Montreal Canadiens prospects have played important roles on recent Canadian teams in recent World Junior tournaments. That trend is unlikely to change with the 2023 event around the corner.
Kaiden Guhle wore the captain’s C in the 2022 tournament, at least until it was postponed due to Covid. Joshua Roy played a key two-way role for the gold medal winning team in the rescheduled summer event.
The Canadian team could have a trio of Canadiens on it when the puck drops on this year’s event in Halifax. The team announced its preliminary roster that will attend an evaluation camp ahead of the tournament.
Joshua Roy, a fifth round pick of the team in 2021, as well as Riley Kidney, a second round pick that year are on the list. They both played in the summer tournament so that is really no surprise. Owen Beck, a second round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft joins them as the third Canadiens prospect with a chance of making the team.
Their chances are pretty good, considering there are only 29 players invited to camp. Of course, NHL players like Shane Wright and Dylan Guenther could still be made available, but the trio of Habs prospects have put up a convincing effort so far this season.
Roy has not slowed down after leading the QMJHL in scoring last season. He has 18 goals and 42 points in 25 games this season for the Sherbrooke Phoenix. He also had eight points in seven games in last year’s tournament so should be a go-to offensive player for Canada this year.
Kidney is right behind Roy when it comes to offensive production. He has 13 goals and 41 points in 27 games for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He is a terrific defensive player as well who wins key draws, kills penalties and can play against anyone in the QMJHL. He was a depth piece on last year’s team, and will look to take on a bigger two-way role this time around.
Beck is a year younger than Roy and Kidney, but certainly capable of performing well at the World Juniors this year. He has scored 15 goals and 30 points in 23 games so far this season for the Mississaugua Steelheads of the OHL. He is also a great defensive centre who doesn’t often stand out during a game, but does everything right and with precision.
It is quite possible that all three Habs prospects could find themselves playing a similar role, heck why not all on a line, as defensive players who can contribute offence against anyone.
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