Review of Anaheim Ducks prospects at the World Junior Championships

With the World Junior Championships about a week out, let’s look at how the Ducks prospects did while representing their countries.

I don’t know about anybody else, but man am I glad that there is hockey again. With the NHL just around the corner, it will be nice to see the Anaheim Ducks back on the ice. Whether or not they are competitive it will still be nice to see the players again, but if they come back and are fun to watch, that will just be a bonus.

However, as much as I enjoy the NHL and Ducks hockey, my favorite competition when it comes to the sport is always the World Junior Championship. Having a tournament start around the holiday season, with players so young and lack of responsibilities representing their country, the tournament constantly brings me much joy. Nevertheless, as I have gotten older my interest in the tournament has increased by the intrigue of young Anaheim Ducks prospects.

In recent years, watching players such as Max Comtois, Sam Steel, and Troy Terry has added a different element to the tournament as a Ducks fan. While their success at the WJC has not led to the most success in the NHL, it still gave them their initial opportunity to play on a bigger stage.

This year the Ducks sent six prospects to the tournament (seven until Thimo Nickl sustained an injury keeping him from representing Austria) and each saw varying success. This group included the tournament MVP, a young defenseman who had to adapt his game, and players that got varying amounts of opportunity based on their team.

Based on the World Junior tournament the Ducks’ future does look bright, some players will need to build off their performances, while others will have to put their struggles behind them. Let’s take a look at how our young Ducklings did.