Grading Every Blue Jackets Prospect at the World Juniors
The 2022 World Junior Championships were delayed in January due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The tournament was rescheduled and took place over the last two weeks in Edmonton, Alberta. Canada took home gold as the host team, while Finland and Sweden took home silver and bronze respectively. The tournament was meaningful to the Blue Jackets as they had four players competing, along with a goalie recently signed by the Cleveland Monsters. Today we’ll take a look at each of these players and provide a breakdown of their play.
G Pavel Cajan, Czechia (signed by the Cleveland Monsters) Grade: Incomplete
Pavel Cajan got into just one game, taking over in relief in Czechia’s 5-1 loss to team Canada. He faced nine shots and surrendered one goal. Mostly, he spent the tournament in the press box as he was Czechia’s third goaltender. Cajan will make the jump to the pro ranks this year, likely to spend time in both the AHL and ECHL, as he’s third on the depth chart for the Monsters as well.
F Martin Rysavy, Czechia (7th round, #197 overall, 2021 NHL Draft) Grade: C-
Martin Rysavy skated in the tournament as a middle-six player for Czechia. Averaging 15:28 per game, he scored 2 goals (including the only shorthanded goal in the tournament), and carried a -6 rating in 7 games played.
Martin Rysavy scores short handed against Canada to make it 1-0 which isn’t ruled a goal immediately. After review, it is determined a goal. pic.twitter.com/xj48ftBCwb
— CBJ Highlights (@ThreadsJackets) August 13, 2022
I thought Rysavy looked pretty good in the offensive zone. He played in straight lines and went hard to the net, especially off the rush. But, there were long stretches where he was invisible and I actually had to look for him to make sure he was still playing. I think his upside is that of a bottom-six winger, but he has a long way to go before he’ll be playing in the NHL – or even the AHL. He’s a big body that plays physical and can finish, but he’ll need to find different ways to make an impact because he doesn’t have the kind of high end skill to be a pure scorer.
He’ll head back to the Western Hockey League for his 19 year old season with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
D Stanislav Svozil, Czechia (3rd round, #69 overall, 2021 NHL Draft) Grade: B
Svozil turned heads in the December/January tournament with a dazzling goal. While he didn’t manage to repeat that kind of highlight reel play when things resumed in August, he was still an effective defenseman for Czechia. He scored 1 goal and added 2 assists while averaging just under 20 minutes per game for Czechia. He added 29 penalty minutes (second in the tournament); but most of that was the result of this play.
I thought Svozil did a good job for Czechia. He was one of their alternate captains and was a leader on the back end, skating on the second pair and tasked with playing in all situations. His only goal was a nifty backhand and showed his penchant for joining the play off the rush. Really, he was quietly pretty good throughout, save the occasional mental mistake (including one glaring turnover early on). Like Rysavy, Svozil will also be returning to the Western Hockey League for his upcoming 19 year old season – returning to the high flying Regina Pats, who should be very competitive this season.
Stanislav Svozil picks up the loose puck to score backhand to tie the game for Czechia 2 - 2! pic.twitter.com/utRFDQCXU6
— CBJ Highlights (@ThreadsJackets) August 14, 2022
D David Jiricek, Czechia (1st round, #6 overall, 2022 NHL Draft) Grade: C
Jiricek was one of the most highly touted defensemen in the entire tournament. The other alternate captain for Czechia, he was also counted on in every situation; and averaged over 21 minutes per game. But I thought he struggled at times and was just “okay” for Czechia. He played in all 7 games for Czechia and picked up 3 assists, with a -5 rating.
Jiricek struggled defensively and often looked overmatched and tired. He seemed to have a target on his back and was on the receiving end of several big hits, which likely played into his struggles. To me he just looked slightly off. The good news is, he got better as the tournament went on. In the final games he seemed to be hitting his stride a little bit more and was finding ways to generate offense from the blue line. At this point, I think Jiricek needs at least one year of development before he’s ready for the NHL. He has options, and it will be interesting to see if he goes the junior route, or if he returns to his home country. He could even see time in the AHL this season.
F Kent Johnson, Canada (1st round, #5 overall, 2021 NHL Draft) Grade: A+
In a normal year, you might call Kent Johnson the best player on team Canada. But, in spite of his productivity, he was honestly second fiddle. And that’s okay … he was snake bitten on many occasions, and teammate Mason McTavish had a historic year for the Canadians. Still, Johnson finished the tournament with 3 goals and 9 points in 7 games – including a couple that will be talked about for a long time. First, there was this gem that ended his early tournament drought:
Kent Johnson pulls off the Michigan to make it 2 - 1 Canada! UNBELIEVABLE. pic.twitter.com/fQIRmsUrjF
— CBJ Highlights (@ThreadsJackets) August 13, 2022
Then, he got the golden goal:
What an incredible finish with Kent Johnson scoring the golden goal for Canada! Full replay of the goal as well! pic.twitter.com/acNey5TNe5
— CBJ Highlights (@ThreadsJackets) August 21, 2022
What impressed me the most about Kent was his persistence. He struggled to score points early in this tournament. It wasn’t for lack of effort or making poor decisions, really no fault of his own. He got robbed by big saves. He and his line mates had a feeling out process that seemed to stifle their attacks on occasion. But he just kept with it. He kept working hard and being creative, until things started to click, and by tournament’s end, he was one of the best players on the ice each and every shift.
The puck seemed to follow him and wind up on his stick, and he knew what to do with it before he even had it. This is something you only see in the truly great playmakers of the game. While I won’t go as far as calling him the next Sidney Crosby or Artemi Panarin, he oozes offense every time he’s on the ice, and makes his teammates better in a similar style. He will need to get stronger and work on some of the finer aspects of his game, but I think he’ll be in the NHL this season, in a scoring role. For a team that’s long lacked high end skill, this is a refreshing player to see in the system.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on all of these players, and every other Blue Jackets prospect, throughout this season.