2021 World Juniors: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Luke Pendlebury
Dec 22, 2020
3 min read

Getting into the Christmas season means one thing, World Juniors! Hockey fans across the world get to watch their team in action as they fight for the World Championship. Players that are draft eligible are excited to prove to the scouts that they belong on the big stage. Canada is the host country this year as they will be in a bubble in Edmonton, Alberta. They will also be defending their title! It’s a big advantage if you are the host country but it might be a little different this year as they will not have the huge fan base cheering them on at Rogers Place. Here is what you should be looking out for when the puck drops on Christmas Day.

Draft-Eligible Players to Watch

Forwards

Samuel Helenius

A 6 foot 6 Centreman, Samuel Helenius will be a “big” addition to the Finnish line up. He plays a great two-way game and allows his body to take advantage of 1 on 1 puck battles. At the age of 18, he will need to have a great outing with Finland in order to turn some heads from the NHL scouts for the 2021 draft.

Brad Lambert

A 5 foot 11 centreman, Brad Lambert is a dual citizen with Finland and Canada but has decided to play for Finland. He’s a player with explosive speed which allows him to find open areas. Finland will need to take advantage of his speed when they play against high powered teams like Canada and the USA.

Lorenzo Canonica

A young Swiss trying to make a name at this year’s World Juniors, Lorenzo will need to put some weight on his shoulders in order to be noticed. A lot of focus will be on the teams that have a lot of firepower like Canada, Russia, and the USA. A player that has no problem finding the back of the net, scoring 11 goals in 20 games for Lugano U20 in Switzerland. Once the CHL starts up, Lorenzo will be transferred to Shawinigan in the QMJHL. This will give him an additional year to play in the Canadian market and give him the ability to be noticed by more NHL scouts.

Defense

Noah Meier

Another young Swiss player that is looking to get his name noticed on the big stage, Noah Meier is a small defenceman that has no problem advancing the puck 200 feet. He may not put up a lot of points but is very reliable in his own end. The Maple Leafs should look at him if he makes an impact with the Swiss team this year.

Stanislav Svozil

The word around town is Stanislav Svozil is going to be a top 10 pick in the 2021 draft. With an excellent resume, I would say the word is true. He earned his way into the Czech Extraliiga League, the highest league in the Czech Republic at the age of 16. He is currently the youngest in the league, playing against the top players. He played 41 games and earned rookie of the year award. At a young age, I would say this player is on the top of my list to watch this year.

Goalies

Jesper Wallstedt

A 6 foot 3, 214 pound Swedish Goalie, Jesper Wallstedt makes his first appearance in the U20 World Junior tournament. Currently playing out of Lulea HF, a club in the SHL, he has a 2.06 GAA with a .920 save percentage. He will be battling for the starting position against Hugo Alnefelt, who was a 3rd round pick to Tampa Bay and he was last year’s starter for Sweden. Winning gold in 2018 and finishing 3rd in 2020, Hugo does have some experience in this tournament. This will make it tough for Jesper to take over the #1 spot for Sweden in 2021.