Two days of the IIHF World Junior Championships have come and gone. In that time, the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool has impressed early into the tournament.
Although there has yet to be enough time that has elapsed to give a true analysis and grading of how the Montreal Canadiens prospects performed, it should be reassuring to both fans and the organization that their prospects have contributed.
Cole Caufield – USA
On Christmas Day, Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield played his first game for the USA. Although the team did fall to Russia at a score of 5-3, Cole Caufield did manage to get an assist on the team’s opening goal. However, Caufield stayed off the scoresheet in the team’s 11-0 win against Austria. Whilst this may be a frustrating start for one of the Montreal Canadiens top prospects as he could not even collect a point in a dominating win, time still remains to make an impact during the tournament.
As the score continues to grow and a player does not see themselves contributing, they may overthink plays in their head, leading them to not making an impact. As the competition gets tighter, this is something Caufield should look to avoid,
Jan Mysak – Czech Republic
The Montreal Canadiens 48th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, when not taking his team’s performance into account, is off to a good start this tournament. The 18-year old Jan Mysak managed to score the lone Czech Republic goal in a 7-1 loss to Sweden.
Kayden Guhle – Canada
Team Canada’s 16-2 win over Germany saw another of the Montreal Canadiens’ recent draft choices make their way onto the scoresheet in their first game of the tournament. Kayden Guhle, the 18-year old defenseman, selected 16th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, scored the opening goal for Team Canada. This was also Guhle’s first-ever shift in the World Juniors.
Given that Guhle has been assigned a primarily defensive role by the coaching staff, it is not likely we see much of a two-way game from him. However, if he can find a way to contribute offensively in his first-ever World Juniors, we may see his role continue to grow throughout the tournament and the years to come.