Flames prospects at the 2021 WJC: Pelletier, Zary (CAN), Wolf (USA), Kuznetzov (RUS)

[Matty81]

Totally agree that it used to be more exciting to me when flames were bad every year. Still fun but feels oileresque these days to get too hyped about prospects based on small sample sizes.

I remember when I was super excited at how dominant Marty Murray was at wjs. Admission makes me feel old lol.

https://www.tsn.ca/wjhc-history-1995...anada-1.157942

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by jg13

Have the Flames ever had 2 forward prospects make the Canadian team the same year?

In 1986, Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk were both on the team. Let's hope that Zary and Pelletier take after these two and not after some of the slugs that were mentioned.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1337714864031027200

[MrMike]

Hopefully next year we draft more Swedish defencemen

[Nelson]

I’m super excited to watch Zary and Pelletier play for Canada. It looks like they will both actually play on good lines.

But I’m also excited for the opportunity to watch Yan Kuznetsov. I’m quite intrigued by this young man. I feel he has to be pretty good to make a very good team Russia and be effective in Hockey East as a SEVENTEEN year old. And yet, I know next to nothing about him. I’m intrigued about Kuznetsov to say the least.

[Nelson]

Scott Wheeler (The Athletic) listed both Pelletier and Zary as standouts from Canada’s camp.

RW Jakob Pelletier (Calgary Flames)

A year after a concussion kept him from attending Canada’s selection camp for the 2020 tournament, Pelletier has shown why he would’ve had a real chance at that roster — and why he should be on this one. He has played like he always does. Smart decisions, detailed in all three zones, rarely too cute, lifting pucks, getting open. He dictates without grading atop any single skill hierarchy in camp. He’s exactly the kind of player who can play up and down an all-star team like this and help drive results in a variety of roles, or with a variety of linemates. After the way he played in the first two scrimmages, it didn’t come as any surprise to me when Tourigny pointed to the Pelletier’s line (this time with Dylan Holloway and Alex Newhook) as Team Red’s best in the third scrimmage, highlighting specifically Pelletier as a reliable presence.

“Pelts, when I coached him at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, he was really good. And he got injured in the tournament but before he got injured he was one of our top players. He was so good on both sides of the puck and he brings so much energy and detail,” Tourigny added. “He plays the game the right way. And it’s the same right now with us. Wherever we put him, we move him around, we put him on the left-wing, right-wing, play him on the special teams. And he’s the kind of player that makes others better as well. He does a lot of good things.”

C/LW Connor Zary (Calgary Flames)

I thought Zary played really well at last year’s selection camp, when he was late invite after players like Pelletier and Ryan Suzuki had to miss it due to injury. That has continued this time around. He hasn’t wowed me with any one play but he never seems to stray to the perimeter, he’s constantly executing on give-and-gos, and his routes do such a good job of getting open. His underlying data in the WHL has always suggested that he’s an elite finisher and one-touch creator who excels less as a primary puck carrier who is your go-to entry guy on a line, and more as an off-puck presence who does his damage on cuts, and curls, and heads-up playmaking in quick, aggressive bursts. That has played out in camp too. He was good in Game 1 when he was at centre because of how tenacious his approach was. But he was better on the wing in Game 2 with players who could draw attention (Dach and Philip Tomasino). He’s a kid who was narrowly among my final cuts when I put my pre-camp roster together, but earned his spot on the team.

[Strange Brew]

One bad memory I have of the World Juniors is the year after Greg Nemisz was drafted. He made team Canada and in their first game of the tournament, they beat one of the lesser teams by a score of about fifty to zero. Every guy on the team had about 5 points with some highlight reel plays. Nemisz was skunked.

My first indication that he was more of a good player on a great team at Windsor and not a potential NHLer.

[Bingo]

I think the World Juniors are a lot of things ...

- nostalgia for sure
- national pride (I'm not loubarias but if Canada win something I'm watching)
- tradition
- best on best at a certain age level

and ... it's hockey! Love this tournament, and even better when there's Flames content.

And wanting prospects in the WJC isn't Oileresque ... assuming the fact that they made the team means you can pencil them in to the NHL roster when the tournament is done is.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Totally agree that it used to be more exciting to me when flames were bad every year. Still fun but feels oileresque these days to get too hyped about prospects based on small sample sizes.

I remember when I was super excited at how dominant Marty Murray was at wjs. Admission makes me feel old lol.

https://www.tsn.ca/wjhc-history-1995...anada-1.157942

Just because the Oilers are hilariously inept at development, shouldnt mean you can't be expectant or derive excitement from players who have now been legitimately considered some of the best in the world for their age!

[Gaudreau is a Ninja]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Totally agree that it used to be more exciting to me when flames were bad every year. Still fun but feels oileresque these days to get too hyped about prospects based on small sample sizes.

I remember when I was super excited at how dominant Marty Murray was at wjs. Admission makes me feel old lol.

https://www.tsn.ca/wjhc-history-1995...anada-1.157942

Absolutely loved Marty Murray on that team, but also remember wishing the Flames had also drafted Jason Allison. I think Murray and Allison tied for Most points. Allison was drafted one spot ahead of the Flames, Flames drafted Jesper Mattsson next (not to mention Koivu and Bertuzzi were drafted later that 1st round) Murray was a solid pick in the fourth round, his game probably was better suited for today’s game.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Success at the WJs doesn't equate to guaranteed NHL success, but it sure is cool when a Flames prospect breaks out. I recall only being vaguely aware of Iggy as a prospect until the WJCs where he dominated - and it was the first time there we thought we had something special.
More recently Dillon Dube sure impressed.
Looking forward to watching these guys. Is Wolf expected to be the #1 tender for the U.S.?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Looking forward to watching these guys. Is Wolf expected to be the #1 tender for the U.S.?

