18 CHL players compete in Division 1A World Junior Championship
Six nations including Austria, Belarus, Denmark, Latvia, Norway, and Slovenia competed in the Division 1A portion of the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. On Sunday, Austria picked up its fourth win of the tournament, giving it 12 points in five games to earn the right to advance to the top bracket in the 2021 edition.
In all, 18 CHL talents competed in the tournament, including a leading eight with Team Belarus headlined by Prince Albert Raiders centre and Washington Capitals prospect Aliaksei Protas. Rounding out the list includes four players with Denmark and three each competing with Austria and Latvia.
Top performers from the tournament included Protas, who finished with four goals and three assists for seven points in five games, followed by Evgeniy Oksentyuk (Belarus/Flint Firebirds) with seven points, Senna Peeters (Austria/Halifax Mooseheads) with six points, Phillip Schultz (Denmark/Victoria Royals) with five points, and Vitali Pinchuk (Belarus/Kingston Frontenacs) and Vladimir Alistrov (Belarus/Edmonton Oil Kings) each with four points. Additionally, Saginaw Spirit defenceman Ilya Solovyov, who notched one goal and two assists for three points across five games with Belarus, was recognized as the tournament’s top defenceman.
Last season, Germany earned the right to move up to the top division, doing so this year in place of Denmark who lost in relegation to Kazakhstan.
CHL players competing in Division 1A World Junior Championship
Austria
Thimo Nickl, Drummondville Voltigeurs
David Maier, Peterborough Petes
Senna Peeters, Halifax Mooseheads
Belarus
Vladimir Alistrov, Edmonton Oil Kings
Valentin Demchenko, Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Vladislav Kolyachonok, Flint Firebirds
Evgeniy Oksentyuk, Flint Firebirds
Vitali Pinchuk, Kingston Frontenacs
Aliaksei Protas, Prince Albert Raiders
Ilya Solovyov, Saginaw Spirit
Ilya Usau, Prince Albert Raiders
Denmark
Jonathan Brinkman, Medicine Hat Tigers
Jonas Brondberg, Portland Winterhawks
Phillip Schultz, Victoria Royals
Mads Sogaard, Medicine Hat Tigers
Latvia
Raivis Ansons, Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Harijs Brants, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Rudolfs Polcs, Val-d’Or Foreurs
Elsewhere, competing in Division 1B includes Pierrick Dube (Quebec Remparts) with France as well as Feliks Morozov (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) and Alexander Peresunko (Victoriaville Tigres) suiting up for Ukraine.