By Warren Kozireski —
Fans of the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres have multiple incentives to take in a game or two of the upcoming IIHF U-20 World Junior hockey championship that begins Dec. 26.
But we will start with one reason for fans of New York State born players.
5’10”, 183 lb. forward Matt Coronato (New York City) will be helping Team USA defend their 2021 gold medal. The 2021 first round selection of the Calgary Flames is a freshman at Harvard University and is scoring a better than a one point-per-game pace. His six goals and six assists in 11 games ties him for 15th in the nation among first year players at the break.
Joining him on Team USA is returning forward Brett Berard. A 2020 fifth round pick of the New York Rangers is off to a fast start in his second collegiate season with Providence College. 12 goals and 12 assists in 21 games ties him for sixth in the nation in scoring.
The Rangers fourth round selection in 2020, Dylan Garand, won a silver medal with Team Canada last year and is expected to get first shot at the maple leaf net this tournament. Playing with Kamloops in the Western Hockey League, the 6’1”, 181 lb. is 15-4 with a 1.85 goals against average for the third place Blazers.
Among his teammates on Team Canada are the Rangers second round selection in 2020 in left wing Will Cuylle. Standing 6’4”, 209 lb., he has already netted 18 goals in 22 games with the Windsor Spitfires this season after he played last season in the American Hockey League due to the OHL shutdown.
Other Rangers prospects to watch include Team Finland winger Kalle Vaisanen and Team Czech Republic winger Jaroslav Chmelev.
Vaisanen, 6’4”, 181 lb., was taken in the fourth round in 2021. He has played 25 games against men for Liiga this season with four points. Chmelev also has some size at 6’4” and 209 lbs. The 2021 fifth rounder spent the first half of the year with Jokerit where he has tallied ten points over 19 games.
As for Buffalo Sabres fans, they have four reasons to tune in led by their first overall selection in the 2021 draft Owen Power.
The defenseman will anchor Team Canada’s blueline as he has done for the University of Michigan’s defense so far this season. The 6’6”, 214 lb. left shot has tallied 23 points over the first 18 games this season for the nationally ranked Wolverines.
Their other 2021 first round selection—14th overall—Isak Rosen, will play for Team Sweden. The 5’11”, 157 lb. forward has played mostly with Leksands where he had four points over 26 games to start the year.
Buffalo’s sixth round selection this past summer, Nikita Novikov, will help Team Russia’s defense in his first trip to the tournament. The 6’4”, 207 lb. has four points in 30 games this season with Dynamo Moskva in the KHL.
And 2020 Sabres seventh rounder Jakub Konecny with center one of the top lines with the Czech Republic. The 5’10”, 163 lb. 19-year-old enters the tournament after scoring four goals with seven points in 24 games with HC Sparta Praha.
New York Islanders 2021 second round selection Aatu Raty was supposed to be with Team Finland, but was a late scratch for the tournament after failing a Covid test.
