CANADA 2020 WJC: Gold - defeated Russia 4-3 in final Returning players: 6 NHL draft picks: 24 / 25 (20 in first round, 7 in top 10) As usual, Canada enters the World Juniors as among the tournament favourites, but this year’s group is being hailed as among the country s best in a generation. The team boasts top talent across the board with 20 first rounders and multiple players who likely would be playing in the NHL if not for the pandemic. Both the blue line and forwards groups are loaded with talent. Anything less than a gold medal will be a disappointment.
PLAYER TO WATCH - Dylan Cozens
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Barring things going completely off the rails in the next 48 hours, the 2021 edition of the World Juniors will get underway on Christmas Day.
There will be some slight changes, as is the norm in the COVID-19 world, with Edmonton’s Rogers Place hosting all round-robin games instead of the tournament being split between Alberta’s capital and Red Deer.
Also, there will not be any promotion or relegation this year, which means all 10 teams in this year’s event will be returning to Alberta next winter for the tournament.
When it comes to the talent on display, several countries have benefited from the delayed start of the National Hockey League season as they’ve been able to add players that would more than likely be halfway through their pro campaigns had things been normal.
“My question is how does Blashill still have a job? What does Steve Yzerman see about him that the regular fan doesn’t see. His record is terrible. If [Jim] Harbaugh is on the hot seat why isn’t Blashill? Thank you for your time.” – Aaron R.
Yzerman opted not to make a coaching change when he took over as general manager in April 2019, which was within weeks of former GM Ken Holland (a close friend of Yzerman’s) giving Blashill a two-year extension. Yzerman has endorsed Blashill multiple times: Before the 2019-20 season, at the trade deadline, and again after the season ended. Yzerman said it’s unfair to judge Blashill based on the 17-49-5 record, because the roster needs to be better before Blashill can be fairly assessed. Yzerman pointed to the fact that over the last three trade deadlines, the Wings have moved out skilled players in order to gain future assets.
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