Montreal Canadiens: Are Riley Kidney and Joshua Roy Playing at World Juniors Next Month?

Montreal Canadiens fans have heard all about the players who will not be playing at the 2022 World Juniors. The event, originally scheduled for December and January, was postponed to August and will take place from the 9th to 20th of next month.

The timing isn’t great for players who are getting for an already long season. This is why Habs first round picks Juraj Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar will not play in the World Junior tournament this summer. Neither will Vinzenz Rohrer, who would have played a big role on underdog Austria.

We are still waiting to hear if Kaiden Guhle will be suiting up for Team Canada, since they have not released their roster yet. If Slafksovky and Mesar are not playing, it only makes sense that the Canadiens would suggest Guhle sit it out and prepare for NHL training camp as well.

But, this could open the door for a couple of other Canadiens prospects. Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney were invited to the World Junior summer camp for Team Canada, though it is a combined camp for the August tournament and the 2023 event that will be held in December and January.

Roy and Kidney are strong contenders for the 2023 team. Roy just finished a QMJHL season as the league’s leading scorer with 119 points while Kidney scored 100 and was first in assists with 70. Kidney’s strong two-way game make him an ideal middle of the lineup centre and Roy’s elite scoring should secure him a top six role when the tournament is held in Halifax and Moncton this winter.

But what about next month? Team Canada still hasn’t announced any changes from its original lineup, but players preparing for their first pro season may want to sit out a high performance tournament in mid to late August. They would be better off training and preparing for NHL training camp.

Looking at the original lineup, there are a number of forwards who have a strong chance of making the NHL this season. Mason McTavish, Shane Wright, Cole Perfetti, Dylan Guenther, and Kent Johnson are pretty much guaranteed to play in the NHL next season. Do they want their year to start in August and risk being worn out shortly after Christmas in their rookie pro seasons?

Probably not. If they choose not to play, Canada could do a lot worse than replace them with Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney.

When it comes to the roster for next month’s World Juniors, Team Canada has been quiet. They will have to announce the team in the coming days, and if replacement forwards are needed, Canadiens prospects should be filling the void.

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