World Junior Championship Preview
The Kingston Frontenacs will be well represented at the 2022 World Junior Championship starting today (Dec. 26) and running through January 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
The Frontenacs have three players that will be competing for their countries, with hopes of capturing an IIHF medal. Shane Wright (Canada), Martin Chromiak (Slovakia) and Leevi Meriläinen (Finland) will all play key roles for their teams as they look to win gold at the tournament.
Shane Wright / Canada
This will be Shane Wright’s first time representing Hockey Canada at a World Junior Championship. The projected first overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft is poised to have a standout tournament for Canada.
Shane last represented Hockey Canada at the U-18 World Championship, where he captained his team to a gold medal victory. In 5 games played, Wright registered 9 goals and compiled 5 assists for 14 points.
Wright is currently averaging over a point a game with the Ontario Hockey League leading Kingston Frontenacs during the 2021-22 OHL season. Through 22 games, the Frontenacs captain has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points. Wright will look to continue his offensive success throughout the 2022 World Junior Championship.
Canada is stacked with dynamic offensive players and Shane Wright is projected to be one of the team leaders throughout the tournament. His all-around skill set has been compared to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. With that type of comparison, there is no doubt Shane can contribute on both ends of the ice for Canada.
Entering the tournament, Canada is considered the favorite to win Group A. Team Canada finished with the silver medal in last year’s World Junior Championship.
Leevi Meriläinen/ Finland
Leevi Meriläinen will make his World Junior Championship debut with Finland at this year’s tournament. The 6’3″ goaltender is having a fantastic start to the 2021-22 OHL season and this should translate into the tournament. Through 21 games with Kingston, Leevi has recorded 14 wins. His 14 victories places him second in the Ontario Hockey League in wins by a goaltender. He has a save percentage of 0.897 and a goals-against average of 3.19.
Leevi Meriläinen last represented his country at the 2021 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan. In the tournament, the Ottawa Senators prospect had a save percentage of 0.932 and a goals-against average of 2.17.
Finland finished third in the 2021 World Junior Championship. With a talented roster, Leevi’s squad will look to win the championship for the first time since 2019.
Martin Chromiak / Slovakia
Martin Chromiak returns to the World Junior stage after participating in last year event with Slovakia. Chromiak will bring the experience he gained at last year’s tournament, while looking to build on it. He should be one of Slovakia’s biggest offensive weapons throughout the WJC.
In 23 games this season for the Frontenacs, Chromiak has scored 13 goals and added 19 assists for 32 points. He has shown that he has one of the best shots in the Ontario Hockey League and he’ll look to utilize his skills during the IIHF tournament.
At the 2021 World Junior Championship, Chromiak scored one goal in five games. The Los Angeles Kings prospect’s lone goal was scored against the Canadians in a 3-1 Slovakia loss.
Slovakia has been eliminated in the quarterfinal round the past six years after finishing third in 2015. Team Slovakia brings a talented roster to this year’s tournament. The team has a good group of returning players and it will include members from the second place Slovakian team that competed at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Slovakia is considered a dark horse in this year’s tournament and they could surprise teams with their talent group.
Today’s schedule:
Finland vs. Germany – 2PM
Czechia vs Canada – 7PM
United States vs Slovakia – 9:30PM
All the games are available on TSN.
Full 2022 World Junior Championship schedule is available at https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2022/wm20
