Six Anaheim Prospects Named To Preliminary World Junior Rosters

Photo By Joe Amon/The Denver Post

By Thomas Harrington

Over the last couple of days, the preliminary rosters for the upcoming 2018 World Junior Championships have been announced, and the Ducks could be very well represented in the upcoming tournament. Overall, the Ducks have six prospects who have been named to preliminary rosters: Sam Steel, Maxime Comtois, and Josh Mahura for Team Canada; Max Jones and Jack Badini for Team USA; and Olle Eriksson Ek for Team Sweden. All six have a good chance to represent their countries at the tournament, but I think a couple of them have really strong cases. Even though a player may seem like a longshot at first, it doesn’t mean they won’t make it. A year ago, Troy Terry was named to the USA’s preliminary roster, but I didn’t think he’d make the final roster. He did and ended up being one of the heroes of the tournament.

A year ago, Steel was having an absolute monster season but didn’t make Team Canada, a surprise to many. This year, his offensive numbers aren’t as impressive, but he’s still having a solid season for Regina and should be one of Canada’s top two centers. He has 34 points in 26 games and is the captain of the Pats. After not being on Team Canada last year, this will be his final chance to represent his country at the World Juniors. He should be on the roster and will be looking to prove that he should have made the team a year ago. I’m hoping for a big tournament from him.

Mahura became an elite point producing defenseman last season, and has even better numbers this year, posting over a point per game with 28 points in 26 games, including a hat trick in his most recent game. In his first full season with Regina, he’s become their most dangerous blueliner, leading the defense in goals and points. Canada named 10 defensemen to their roster, so Mahura has a good chance to make the team, but he’s going to need to prove that he deserves a top-four spot on Canada’s roster.

Comtois is the only 18-year-old Anaheim prospect who has a chance to make Canada’s roster. In his first season since being drafted, he’s having a good year for Victoriaville, scoring 26 points in 27 games. He’s probably the least likely to make Team Canada of Anaheim’s three Canadian prospects, but he’s going to do what he can to prove that he belongs. One advantage that he does have is that he has scored four shorthanded goals this season. If he can play solid defensive hockey and chip in with a goal while his team is down a man, he’ll significantly improve his chances of making the roster.

London’s season started out very poorly, but they have since found their game and climbed back to the .500 mark. Jones also had a slow start to the season, but he’s been better recently and has been one of the reasons for the team’s turnaround. Overall, he has 17 points in 23 games. While the 17 points is a bit disappointing, 16 of those are goals, so he clearly knows how to put the puck in the net. In a short tournament, that kind of goal scoring can really help a team get far, and he should be one of the USA’s top wingers. He’s a power forward, the type of player who can dominate a game, especially against smaller players.

Badini was a bit of a surprise selection and I think is one of the longshots to make USA’s roster, and is probably the least likely of these six to make it to the tournament. He’s played in 10 NCAA games this season and has three goals and six points. He’s fifth on Harvard in scoring, pretty good for a freshman, and has appeared in every game so far this season. Even though the odds are against him, hopefully, he ends up being the next Terry. If not, the fact that he made it so far in this process is a good sign for his future.

Eriksson Ek has played in 16 games in the SuperElit league this season and has a record 9-3-3, with two shutouts, a 2.01 goals against average, and a .923 save percentage. As one of three goalies named to the preliminary roster, he’s got an excellent chance of making the final roster. The real question is how much playing time he’ll get in the tournament. Sweden has had a disappointing finish at the last several World Junior tournaments, and Eriksson Ek will be hoping to help change their fortunes this time around.

The teams will be hosting training camps and pre-tournament games in the week leading up to Christmas, with final rosters being announced on or around Christmas Eve. No player is guaranteed a spot, but I think that it’s safe to say that the Ducks will have at least three, if not four, players representing them at the World Juniors. It’s possible that all six go, and that would be great for the Anaheim organization, as it would really show how much depth the Ducks have in their prospect ranks.

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December 10th, 2017