WJC Preview: Six Ducks Prospects make World Junior Rosters

The Anaheim Ducks had six prospects on the Team Canada, USA, and Sweden rosters in the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championships, and in good news for all Ducks fans all six made the final rosters.

Team Canada only has one Anaheim Ducks prospect on it, but that prospect is a much watch player for Ducks fans. Jamie Drysdale, who the Ducks took sixth overall in this October’s entry draft, appears to be set on the top pairing for team Canada next to Bowen Byram and will be getting power-play time for Team Canada. Drysdale will be looking to build off an excellent 2020 World Junior tournament, where he put up 3 points in 7 games as a 17-year-old and he certainly will have the opportunities to do just that. The fact that he is locked into the first pairing on a stacked team Canada as an 18-year-old shows that Drysdale is not only a threat in the offensive zone, but has built a trust with the Canada coaching staff to be solid in his own zone. It will be fun to watch his game and see how he deals with the pressure of being on the top pair of the odds on favorite in the tournament.

Team Canada’s schedule:

December 26th: Canada vs Germany at 3:00 PM Pacific

December 27th: Canada vs Slovakia at 3:00 PM Pacific

December 29th: Canada vs Switzerland at 3:00 PM Pacific

December 31st: Canada vs Finland at 3:00 PM Pacific

Team USA will be the team to watch for Ducks fans, with them having four Ducks prospects on the roster. The biggest name out of these four is Trevor Zegras, and for good reason, the 2019 9th overall pick is widely considered one of the top prospects outside of the NHL and is looking to build on a monster 2020 World Juniors, where he had 9 assists in only 5 games and started on team USA’s fourth line. He will have plenty of opportunities to succeed this time around, with reports having him on a line with Alex Turcotte and Arthur Kaliyev for the entirety of Team USA’s camp. Turcotte and Kaliyev are both highly touted prospects, although from the Kings instead of the Ducks. Kaliyev will be the trigger man of the line with both Turcotte and Zegras being the creative engines. I expect Zegras to have another good tournament with those linemates and could jump right into a prominent role in the Ducks training camp once the tournament is over.

The other Ducks forward prospect to make team USA is Sam Colangelo, and to be honest I am pleasantly surprised to see him on this roster. The 2020 2nd round pick for the Ducks will probably be in a bottom-six role on team USA, where he will be asked to use his 6’-2”, 205-pound frame to provide energy in both the offensive and defensive zone. I don’t expect him to get much power play time, but if effective, he could play a major part in team USA’s success.

On the back end, the Ducks have two prospects that made team USA in Jackson LaCombe and Henry Thrun. LaCombe, a 2019 2nd round pick by the Ducks, is a high pace offensive defenseman, that is able to use his vision to make some great passes to find his teammates in prime position to score. When he is on top of his game, he is able to push the pace and put the other team on their heels. The issue that he has had of late is that he tries to take on too many guys and eventually loses the puck. He will probably be in a lower role for team USA with softer matchups, which is a situation that he could thrive in. I would keep my eyes on LaCombe when he is on the ice because something special could happen. Henry Thrun, The Ducks 2019 4th round pick, on the other hand, will probably see a larger role than LaCombe in the tournament. Thrun was paired with Cam York for the majority of their final season with the USNDTP, and there is speculation we could see both of them paired up again for this tournament. Thrun and York were extremely successful together, with both players racking up points during that season. For those that have not seen Thrun that much, he is a two-way defenseman, that has the confidence and skill to make tough breakout passes, while also having great gap control to contain the opposition coming at him on the rush. The York-Thrun pairing will carry a lot of the heavy lifting for offense from the blue line at 5v5 for team USA.

Team USA schedule:

December 25, 2020: USA vs Russia at 6:30 PM Pacific

December 26, 2020: USA vs Austria at 6:30 PM Pacific

December 29, 2020: USA vs Czech Republic at 11:00 AM Pacific

December 31, 2020: USA vs Sweden at 6:30 PM Pacific

Team Sweden has one Duck prospect on their roster, 2020 6th round pick, Albin Sundsvik. Sundsvik will be playing a bottom-six role for team Sweden, which is the role he would most likely play if he pans out and makes the NHL. He is responsible in his own end and can use his 6 foot 2 frame to impose physically on other teams. In an under 20 tournament, his size could play a big role and he will be relied upon to provide some energy for Sweden.

Team Sweden schedule:

December 26, 2020: Sweden vs Czech Republic at 11:00 AM Pacific

December 28, 2020: Sweden vs Austria at 3:00 PM Pacific

December 30, 2020: Sweden vs Russia at 6:30 PM Pacific

December 31, 2020: Sweden vs USA at 6:30 PM Pacific