Projected No. 1 pick Celebrini headlines Canadian players to watch at World Juniors
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As Canada goes for its third straight gold medal at the World Juniors, it will be a much different team than the one that took home the title in 2023.
Forward Owen Beck, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, is the only returning player from last year’s roster.
This year, the Canadians are led by Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini, who is the running favourite to go first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
They also have a player with NHL experience in Boston Bruins forward Matthew Poitras on the Canadian roster. Defencemen Jorian Donovan and Ty Nelson were late additions to the team with Tanner Molendyk both unable to play due to injury.
Here are six players to watch as Canada kicks off its tournament on Boxing Day against Finland in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini is the youngest player on the Canadian roster at just 17 but he will play a big role in Canada’s medal defence.
As a rookie at Boston University this season, he has 10 goals and 25 points in 15 games.
“It’s on-ice maturity,” said TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. “It’s a 19-year-old tournament but there are rare cases of 17-year-old players that have the on-ice maturity that allows them to excel at this tournament. I don’t have any questions that he’ll be one of Canada’s best players.
“There’s nothing he can’t do in the game. He’s a Jonathan Toews-type player. To me, that on-ice maturity, the ability to contribute everywhere, anywhere, anytime.”
Celebrini had a massive season in the United States Hockey League with the Chicago Steel in 2022-23, scoring 46 goals and 86 points in 50 games, earning him USHL player, forward and rookie of the year honours. The Vancouver native also helped Canada win bronze at the U18s with six goals and 15 points in seven games.
Owen Beck
The only returning player on the roster is Beck, who was a late add to last year’s team after forward Colton Dach got injured.
Drafted in the second round (33rd overall) by the Canadiens in 2022, Beck has 16 goals and 30 points in 25 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes this season.
“There’s no flash and dash to Owen’s game,” said Button. “But Owen is so strong in the curricular areas of the game. And when the games get harder and more demanding, he finds a way to rise up. He’s a centre that finds his way into the centre of things, important things.”
Beck was a key piece in helping the Petes win the OHL championship last year.
Conor Geekie
Geekie did not make the selection camp roster for last year’s World Junior team, but the 19-year-old will be relied upon heavily this time around.
Now in his fourth Western Hockey League season, the Minnedosa, Man., product has 20 goals and 49 points in 26 games this season with the Wenatchee Wild.
Drafted 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022, Geekie and Wild teammate Matthew Savoie will be looked upon to carry their chemistry over to Sweden.
“Big, strong, assertive,” said Button of Geekie. “I think Conor is going to be a player they’re going to lean on to provide some offence, but I think provide some grind. Big, impose yourself, make it hard on opponents.”
Fraser Minten
Minten has had a whirlwind start to the 2023-24 season. He made the Toronto Maple Leafs out of training camp and appeared in four NHL games before being returned to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. After just seven games back with the Blazers, Minten was dealt to the Saskatoon Blades.
In six games with his new team before leaving for selection camp, the 19-year-old forward had two goals and three assists.
“I think Fraser might be capable of playing wing or centre,” said Button. “Another strong, push-yourself into-the-fray, make-opponents-uncomfortable type of player. He’s a competitor. He’s smart.
“If he can give this team what Adam Lowry gives to the Winnipeg Jets, that’d be a big, big plus.”
Drafted in the second round by the Maple Leafs in 2022, he is one of two Toronto prospects on the roster along with 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan.
Matthew Poitras
The other player on loan from his NHL team is Poitras, who stuck with the Bruins out of training camp and is expected to return to Boston after the tournament.
Poitras was drafted in the second round by the Bruins at the 2022 draft and has five goals and 13 points in 27 games while averaging 14:08 TOI as a rookie.
“More playmaker than scorer,” said Button of Poitras. “Really smart, [can] patrol the middle of the ice, and distribute the puck.”
Denton Mateychuk
Mateychuk will be expected to take on a lot of responsibility on Canada’s defence, especially with Luneau ruled out of the tournament.
The 19-year-old was drafted 12th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. Now the captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors, he has six goals and 35 points in 24 games this season.
“He’s going to be the power play general,” said Button. “They’re looking for him to be to this team what Olen Zellweger was to the back-to-back gold-medal-winning teams. Run the power play, run the game in the offensive zone. He’s a really, really good player.”
Mateychuk also appeared in three games at the 2021 U18s, helping Canada win gold.