Kudos to National Hockey League clubs at

2009 IIHF World Junior Championships

Chiller Instinct would like to salute the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets for taking prospects out of their system at the cost of the team’s lineup, to further individual player development and provide the world with a brilliant showcase of the world’s elite junior talent.

Columbus permitted flashy eighteen year-old forward Nikita Filatov to draw into the event.  Filatov responded by captaining his homeland to a Bronze medal; tied John Tavares for the most goals, with eight; compiled the fourth most points, with eleven; and was named a First Team All-Star by the media.  Filatov’s top-rated talent has grown in its allure due in part to this most recent showing. 

Los Angeles had the clairvoyance to allow minor-league prospect Vyacheslav Voinov to participate in his third tournament at this level.  At eighteen, Voinov is eligible again next year, and the dynamic right-handed defenseman is enjoying a lot of success with Manchester of the AHL. 

The Kings also granted a roster player the opportunity to compete.  GM Dean Lombardi realizes that allowing Oscar Moller the opportunity to grow as a competitor in the championship can only pay off handsomely.  The feisty and skilled winger was becoming overmatched at the NHL level and was given the window to join Team Sweden.  Moller was named captain of an extremely talented squad that won Silver.  Moller undoubtedly rejoins the Kings, looking to provide a spark that the club can use going forward.  Youth is something that Lombardi has a lot of, now he feels the need to bring more and more character aboard.  He should be commended.

Too often a team holds onto the prospect, with the notion that playing more games in their system would be more beneficial to the player, and to the team.  At this point in time, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is the quintessential breeding ground for tomorrow’s hockey star.  It places the young talent of a nation in a goal-orientated environment, forcing the players and management staff to come together in just a few weeks time to claim global supremacy.   Simply said, it is a win-win situation for most players available to the competition.

As a result of the junior-aged player’s physical maturity and guidance in the financial aspects of the game, the tournament looses many of its would-be stars to the National Hockey League for the season.  This is especially true in recent years.  In theory, there is not much of a problem with that philosophy.  But when applied during a season in which the player is being under-utilized, the organization appears greedy and short-sighted.  For the player, it can be a rewarding experience on so many levels.  Domination against one’s peers, the process of coming together as a team with the opportunity to succeed, while mirroring national pride, can ultimately sew a winning attitude into the team’s system via that player’s experience.  One could argue that releasing a player to suit-up for their country to achieve such a prize can have a negative short-term effect on your team, but produce a better player in the future, paying lasting dividends.  This is especially true in a situation where the club is not under immediate pressure to produce a Stanley Cup.

For example, 2008 first-overall pick Steven Stamkos is contributing on a nightly basis for the Tampa Bay Lightning, with 14 points, and 10+ minutes a game.  Stamkos’ one goal in the past seven games and two points in the previous eleven, have many shaking their heads, wondering whether Stamkos was ready for the NHL.  Time will tell, but the wonderful forward himself may have been longing to lace them up again for Team Canada, especially after winning Gold last year in Pardubice in the Czech Republic.

To further the illustration, Colton Gillies was eligible to play for Team Canada this year, only the Minnesota Wild apparently have a policy in place that restricts players from joining their nation’s squad if they have experience at that level already.  GM Doug Risebrough told the Pioneer Press, "I've sent guys there who have never been to World Juniors, so it's their first shot, "with anyone who has been asked to come twice, I usually have declined. If they've been there, I decline."  This unyielding attitude seems to have all the elegance of a wounded shrew; though a little consideration must be reflected at the Wild’s standing at the moment - they sit tied for the last playoff position in the Western Conference.  While never thought of as a future top-level scorer in the NHL, Gillies has the tools to be an effective checker with leadership flair.  That could most definitely have been developed during the tournament, with Minnesota reaping the rewards of his second gold-medal winning performance.

One the other hand, the Vancouver Canucks were not expected to challenge for the North West Division crown this year, and sit just three points back of the Calgary Flames.  They thought it best to send 2008 first-round pick Cody Hodgson back to Head Coach Stan Butler in Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League.  Dominating shift after shift in the OHL, and putting the maple leaf on his chest for Team Canada this past tournament, saw the youngster thrive - when he could have had written a similar fate as Stamkos in Vancouver.  The Canucks wisely chose to not let the current roster situation impede Hodgson’s development and the savvy centre responded, leading the tournament in scoring, assists, and was named a First Team All-Star.  Confidence and situation can be great building blocks for a player. The Canucks may be more confident themselves in his stature coming into the next campaign.

A number of other players were eligible to suit up for a few teams, though Canada was the most notable.  This speaks to the exquisite depth of Hockey Canada.  One could argue that Evander Kane, Angelo Esposito, or Ryan Ellis would never have had a shot to lace them up if Joshua Bailey, Sam Gagner, Kyle Turris, Drew Doughty, or Luke Schenn were participating.  Fair enough, as Doughty and Gagner are already playing pivotal roles on their respective clubs.

Luca Sbisa, an Italian-born player who raised eyebrows at the beginning of the year by forging an opportunity on the blue line in Philadelphia, has played 15+ minutes per night and managed to make the most of his time with the Flyers as an eighteen year old.  Sbisa would certainly be a lock to make the Swiss National Team (not Italy) and is eligible to do so next year.  Switzerland will be in the First Division with the hockey powers next year in Saskatchewan, Canada. 

The holiday season brings those of us fortunate enough to be surrounded by loving individuals, showers of innumerable gifts and cheer.  We sit back and take in some of the finest spectacles of hockey prowess and desire all year.  We soak in the atmosphere and revel in the marvel of how our favourite team’s prospects are fairing, and how this country or that country may have a future Olympian or World Championship player.  It might just be that we could be thanking more of the NHL’s brass, and they might just have had occasion down the road, to look upon it favourably as well.

6 January 2009

Robin Keith Thompson