Edmonton Oilers Talk: 2022 World Junior Draft Eligibles, Return to Play Timetables, and the One Thing Puljujarvi has that McDavid Doesn’t

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What Lies Ahead for the Oilers

Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith and William Lagesson will still be in COVID protocol on Monday. Markus Niemelainen and Kris Russell are injured, so Slater Koekkoek, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov will be the defenders in Calgary. Edmonton will recall Broberg and Samorukov on Boxing Day.
At some point the NHL has to alter the salary cap rules for COVID. It is asinine to force teams to play with fewer than 18 skaters because players in COVID protocol count against the cap.
Zach Hyman should be ready to play on Monday.
Jesse Puljujarvi is the only forward not ready. Best case scenario for Puljujarvi to return is Wednesday in St. Louis, but after he gets out of quarantine, he will need an EKG test, and they fly to St. Louis. Could he play without having a real practice? Possibly, but it might be more realistic to expect him back for the game in New Jersey next Friday.
Niemelainen is unlikely to be available on the road trip, meaning is he still two weeks away. Kris Russell might be ready late in the road trip, but that isn’t a guarantee.
Koekkoek, Broberg and Samorukov will play the left side on Monday.
Duncan Keith should be ready to play Wednesday in St. Louis.
Nurse and Lagesson’s timeline to return is Friday at the earliest, but that is a 1 p.m. start in New Jersey and then they play at 2 p.m. the next day against the Islanders.
I don’t expect Mike Smith to play Monday. His return date is unknown.

BLH’s Thoughts: The game on the 27th has been postponed, so that’ll change things slightly. Either way, Gregor is right that the league needs to change the rules re: the cap and COVID positive players. Either stop testing asymptomatic cases or relax the cap restrictions and create a special COVID IR. You’d think under the circumstances the NHL would be willing to work with the organizations on this.

That said, if Broberg and Samorukov are coming up, that’s exciting news! I want to see that Russian break some folks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ3SlrAcuo

The Hockey Writers

5 Current Oilers Who Have Won World Junior Gold – Ranked

No. 5 Oscar Klefbom: Won Gold with Team Sweden at 2012 World Juniors
No. 4 Kyle Turris: Won Gold With Team Canada at the 2008 World Juniors
No. 3 Connor McDavid: Won Gold With Team Canada at the 2015 World Juniors

No. 2 Darnell Nurse: Won a Gold With Team Canada at the 2015 World Juniors
No. 1 Jesse Puljujarvi: Won Gold With Team Finland at the 2016 World Juniors

BLH’s Thoughts: If somebody asked you which one of Connor McDavid or Jesse Puljujarvi one a World Juniors MVP as a draft eligible player, which would you guess?… In 2015, Slovak goalie Denis Godla won the MVP of the tournament.

The Athletic

Oilers prospects have a long history of world juniors excellence

PLAYER	YEAR	NATION	POINTS-PER-GAME
Wayne Gretzky	1978	Canada	2.833
Esa Tikkanen	1985	Finland	2.714
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	2013	Canada	2.5
Jesse Puljujarvi	2016	Finland	2.429
Raimo Summanen	1982	Finland	2.286
Jari Kurri	1980	Finland	2.2
Jordan Eberle	2009	Canada	2.167
Jordan Eberle	2010	Canada	2.167
David Vyborny	1993	Czech	2.143
Taylor Hall	2010	Canada	2
Martin Rucinsky	1991	Czech	2

Draft-eligible players to watch (At the 2022 World Juniors)

