10 greatest WJCs by hometown NHL draft picks

BY PUCKS AND REC STAFF

Vancouver gets its second go-round as the World Junior Championship host starting next week. Ahead of the tournament opener, four Canucks hopefuls are expected to represent their country.

The last time Vancouver provided some or all of the WJC hospitality, it broke up the event’s 10-year hiatus from active NHL markets. In its first three decades, it had taken place once apiece in Montreal, the Twin Cities, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Boston. It also came through Winnipeg during the first NHL run of the Jets.

This year will be the eighth of the last 14 iterations to occur fully or partially in an NHL venue.

Between those previous seven instances, 34 NHL draft picks have had a chance to play before their future fan base. Either that, or before a future crowd of rival rooters in the case of joint Edmonton/Calgary and Toronto/Montreal tournaments.

In the previous century, a smaller smattering of junior prospects got an early glimpse of their future pro venue.

Regardless, no one should blame Michael DiPietro, Quinn Hughes, Tyler Madden or Toni Utunen for feeling added pressure or motivation. As previews of coming attractions to a given NHL franchise, these are the WJC performances they have to match. All statistics are according to Elite Prospects.

10. Carl Grundstrom

Drafted by the Maple Leafs the year prior, Grundstrom played the whole Toronto/Montreal 2017 WJC in Canadiens territory. With that said, he was productive in five of Sweden’s seven games, finishing third in team scoring with seven points.

9. Zach Fucale

Despite leading the 2015 tournament with a 1.20 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts, Fucale had a lighter load than some of his peers.

Slovakia’s Denis Godla would earn the title of the tournament’s best netminder. He had stopped 40 of 45 shots while Fucale blocked all but one of 13 in Canada’s 5-1 semifinal victory.

With that said, the budding Habs backstop did blank the Slovaks in the round-robin opener at the Bell Centre. He then stopped 27 of 28 Finnish shots in his other WJC Montreal appearance (the playoffs were in Toronto).

 

8. Alexander Nylander

Fellow 2018 Swedish standout Rasmus Dahlin claimed the tournament’s top-defenseman crown in Buffalo. Five-plus months later, the local NHL franchise made him the top pick in the draft.

Since he was not yet Sabres property at the time of the WJC, Dahlin is not eligible for this list. But Western New York fans were already watching Nylander, their top pick from 2016, with AHL Rochester.

When he came over to represent the Swedes in Buffalo, the versatile winger co-led his club with seven points. His six helpers tied him with Dahlin for first place in that category.

7. Scott Arniel

Portions of the 1982 WJC took place in Winnipeg. By that point, Arniel was in the Jets system, having been the top second-round choice in the previous draft.

With 11 tournament points, the winger tied Bruce Eakin for Canada’s team lead.

6. William Nylander

Of the five skaters to break double-digit points at the 2015 Toronto/Montreal WJC, only one did not represent Canada. Nylander did, however, represent the Leafs’ prospects as the reigning No. 8 overall draftee.

All seven of Sweden’s games, and therefore all 10 of Nylander’s points, came at his future place of employment. He started with the tiebreaker and clincher in a 5-2 win over the Czech Republic. He later assisted on the equalizer and winner in a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over Russia, improving the Swedes to 3-0-0.

Nylander would be held scoreless but once, as Russia took vengeance in the semifinals, 4-1. But he finished strong with his team’s first goal in a 4-2 bronze-medal loss to Slovakia.

 

5. Oscar Klefbom

Six months before Edmonton and Calgary shared the WJC, the Oilers selected Klefbom with the No. 19 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. While Sweden’s Group A and playoff games were all held in Calgary, Albertans got a strong impression of Klefbom’s defensive prowess.

Despite mustering one goal and assist, Klefbom led the stingy Swedes with a plus-eight tournament rating. His lone goal proved momentous, as it sparked a third-period rally in the round-robin finale. He got Sweden on the board en route to a 4-3 overtime win after Russia had taken a 3-0 lead.

With Klefbom’s help, the Swedes would vanquish Russia again, 1-0, in overtime for the gold. Afterwards, he was named to the all-tournament team.

4. Marty Murray

In his second year as a Flames prospect, Murray made his second straight WJC, which was cohosted by Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer. He and his countrymen played one game at the Saddledome, edging the Czechs in a 7-5 barnburner Dec. 30, 1994.

With 15 points, Murray tied Jason Allison for the tournament lead, helping Canada to a perfect 7-0-0 run. But the IIHF would single him out as the most impressive forward.

3. Luc Bourdon

The late blueliner was the reigning 10th overall draft pick by Vancouver when he made Canada’s cut for 2006. At 18 going on 19 in his first 20-and-under tournament, he tied forward Benoit Pouliot for the team lead with five assists.

On the other side, Bourdon maintained a plus-five rating in six games en route to the gold medal. He would tie Cam Barker for the Canadian lead among defensemen with six points, but his performance stood out more overall. To that point, he joined American phenom Jack Johnson as the two rearguards on the all-tournament team.

2. Erik Karlsson

Team Sweden swept through Group B, then dispatched Slovakia in a 5-3 semifinal thriller before bowing to the hosts in the Canadian capital.

But besides savoring their home country’s 2009 gold medal, Ottawa fans saw their future award-winning NHL captain at his best. In his final amateur season and only WJC, Karlsson led the Swedes with seven assists and nine points. He also led his country’s defensemen with a plus-six rating.

For that, he joined Canada’s P.K. Subban on the all-tournament team, and was singled out as the best blueliner by the IIHF.

 

1. Casey Mittelstadt

Buffalo’s first-round choice in 2017 at No. 8 overall, Mittelstadt was the WJC MVP in 2018. Though his Americans settled for bronze on home ice, he amassed 11 points to tie Czech forward Martin Necas for the tournament lead. He also retained a solid plus-eight rating, easily the best among the event’s top 10 scorers.

As one testament to Mittelstadt’s value, his only scoreless outing was Team USA’s 4-2 semifinal loss to Sweden. Earlier, he may have salvaged their playoff ticket altogether in the third round-robin game against Canada.

Coming off a 3-2 loss to Slovakia, the Americans were facing a 2-0 deficit at New Era Field. They got on board, only to fall back behind by two late in the second period. But Mittelstadt completed a playmaker hat trick to force overtime, and the U.S. prevailed in a shootout.

Two days later, another three-point effort by Mittelstadt featured a game-winning assist in a back-and-forth 5-4 win over Finland. Without his productivity, the U.S. might have earned three round-robin points instead of eight.