Spencer Knight is expected to be the #1 for USA. His high draft status and great performance in the NCAA, USNTDP, and international tournaments make him the easy choice for USA.

He is going to have to falter badly or get injured for Wolf to take over.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Success at the WJs doesn't equate to guaranteed NHL success, but it sure is cool when a Flames prospect breaks out. I recall only being vaguely aware of Iggy as a prospect until the WJCs where he dominated - and it was the first time there we thought we had something special.
More recently Dillon Dube sure impressed.
Looking forward to watching these guys. Is Wolf expected to be the #1 tender for the U.S.?

Spencer Knight is the #1 tender for the USA. He left Boston College unbeaten with a .955 SV% and on a two-game shutout streak.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Success at the WJs doesn't equate to guaranteed NHL success, but it sure is cool when a Flames prospect breaks out. I recall only being vaguely aware of Iggy as a prospect until the WJCs where he dominated - and it was the first time there we thought we had something special.
More recently Dillon Dube sure impressed.
Looking forward to watching these guys. Is Wolf expected to be the #1 tender for the U.S.?

Just for fun ... impact NHLers from Canadian rosters (not stars, but regular contributors)

2000 - 9
2001 - 8
2002 - 11
2003 - 6
2004 - 9
2005 - 11
2006 - 7
2007 - 11
2008 - 12
2009 - 7

looks like 6-11 every year and an average around 9

Not scientific ... very quick subjective look

[ComixZone]

Pelletier and Zary, while of course far from a sure thing at the NHL level, are some pretty solid picks considering where we got them (26th and 24th Overall).

In the modern era, here is a history of the 24th and 26th overall picks

24th:
2020 Connor Zary
2019 Philip Tomasino
2018 Filip Johansson
2017 Kristian Vesalainen
2016 Max Jones
2015 Travis Konecny
2014 Jared McCann
2013 Hunter Shinkaruk
2012 Malcolm Subban
2011 Matt Puempel
2010 Kevin Hayes
2009 Marcus Johansson
2008 Mattias Tedenby
2007 Mikael Backlund
2006 Dennis Persson
2005 T.J. Oshie

24th Overall has some pretty solid players, but also worth pointing out that we actually traded for pretty much the worst player taken at that spot...

26th:
2020 Jake Neighbours
2019 Jakob Pelletier
2018 Jacob Bernard-Docker
2017 Jake Oettinger
2016 Tage Thompson
2015 Noah Juulsen
2014 Nikita Scherbak
2013 Shea Theodore
2012 Brendan Gaunce
2011 Phillip Danault
2010 Evgeny Kuznetsov
2009 Kyle Palmieri
2008 Tyler Ennis
2007 David Perron
2006 Leland Irving
2005 Matt Pelech

26th Overall is...depressing. We are pretty much the only team to draft outright busts.

[GreenLantern2814]

Congratulations to Conor and Jakob. Good luck, and stay healthy.

[Nelson]

https://twitter.com/hc_wjc/status/13...000365568?s=21

Both players still on normal lines in top 12

If there are 11/12 impact NHLers on Canada in a good year, I predict there will be 11/12 impact NHLers on this roster. Making this roster was a huge accomplishment for Pelletier and Zary.

[Nelson]

Properly ordered lines from Mark Masters:

Quinn - Cozens - Dach
Perfetti - McMichael - Krebs
Zary - Byfield - Tomasino
Holloway - Newhook - Pelletier
Suzuki, Mercer

Byram - Drysdale
Harley - Korczak
Guhle - Barron
Schneider (R) - Spence

[bax]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Pelletier and Zary, while of course far from a sure thing at the NHL level, are some pretty solid picks considering where we got them (26th and 24th Overall).

In the modern era, here is a history of the 24th and 26th overall picks

24th:
2020 Connor Zary
2019Philip Tomasino
2018Filip Johansson
2017Kristian Vesalainen
2016Max Jones
2015Travis Konecny
2014Jared McCann
2013Hunter Shinkaruk
2012Malcolm Subban
2011Matt Puempel
2010Kevin Hayes
2009Marcus Johansson
2008Mattias Tedenby
2007Mikael Backlund
2006Dennis Persson
2005T.J. Oshie

24th Overall has some pretty solid players, but also worth pointing out that we actually traded for pretty much the worst player taken at that spot...

26th:
2020 Jake Neighbours
2019Jakob Pelletier
2018Jacob Bernard-Docker
2017Jake Oettinger
2016Tage Thompson
2015Noah Juulsen
2014Nikita Scherbak
2013Shea Theodore
2012Brendan Gaunce
2011Phillip Danault
2010Evgeny Kuznetsov
2009Kyle Palmieri
2008Tyler Ennis
2007David Perron
2006Leland Irving
2005Matt Pelech

26th Overall is...depressing. We are pretty much the only team to draft outright busts.

A Jake has been taken at 26th overall 4 years running? That’s quite the trend.

[Enoch Root]

The Flames picking in those two spots 6 times in 16 years is a bit crazy too