Montreal Canadiens: Jan Mysak Named Captain of Czech Republic World Junior Team
Montreal Canadiens prospect Jan Mysak will be his team’s captain.
Montreal Canadiens prospect Jan Mysak was always going to be counted on for offence from his team, but he will also be leaned on for his leadership as well.
The Habs second round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft was named team captain of Czech Republic earlier today.
Mysak was an assistant captain for the Czech team at the World under-18 Tournament last season. He scored three points in five games at that tournament and was named to the team’s World Junior roster as a 17 year old.
At last season’s World Juniors, Mysak scored one goal and one assist in five games. He will surely be counted on to provide more offence this year, and has his work cut out for him with the tough schedule that the Czech team has drawn.
The divisions are picked based on the standings from the previous season. The gold medal winning team from 2020 is placed in a group with the 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th place teams. That leaves the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th and 10th seeds in Group B.
Due to last year’s standings, Czech Republic finds itself in a division with Russia, USA and Sweden as well as Austria. That is three games against legitimate gold medal candidates and an easy contest against Austria.
To make matter a little worse, Mysak will face Russia, Sweden and USA within four days to start the tournament before wrapping up with Austria on New YEar’s Eve.
Mysak looked great after last year’s World Juniors, moving to North America to play in the Ontario Hockey League and suiting up for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He scored 15 goals and 25 points in just 22 games to end last season, and has one point in 11 games in Czech Republic’s top league this season.
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This tournament will be a huge test for Mysak. He is still 18 so he is eligible to return next season, but he will be counted on to be a leader on and off the ice for Czech Republic against difficult competition.