Previewing the Leafs Prospects at the World Junior Championships

By Alex Hobson

Hey everyone. I apologize for the lack of articles as of late, my schedule has been insanely busy. However, what better way to kick off my articles again than a preview of our prospects playing at the World Junior Championships? This year, the Leafs have five prospects playing at the tournament, and all of them will be a treat to watch. They have two representing Canada, two representing Sweden, and one representing Finland. Without further ado, let's take a look at these young guns and what they bring to their respective teams.



Mitch Marner, C/RW - Team Canada

Last year, Canada was the team to watch at the tournament. They had scoring from almost every player, and duo of Arizona Coyotes forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair were something special to watch. Marner will likely slot into a second line right wing role on Canada this year, playing alongside of Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome and Devils prospect John Quenneville. Marner and Strome have potential to be the Domi and Duclair of last year. Though Canada isn't looking as stacked as last year, they still have a good chance at winning gold.



Travis Dermott, D - Team Canada

Dermott wasn't as much of a shoo-in to make Team Canada as Marner was, but when playing he still has the potential to be an effective defenseman. He plays a solid two way game, isn't afraid to throw the body despite his size, so he'll likely be battling with Roland McKeown and Joe Hicketts for a spot on the bottom pairing during the tournament.

 

William Nylander, C/RW - Team Sweden

Heading into this tournament, William Nylander was projected to be one of the tournament's top players. He's leading the AHL in scoring at age 19 with 33 points in 26 games and is an all around extremely skilled offensive forward. He was projected to play on the team's top line with his brother, Alex, who is a projected top ten pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, and Minnesota Wild prospect Joel Eriksson-Ek. Unfortunately, Nylander took a head shot from a Swiss forward in Sweden's first game of the tournament and he left the game. His current status is unknown.



Dmytro Timashov, LW - Team Sweden

This guy was arguably one of the biggest steals of the draft in 2015. Timashov was a fifth round pick, and he currently has 35 assists and 53 points in 29 games for the Quebec Remparts. The Ukranian-born Swede has the potential to surprise people at this tournament under a very stacked Swedish offense. He'll likely play in the middle six on the team and get powerplay time as well.



Kasperi Kapanen, RW - Team Finland

The Leafs' only prospect representing Finland, Kapanen will likely sport a veteran role in the top six and play alongside somebody by the likes of Jesse Puljujarvi or Patrik Laine, two projected top 5 picks in the 2016 NHL Draft. He has potential to be an impact player for Finland, who like Sweden have a stacked offense.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Merry Christmas.