The Anaheim Ducks Playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship

The first two days of the World Junior Championship has come to a close and the Anaheim Ducks prospects are making waves in the tournament with their respective countries.

In the heart of the breathtaking Cascadia, the IIHF World Junior Championship is officially underway. The beautiful cities of Vancouver and Victoria, in the province of British Columbia, will host the ten countries as they compete for the gold medal. Four prospects from the Anaheim Ducks join the competition in hopes of make their respective countries proud.

Last year, in Buffalo, New York, Team Canada took the gold medal home. After a difficult 3-1 loss in the gold medal game, Team Sweden took home the silver. The United States beat out the Czech Republic for the bronze medal after a 9-3 blowout.

Just as it has been in years past, the ten teams are split into two groups of five for the preliminary rounds. Group A is composed of Canada, the Czech Republic, Russia, Switzerland, and Denmark. In Group B we have Sweden, the United States, Finland, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan.

The four Anaheim Ducks prospects are looking to make a big impact on the ice for their countries this year. Three out of the four have made an appearance in the World Junior Championship before, so they are not strangers to the process.

Max Comtois will return to the Team Canada roster again this year. After winning goal, the defending champions are hoping for a repeat of last years World Junior Championship.

Isac Lundestrom and Olle Eriksson Ek are both returning to Team Sweden this year as well. The silver medalists are hoping to strip Team Canada of their title and take the gold medal back to Sweden.

Lukas Dostál is making his Wolrd Junior debut between the pipes for the Czech Republic. He won the silver medal with the Czech Republic at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, which makes him a promising prospect for both the Anaheim Ducks and the Czech Republic.

The competition is starting to heat up, but there are still many games left to play. Let’s take a look at the Anaheim Ducks prospects and what they’ve been able to do so far at the World Juniors this year.

Max Comtois — Team Canada

Maxime Comtois is the only player returning to Team Canada’s WJC roster this year. The 19-year-old spent ten games with the Anaheim Ducks this season, burning off the first year of his ELC. After injury and a short conditioning assignment with the San Diego Gulls, he was sent back to Drummondville to spend the rest of the season with his junior team.

It wasn’t surprising when media sources reported that Comtois had been chosen to represent Team Canada as their captain this year. For the second year in a row, Team Canada’s captain is a player who does not currently wear the “C” for his junior team.

“He’s a leader in the locker room. He’s a leader off the ice. He’s led all the way through this on all the little details and the mindset we want and he’s played like a leader on the ice so really felt comfortable with Max. I know him well and have a good relationship with him” –Tim Hunter, Head Coach of Team Canada

Team Canada faced a barrage of struggled during the exhibition games leading up to the tournament, especially during their Sunday game against Finland. Their unfortunate 5-2 loss was a huge discouragement for the entire team. Luckily for them, it was only a tune-up.

Max Comtois, however, carried the blame for the loss on his shoulder. We saw a completely new team on the ice during Team Canada’s first game of the tournament, they didn’t put their feet on the breaks at all.

Comtois led his team in a 14-0 shutout against Denmark, scoring a hat trick plus another goal. Morgan Frost, a prospect of the Philidelphia Flyers, scored Team Canada’s other hat trick during their first game.

During their second contest, against Switzerland, Comtois had the secondary assist on Cody Glass’ goal, setting the pace for another Team Canada win, giving them a 2-0 record so far in the World Junior Championship.

The benefit of having a player like Max on the ice for Team Canda lies not only in his leadership skills and scoring ability. Comtois adds a physical flare to his game, which is helpful for making big hits and muscling the puck away from his opponents. Yet, he still remains poised when given the chance to be physical and use his size for the benefit of his team.

Isac Lundestrom — Team Sweden

Isac Lundestrom was the Anaheim Ducks first-round pick of the 2018 draft. Many of us, myself included, brushed him off as a safe and rather boring pick. Nevertheless, he came into Ducks Camp prior to the season and proved just how dangerous he was on the ice.

He spent 15 games with the Anaheim Ducks this season before being sent down to the AHL to play with the San Diego Gulls. Many were surprised by his choice not to return to Sweden. However, for the sake of his development, I think we can all agree San Diego is the perfect place for him to hone his skills.

There was speculation as to whether or not the Anaheim Ducks would loan Lundestrom to Team Sweden and allow him to compete in the World Juniors this year. Fortunately, we will see him dressed in the trademark yellow and blue jersey of the Swedes.

In the first 12 games of his AHL career, Lundestrom has yet to score a goal. Many are hoping that his time with Team Sweden at the Wolrd Junior Championship will jump-start his performance in with the Gulls when he returns to San Diego.

Team Sweden started the tournament against their longtime rivals, Finland. The Swedes snatched the “W” with a 2-1 win. Lundestrom has a primary assist on Erik Brannstrom’s first goal of the game which put Team Sweden on the board first.

Isac’s second game of the tournament was much more eventful. The young Swede had a two-point night, scoring the final goal for Team Sweden as well as another primary assist and a Brannstrom goal. The Swedes defeated Slovakia 5-2, leaving them undefeated so far in the World Junior Championship with a 2-0 record.

Lundestrom’s skills as a two way forward will go a long way in helping the Swedes make their way to the top this year. He is not only a dangerous presence on the ice, but his skills exceed expectations for a player as young as he is.