Joakim Kemell is a skilled winger who will play for Finland at the world juniors. His impressive season in Finland’s top league (Liiga) makes him a strong contender for first-round selection in 2022. In 21 games, he has 12 goals and 18 points and has a high shot volume in a very good league at age 17. He is undersized, described as a high-skill winger with two-way ability, and Kemell’s shot is his biggest asset. Like Wright, he’ll be long gone by the time Edmonton chooses.
Brad Lambert is another skill forward who will represent Finland at the world juniors, and his draft stock is still uncertain so there’s a chance he could fall to Edmonton. He has plus speed and skill, but his Liiga season is well shy of Lambert’s own production last season in the league. He has two goals and six points in 24 games, after scoring 7-8-15 in 46 games at age 16 one year ago. Speed and skill are never out of style — he was projected as a top-10 selection before the season but could perhaps fall to the Oilers.
Marco Kasper will play for Austria but has been impressing scouts with his work for Rogle (SHL) in Sweden’s top league. He’s a rangy (6-foot-1, 183 pounds) player who works hard in all areas and has enough skill to post solid offensive numbers. In 24 games this season, he has scored four goals and six points while averaging 11:32 minutes per game.
Filip Mesar is one of several Slovaks who are draft-eligible and the undersized skill winger has real skill along with terrific speed. He can score goals and showed well at the Hlinka Gretzky (2-6-8 in five games). Mesar is now showing well in the Slovakia Men’s league (5-4-9 in 20 games). He should be there when Edmonton picks and would be another solid addition to the team’s stable of skill wingers.

BLH’s Thoughts: That’s a pretty bare bones list of players to watch at this year’s tournament but I think LT was highlighting some skaters who might be around if Ken Holland keeps his 1st round pick.

For what it’s worth, there’s an interesting battle shaping up this year. That being Connor Bedard (CAN) vs. Matvei Michkov (RUS) vs. Dalibor Dvorsky (SLO) as these three 2023 draft eligible players will get TOI with their teams. I wonder if it’s the Slovak that comes out on top considering their coach may not be afraid to use younger players in feature roles unlike the Canadians and Russians, who have traditionally been averse to that tactic.

Another battle will be one of two defenseman, Simon Nemec (SLO) and David Jiricek (CZE). When it’s all said and done, both of these highly skilled towering dmen could be top-5 picks in the 2022 NHL draft and the rivalry between Slovakia and Czechia probably won’t be stronger than this year seeing as the Slovakians are much better this year.

Anyway, here’s a longer list (sans Connor Bedard and Shane Wright) of 2022/2023 draft eligible players you need to keep an eye out for if you’re a prospect junkie,

Matvei Michkov, F, Russia (2023 Draft Eligible) – Might be the best draft minus one player to hit the tournament since Puljujarvi and will compete with Connor Bedard for 1st overall in the 2023 NHL draft.

Danila Yurov, F, Russia – A 200ft winger who’s composure is elite. He’s elite when it comes to zone entry/exit due to his puckhandling, edges, and speed. Loves to play on the inside too.

David Jiricek, D, Czechia – “The right-handed, offensive-minded defenseman has an aggressive style of play, as he displays excellent speed and a smooth skating stride when in transition. He has excellent control when on the rush and vision to make a heads-up passing play. He’s always involved in the play, jumping in and even being extremely mobile in the offensive zone.” – THW

Simon Nemec, D, Slovakia – “He’s a full package defender that plays a steady two-way game with excellent vision, smarts and work ethic. When Nemec is on the ice, you’re immediately drawn to his ability to take the puck and rush it up the ice– showing great confidence in his ability to do so while maintaining control. He has great movement to walk the blueline to get open for a point shot and get it through traffic without any issues. He’s also strong defensively, providing excellent coverage and has an active stick to break up plays on the rush or in front of the net.” – THW

Juraj Slafkovsky, F, Slovakia – He’s built like Mario Lemieux (6’4″ 225lbs) and he’s only 17 years old. He’s a fantastic stickhandler and his shot is really something. Stylistically, you’ll probably see some Jack Eichel in him as he’s a really upright skater but Oilers fans who’ve watched Rafa Lavoie might see some similarities too. He’s one of my favs for the 2022 draft.

Dalibor Dvorsky, F, Slovakia (2023 Draft Eligible) – “Dvorsky is a tremendous shooter, particularly when it comes to getting off a quick release. His 6-foot-0 frame size is solid for his age, which helps him to physically stand up to older competition, something he has had to do for most of his hockey career. He’s best when he’s standing out front of the net, but he’s good on the attack and can force mistakes. There aren’t many offensive situations where you can’t throw him out there, especially since the pressure never seems to get to him.” – The Hockey News

Logan Cooley, F, USA – “Cooley is a strong and energetic pivot who handles top-line duties without a hitch. He is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches for several reasons, but it’s his arsenal of elite puck skills that helps him stand out among the NTDP’s star-studded cast.” – The Draft Analyst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V478q8RrU-A

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