Yesterday, the NHL postponed the Philadelphia Flyers versus Washington Capitals.
According to the NHL, team practices will resume on December 26th, 2021, with play restarting on the 27th. The next scheduled game for the Flyers is on December 29th, 2021, when they visit the Seattle Kraken.
The 2022 World Junior Championship Tournament will begin coincidentally as the NHL season continues. At the moment, Philadelphia has three prospects who will represent their respective countries. Noted names consist of Emil Andrae, Brian Zanetti, and Elliot Desnoyers.
A couple of others would have made the roster for their country. Before last season, the Flyers selected Tyson Foerster and Zayde Wisdom. Had they remained healthy, they would make the Team Canada roster. For who will represent Philadelphia in the 2022 World Juniors, let’s take a deeper look:
2022 World Juniors: Flyers Prospects
Of the three prospects within the Philadelphia Flyers system already named to a 2022 World Junior Championship Tournament roster, two are defensemen, and one is a forward.
The youngest is Brian Zanetti. He’s eighteen years of age heading into this World Juniors, representing Switzerland. Emil Andrae and Elliot Desnoyers are a year older.
There’s some diversity between the three Flyers’ prospects. They’ll all represent different countries during the World Juniors.
Andrae has 16pts (2G, 14A) in 21 games with HV71. Desnoyers tallied 36pts (16G, 20A) in 23 games with the Halifax Mooseheads. Zanetti has 9pts, all assists, in 17 games with the Peterborough Petes. Of all the qualified players in the International Ice Hockey Federation, these three earned a spot on a World Junior roster for their homeland.
Not Making the Cut
Currently, Samu Tuomaala is not on the Finland World Junior Championship Tournament roster. It’s a surprising snub to some.
Tuomaala played a couple of games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but didn’t find his way on the scoresheet. He also played ten games for Sport in the Liiga, scoring one goal. Comparably, his contributions aren’t enough.
Out of training camp, Tuomaala pressed for a role with the Phantoms. Then, Lehigh Valley loaned him to Sport. Throughout 2021-2022, he’s been okay but not great. There is a slim opportunity he could make the final roster, but don’t count on it.
Unfit for WJC Play
Had Tyson Foerster and Zayde Wisdom remained healthy, they would likely join Canada in the World Junior Championship Tournament.
In his first year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Foerster notched 17pts (10G, 7A) in 24 games. Wisdom had as strong a start as Foerster, scoring 18pts (7G, 11A) in 28 games during his first season with the Phantoms. These two were trending in the right direction. On the bright side, they won’t age out of World Junior qualifications in 2022-2023.
Wisdom upgraded from season-opening injured reserve last month. He’s only participated in one game with the Kingston Frontenacs this season. Foerster, a few days before Wisdom recovered, suffered a shoulder injury. Unlike Wisdom, Foerster remains unavailable. Had these two had the whole season to play hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers could have five players representing them in the World Juniors.
Belarus Returns: 2023
Belarus returns to the World Junior Championship Tournament next year. They broke into the top ten nations to compete for the World Junior Championship in 2023.
Behind Philadelphia Flyers prospect Aleksei Kolosov, Belarus won five straight games. To qualify his country for the 2023 World Juniors, Kolosov went 5-0-0 with a 1.6 GAA, totaling fifteen qualifications points out of a possible fifteen. The perfect qualification score was the exclamation point.
(Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)
