The World Junior Championship (WJC) is a time for prospects to represent their country and live out their dreams. Last year, Team Canada took home gold thanks to Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther, who scored the golden goal. This time around, teams head to Gothenburg, Sweden, where the highly anticipated tournament will be held. As the Coyotes’ ever-growing prospect pool seems to multiply every draft, there are a handful of players making the trip. Here is your Coyotes guide to the 2024 WJC, which will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
Conor Geekie – Canada
Conor Geekie was one of three first-round picks in the 2022 NHL Draft for general manager Bill Armstrong and company. When looking at the player, the first trait that stands out is his height. His 6-foot-4 frame gives him an edge before stepping onto the ice. This season has seen multitudes of success for the Minnedosa, Canada, native in the Western Hockey League. In 26 games with the Wenatchee Wild, he has 20 goals and 49 points. This puts him on a pace for 111 points, which would be a career-high for Geekie.
Related: Coyotes Prospect Spotlight: Conor Geekie
“Young players want to go on offense. They want to go play at the other end so they cheat and then pucks turn over and they have to play in their own end for half of their shift or longer because of it. That was a big thing with Conor [last] year,” [development coach Jeff] Shantz said. “He’s definitely a more of a 200-foot player who is stopping on pucks in his own end and as a centerman, he’s staying between the puck and his net when he’s in his own end, especially when there’s not full control. He’s not cheating as much. When you do a really good job of that as a centerman, you don’t have to play defense.”
Going to the WJC, he can show his skills on the global stage. While Canada doesn’t have as potent of a roster as last tournament, they have loads of highly talented players. Geekie is likely to have a substantial role on the team and expect him to get power play minutes and a first or second-line role. This will be an ideal situation for the 19-year-old to shine with the eyes of an entire nation on him.
Maveric Lamoureux – Canada
Maveric Lamoureux was one of the most intriguing prospects taken at the 2022 NHL Draft. While defensemen tend to take a while to fully develop into what they are intended to be, Lamoureux is making waves in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The mammoth defenseman stands tall at 6-foot-7 and, in his fourth season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, has 27 points in 25 games. That’s the fourth most by any defenseman in the QMJHL and is maturing into his massive frame.
The hope is that success in the QMJHL transfers across the Atlantic to Gothenburg, Sweden. Similar to Geekie, Lamoureux is expected to have a prominent role with the team. The defense corps comprises Denton Mateychuk, Oliver Bonk, Tanner Molendyk, and much more. We could see Lamoureux on the right side along with Mateychuk, but we won’t find out until Canada’s first game against Finland on Dec. 26.
Melker Thelin – Sweden
Melker Thelin was one of three netminders taken in the 2023 NHL Draft for the Coyotes. The Coyotes’ goalie pipeline nearly tripled at the 2023 NHL Draft, and Thelin was the second out of the bunch, being taken in the fifth round. The 18-year-old is playing for IF Björklöven of HockeyAllsvenskan and has a 2.77 goals-against average (GAA) and a .913 save percentage (SV%). Considering those stats, it’s been a solid season for him, and he’s showing signs of improvement every game.
“We didn’t take a goalie last year, and we knew this year was going to be a good goalie class,” [associate director of amateur scouting Ryan] Jankowski said. “Our goalie department [and scout Clay] Adams did an awesome job of making sure that we had every detail covered right from first round to seventh round. We could take a volume of goalies this year and that’s what you look to do when you have 12 picks.”
It’s not expected for Thelin to get the starting job for Sweden out of the gate, but if anything happens, he could take over the reins as the starter. He has limited experience in international competition, which could also be a deciding factor in how many games he will play, but it is a superb opportunity for him.
Adam Zlnka – Slovakia
The Coyotes had a lot of draft selections in 2021, and Adam Zlnka was one of them. He was taken in the seventh round and has yet to find his footing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) this season. He has five goals and eight points in 18 games with the Waterloo Blackhawks. The 19-year-old is already committed to Northeastern University for next season, but he has his eyes set on the WJC.
“He can skate, he can shoot, he can move the puck well, and he has good vision,” Waterloo head coach Matt Smaby said. “I think with some players a fresh start and a change of scenery can be a healthy thing, and he’s got an opportunity here. So we’re excited for him.”
The role he’ll have with Team Slovakia is undetermined, but if he can be on his A game, he could see significant minutes throughout the tournament, gaining bunches of confidence in the process.
Michael Hrabal – Czechia
Michael Hrabal has a chance to change a narrative surrounding the Coyotes organization for what seems like an eternity. Drafting and developing a prospect, or in this case, developing a goaltender. Hrabal was one of the first netminders taken in the 2023 NHL Draft and could be the goalie of the future down the line. This season, he’s impressed many at the University of Massachusetts. So far, he’s logged a 2.67 GAA and a .905 SV%, and for an 18-year-old playing his first season in collegiate hockey, this is a positive step forward.
Hrabal is set to be the starter in net for Czechia and will likely have a monumental role as they push towards a medal game. In front of him, he’ll have top prospects such as Jiří Kulich and Eduard Šalé and much more. Hrabal is one of the top prospects the Coyotes will have at the tournament, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he does.
Samu Bau – Finland
Samu Bau was taken in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Coyotes, and so far, this selection is raising more questions than answers. The Helinski, Finland native, has one goal in 30 games played for Ilves in the Liiga. He also is a minus-14, which is one of the worst on the team. While his stats aren’t impressive, he stands at 6-foot-5, something Armstrong looks for when drafting prospects.
“That’s always been Bill’s thing is to be big and if you look back at the St. Louis drafts, and even our drafts in Buffalo and Darryl’s drafts to some extent in Tampa, it was [about] getting some size and being big,” Jankowski added. “It did work out that way [for us]. It obviously speaks to what Vegas accomplished this year. You’ve got your Kellers and your Cooleys. You need to make sure you’ve got some support around them with some bigger players, too.”
Bau will play for a highly talented Finland team consisting of Kasper Halttunen and a top draft prospect in 2024, Konsta Helenius. It’ll be interesting to see his role as the tournament treks on, but his height should give him an advantage over others.
Julian Lutz – Germany
This time around, Germany is projected to have a rough tournament with the need for more talent, but they will have Julian Lutz at their disposal. Lutz has done a terrific job in the USHL this season with the Green Bay Gamblers, notching ten goals and 23 points in 19 games. This is his first season playing in North America, and the stats show he’s succeeding and, most importantly, developing.
“Having played each of the last two seasons in Germany’s top pro league, Lutz now will get a chance to familiarize himself with the North American style game, while also getting significantly more ice time than he was as a younger player in the pro ranks, Peters said. “Additionally, with his skillset, he should be an impactful player among his age peers in junior hockey.”
Team Germany won’t have many high-end players on their roster this tournament, but it’s safe to say Lutz will have a prominent role and could be the focal point of the team’s offense.
WJC Holds Promise For Coyotes’ Prospects
Every time this tournament rolls around, it’s compelling to see the future right in front of your eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a first or a seventh-round selection; it’s thrilling to know you may be watching a piece of the Coyotes or any team’s future. The tournament games will begin on Dec. 26 and end on Jan. 5 in what should be a competitive tournament. It’ll be intriguing to finally see what Armstrong is building in the desert on the global stage.
