A first in few years for Habs prospect and it's circumstancial

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Carl Vaillancourt
July 29, 2024 (11:12 PM)

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The holiday season coincides with the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championship.

For fans of the Tricolore, it's an opportunity to admire the organization's future, but the 2025 edition might occur without any prospects from the Tricolore.

Despite numerous talents drafted in the past two years, none of them belong to a country qualified for the tournament, or they will be too old to participate.

No Montreal Canadiens prospects at the next World Junior Championship? A sad possibility has been raised

The only exception who might secure his spot in the coming weeks is forward Michael Hage. The Canadiens could receive an invitation for him from the Canadian junior team if he performs well in the NCAA this fall.

However, it would be surprising, as players who bypass the Canadian Hockey League to play in the U.S. are often overlooked in selections despite equal talent. Hage would need to be dominant in the NCAA and force the hand of the decision-makers!

In a well-explained article by Charles-Alexis Brisebois for the site DLC, several prospects belong to teams that won't be in the World Juniors. For instance, David Reinbacher is Austrian, and Ivan Demidov is Russian. These two countries are unlikely to participate in the WJC this winter. Goalie Jacob Fowler was born in November 2004, meaning he will turn 20 before the tournament, disqualifying him from being the starting goalie for the American team. The other players were not flashy enough in 2023-2024 to earn an invitation.

Let's return to the Canadian junior team. Through Hockey Canada, they have revealed their list of invited players for their summer camps. It's easy to see that the 21st pick in the last amateur draft, young Michael Hage, is not on this list. The USHL division is not considered on the same level as the CHL by Canadian officials.

While it was expected that Jacob Fowler would once again be in goal for the American team, Grant McCagg quickly closed the debate on this matter. The young goalie is no longer eligible to participate in this competition due to his birth date (November 24, 2004), as mentioned earlier. He will be able to watch it at home with his family.

Could the sanction on Russia be lifted if Vladimir Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine in the coming weeks? Although this scenario is far-fetched, it would be surprising to see such a change just weeks before the tournament. It is challenging to add a team and remove an already qualified one. However, we could expect Russia to return the following year in such a case.

The only one with a chance to participate in the World Junior Championship among the Canadiens' prospects is the son of former Finnish captain Saku Koivu. Indeed, Aatos Koivu, who was selected 70th in the last amateur draft, is on Finland's list for the summer camp. However, it will be difficult for him to secure a top-13 forward spot given all the talent in Finland. The players born in 2005 and 2006 are impressive. The competition promises to be tough.

This situation is not necessarily negative. As Brisebois reminds us in his article, it means the club's prospects have aged and matured. The Canadiens are entering a new phase of reconstruction with a core closer to North American professional hockey.

It's important to understand that the Canadiens not having a prospect in the tournament doesn't mean their amateur scouting was deficient during the 2023 and 2024 drafts. On the contrary, the team's top picks, Reinbacher and Demidov, should make fans smile. Their home countries not being in the tournament is the only reason they wouldn't be selected and make a significant impact.