Juniors.