NHL prospects: Mason McTavish, Logan Stankoven lead the biggest risers and fallers from the 2022 World Juniors
While this summer’s World Junior Championship may be missing some starting talent, that doesn’t mean we haven’t seen prospects boost their NHL draft value.
As the tournament moves into the bronze and gold medal games on Saturday, the number of surviving teams has shrunk from 10 to four. We saw sensational individual performances of the future of the NHL.
The four teams fighting for a medal – Canada, Finland, Czech Republic and Sweden – are full of these future contenders. Certain players have become major reasons why they continue to play.
But there are always prospects who could have done better. This year is no different, although the tournament is a small sample and 2022 comes at an odd time of year, so take the criticism with a grain of salt.
MORE: Schedule, Scores, Results for all World Juniors 2022 games
The Sporting News examines a handful of prospects whose NHL stocks rose or fell at World Juniors 2022:
2022 World Juniors potential climbers
Mason McTavish, F, Canada
Unlike other frontrunners, McTavish wanted to skate for Canada this summer and win gold. He didn’t just show up, he was Canada’s top player. The No. 3 overall in 2021 by the Ducks set a Canadian junior world record with four goals in a game. Not only is his 15 points en route to gold medal play the most of any player at the World Juniors, it’s also two shy of Canada’s record.
Logan Stankoven, F, Canada
Stankoven did everything – score goals, set up plays, force turnovers, score, win draws. Not only has the Canadian accumulated nine points in six games, he’s also won 76 percent of his faceoffs. The next best player is 63 percent. The 2021 Stars second-rounder has put Kent Johnson and Tyson Foerster in the spotlight and that line has emerged as the driving force behind Canada’s offense.
Emil Andrae, D, Sweden
Andrae is not a known prospect, but more people know his name after these World Juniors. The Sweden captain did everything for the team: he was strong in his own zone, his passing was excellent and he scored moments, most notably the decisive goal in the third leg of Sweden’s quarter-final win over Latvia. The 2020 Flyers runner-up leads the team by eight points.
Jan Mysak, F, Czech Republic
Mysak, a second-round pick from Canadiens 2020, was Czech Republic’s top player in the tournament. The captain has powered the offensive with five goals and seven points. He plays in all situations and will play a key role in the country’s quest to take home Bronze.
MORE: NHL Way-Too-Early Mock Draft 2023, with Connor Bedard at the helm
Aatu Räty, F, Finland
The Finns’ top line propelled the team through to the gold medal game and Räty was part of that trio. The 2021 Islanders runner-up has 10 points in six games, level on points with Olen Zellweger of Canada in fourth-most place. He was a good guy on offense throughout the tournament.
Joakim Kemell, F, Finland
Kemell, another member of the Finnish topline with Räty, is second in the World Juniors with 11 points, all assists. He is linked to Zellweger for most in the tournament. This was an opportunity for Kemell to prove to NHL teams that he shouldn’t have dropped to No. 17 this summer, and the Preds should be more than happy with what they’re seeing of him.
Matt Coronato, F, USA
Coronato had some big games for the United States, finishing the tournament with seven points in five games. He and Logan Cooley showed solid chemistry. It felt like Coronato, the Flames’ 2020 first-round pick, was always in the right place at the right time.
Carter Mazur, F, USA
The plucky forward recorded five goals and two assists in Edmonton. Mazur consistently brought himself to the net and was rewarded with some phat goals. He was one of the very few bright spots for the USA in the quarter-final defeat by the Czech Republic.
Recognitions: Thomas Bordeleau (USA), Roby Järventie (Finland), Roni Hirvonen (Finland), Olen Zellweger (Canada), Ridly Greig (Canada), Kent Johnson (Canada)
2022 World Juniors potential fallers
Matt Knies, F, USA
The tall winger played well in the physical game; The highlight of his tournament was his goal against Swede William Wallinder. He played fairly well against the Swedes but sometimes looked lost in the other competitions and seemed a step behind. He finished the tournament with three assists.
Brad Lambert, F, Finland
The 2022 World Juniors was Lambert’s first chance to prove NHL teams got it wrong by dropping him to a 30th draft pick in the 2022 draft. Instead, the Jets draft pick has disappointed by just one goal in five games. He played bottom six minutes and was taken out of the second power play session. Lambert in particular was scratched for the semi-final game. That’s unfortunate, especially after Lambert had five points in two games at the canceled tournament in December.
Ville Koivunen, F, Finland
Koivunen is another Finn who excelled in the shortened December competition but struggled in the summer. The Hurricanes’ 2020 second-round pick had four points in two games at the canceled tournament but became pointless in August. He was scratched for the preliminary round match against Canada and played under six minutes in the quarterfinals.
MORE: Why is the World Juniors being played in August?
David Jiricek, D, Czech Republic
Jiricek didn’t necessarily have a bad tournament, but I expected more from the Czech defence. The 2022 draft No. 6 pick struggled at times with the puck in his own zone and wasn’t as committed in the offensive zone. This was particularly noticeable in the two games against Canada, where he should have taken on the task of playing in the best minutes but instead saw three or four other defenders get more ice time.