Team Canada held its first practice inside the Edmonton bubble on Friday.
At the end of Friday s practice, their first inside the Edmonton bubble, Team Canada gathered at one end of the ice and players were told to look up for a special message. Moments later, Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who won a gold medal at the 2015 World Juniors in Toronto, appeared on the video board. There s nothing more special than winning a gold medal on Canadian soil so hopefully you can defend it and do Edmonton and do Canada proud, McDavid told the group.
He then proceeded to announce the team s leadership group. Lethbridge centre Dylan Cozens and Vancouver defenceman Bowen Byram, both returning players, will be alternates while forward Kirby Dach, on loan from the Chicago Blackhawks, will be captain. It was only a few months ago that Dach helped the Blackhawks eliminate McDavid s Oilers inside the Edmonton bubble. McDavid noted that Dach is going to be a special player.
Three Blue Jackets prospects selected for World Juniors bubble
Russia s Chinakhov, Slovakia s Knazko, Finland s Pyyhtia on rosters for international event by Jeff Svoboda @JacketsInsider / BlueJackets.com
Jarmo Kekalainen was happy with the five players the Blue Jackets selected in the 2020 NHL draft in October.
Two months later, his selections have continued to impress, and three of them are now headed to the prestigious and hotly contested IIHF World Junior Championship later this month.
First-round pick Yegor Chinakhov of Russia, third-round selection Samuel Knazko of Slovakia and fourth-round pick Mikael Pyyhtia of Finland have traveled to Edmonton for the tournament and will represent their native countries in the event that will run from Dec. 25-Jan. 5.
Five Preds Prospects to Participate in 2021 World Junior Championship
Tomasino, Askarov, Afanasyev, Chistyakov, Parssinen to Skate for Respective Countries in World Juniors Beginning Christmas Day by Brooks Bratten @brooksbratten / Senior Communications & Content Coordinator
Five months after their NHL club spent a couple of weeks in an Edmonton bubble, a few more Predators representatives will be making a trip to Alberta, Canada.
Five of Nashville s top prospects will represent their countries at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship later this month, as they vie for a gold medal under circumstances the likes of which the tournament has never seen before. Only five NHL teams have more prospects slated to participate at the World Juniors than the Predators.