Anaheim World Juniors Recap

Photo: IIHF

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks sent four prospects to the World Junior Championships and they came home with three medals: Carey Terrance and Austin Burnevik won gold with Team USA, and Vojtech Port won the bronze medal with Team Czechia. Darels Uljanskis played for Team Latvia; they lost in the quarterfinals to Team Sweden. Despite not medaling, Latvia was the highlight of the tournament for me, as they won their third game ever at the tournament, defeating Team Canada 3-2 in a shootout.

Terrance started the tournament as Team USA’s fourth line center, but he was elevated to the third line starting with the game against Canada. Terrance was also used on the penalty kill throughout the tournament and gave the US solid defensive play. He finished the tournament with two goals in seven games. His first goal came against Team Germany in game one, while his second came against Finland in game three. This was Terrance’s final World Juniors, and it was great to see him play in every game after being the spare forward last year. He’ll now head back to the Erie Otters of the OHL, where he’s scored 14 goals and 26 points in 29 games as their captain.

Burnevik played on Team USA’s fourth line, but also saw time in the bumper position on the team’s top powerplay unit. He played in every game and was scoreless, but had some good looks on the powerplay. This was Burnevik’s only World Juniors tournament, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him selected. He’ll now head back to St. Cloud State University of the NCAA where he’s scored nine goals and 16 points in 17 games.

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Port played on Czechia’s third defensive pairing and played in all seven of their games. He recorded four assists and had a +6 rating. He picked up an assist in the first game of the tournament, a 5-1 win over Team Switzerland. Port then had three assists in the second game of the tournament, as Czechia buried Team Kazakhstan 14-2. He recorded no points for the rest of the tournament, but played some solid defensive hockey. This was his only trip to the World Juniors and he made the most of it. Port will now return to the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, where he has two assists in eight games. He was traded to them midseason; he started the year with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Latvia had the youngest roster at this year’s World Juniors, and Uljanskis was one of two drafted players on the team. He played in all five of Latvia’s games and recorded one assist. Uljanskis played on both Latvia’s powerplay and penalty kill units. He was scoreless through the first four games of the tournament, but his lone assist was a big one. Sweden had a 3-0 lead and Uljanskis picked up an assist on Latvia’s first goal of the game. Latvia scored one more time but lost the game 3-2. Uljanskis is eligible to play in next year’s tournament, and I think he likely will. For now, he’ll head back to AIK J20 of the J20 Nationell, where he’s scored five goals and 21 points in 27 games.

Getting three medals for four players is a solid tournament for Anaheim’s prospects. But the question will always be asked, what could have been? Beckett Sennecke was left off of Team Canada’s roster. His inclusion might not have been enough to get Canada a medal, but he was one of several high profile and high skill players who were not chosen. If they all went, then the tournament might have ended differently. But for those who did go, Terrance, Burnevik, Port, and Uljanskis can all be happy with how their individual tournaments went. Hopefully this can act as a catalyst for them to be even better in the second half of the season.

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January 6th, 2025