After Zayne Parekh was an early cut much to the chagrin of many Calgary Flames fans, only one Flame prospect is attending the annual event hosted in Ottawa this year – Sweden’s Axel Hurtig. The 19-year-old left-shot defenceman was selected in the seventh-round of the 2023 draft and has two goals and seven points in 28 games with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.

There are 27 players who have played a game for the Flames this season, with 16 of them playing in at least one World Junior Championship tournament. Shockingly, both Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar never participated in the tournament, and neither did Blake Coleman. Other players who’ve played for the Flames this season with a WJC appearance are Justin Kirkland, Danill Miromanov, Kevin Rooney, Ryan Lomberg, Brayden Pachal, Walker Duehr, Adam Klapka, and Joel Hanley.

Let’s take a look at how the 16 players did at their tournament(s), along with how their team did!

Mikael Backlund

Starting with the longest-tenure Flame, Mikael Backlund played in two World Junior Champions in 2008 and 2009.

The 2008 tournament was held in Czechia, with Backlund scoring three goals and seven points in six games. Sweden’s first win was against Slovakia on Boxing Day 2007, with Backlund being held off the score sheet. In Sweden’s second game, a 10-1 thumping over Scandinavian rival Denmark, he scored not just one, but two shorthanded goals.

Sweden’s next game was against Canada, with the European team winning 4-3, essentially clinching the group. A 4-2 victory over Czechia on New Year’s Eve solidified the group, giving them a bye to the semifinals. There, they defeated Team Russia 2-1, with Backlund scoring the overtime goal to send them to the Gold Medal game.

Unfortunately for Sweden, they fell to Team Canada in the Gold Medal game, as Matt Halischuk scored the Golden Goal for Canada’s fourth consecutive Gold Medal.

Backlund returned to the World Junior Championship the following season, scoring five goals and seven points in six games. Ironically, the 2009 WJC was the last one held in the Nation’s capital.

Sweden was in the opposite group this tournament and opened it with a win over Nordic rivals, Team Finland by winning 3-1. Backlund scored the empty net goal, giving them the win. Their next game was against Team Slovakia, with Backlund scoring the game-winning goal with just over five minutes left in the first period.

Team Sweden’s next game was another 10-1 thumping in which Backlund didn’t pick up a goal. On New Year’s Eve 2008, they defeated Team Russia 5-0 to clinch the Group, with Backlund scoring the fourth goal of the game. With another bye to the semifinals, Team Slovakia shockingly defeated Team USA in the quarterfinals, meaning Canada got the hard game against Team Russia. In Sweden’s 5-3 victory over Slovakia, Backlund scored twice to send them to another Gold Medal game.

On the other side, Team Canada was looking to match the tournament record of five consecutive Gold Medals. They were down to their dying breath against Team Russia, as they had the net pulled and the puck in the offensive zone in the final minute. With just 6.4 seconds left on the clock, Jordan Eberle scored to tie the game. Canada won in a shootout, setting up a rematch with Team Sweden.

Once again, Sweden fell to Canada in the Gold Medal game, as P.K. Subban scored 38 seconds into the game before Canada took a 3-0 lead early in the third period. Jakim Andersson was the only goal scorer for Sweden, but two empty net goals sealed Team Sweden’s fate.

Nazem Kadri

In the history of the World Junior Championship, Canada is the only team to win five consecutive Gold Medals. In 2009, they matched their run from the 1993 WJC to the 1997 WJC and were looking to break their own record in the 2010 WJC.

One Flame player played Team Canada’s 2010 roster, Nazem Kadri. In the tournament, he scored three goals and eight points in six games, with Canada reaching the Gold Medal game once again. They started off with a bang, defeating Team Latvia 16-0, with Kadri scoring twice in that game. Canada won their next game, a 6-0 victory over Team Switzerland, with Kadri scoring his final goal in the tournament before they defeated Team Slovakia 8-2.

In the annual New Year’s Eve matchup, this time against Team USA, Brandon Kozun scored the overtime goal, clinching the group for Team Canada and sending them directly to the semifinals. They put up another six goals in a 6-1 victory over Team Switzerland, before facing Team USA in the Gold Medal game.

Early in the second period, Canada tied the game at three, sending the teams deadlocked and heading into the second intermission. Team USA scored two rapid-fire goals in two minutes and 11 seconds to give them a 5-3 lead. With less than three minutes left, Jordan Eberle scored to bring Canada within one, before scoring with a minute and 35 seconds to send the game to overtime. Yes, he did it in two straight tournaments.

These two goals aren’t nearly as memorable as his goal from the 2008 tournament, because John Carlson scored in overtime, ending Canada’s bid for a sixth consecutive Gold Medal. The most consecutive Gold Medals Team Canada has won since then is just two, but more on that later.

Tyson Barrie

Tyson Barrie has only played nine games for the Flames this season, but the 2009 third-round pick played in seven games at the 2011 WJC for Team Canada.

Unlike in years past, Team Canada had a tough matchup on Boxing Day, as they faced Team Russia. Fortunately, they defeated them 6-3 thanks to three third period goals, with Barrie being held off the score sheet. Their second game, this time against Czechia, was much simpler, as they defeated them 7-2, with Tyson Barrie scoring his only goal of the tournament and picking up an assist.

Team Canada’s next game was the annual thumping of the worst team in the group, a 10-1 victory over Norway, with Barrie picking up an assist. To wrap up the group stage, Canada lost 6-5 in a shootout to Sweden, meaning they had to play in the quarterfinals. It was an easy victory for Canada, as they defeated Team Switzerland 4-1, setting up a rematch of the 2010 Gold Medal game against Team USA.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a fight from the Americans, as Canada defeated them 4-1. At least Team Switzerland had an early lead in their game. In the Gold Medal game, they matched up against Team Russia, who they had beaten in their first game.

It looked as if they were coasting to a win, as Ryan Ellis scored five minutes into the game, before Carter Ashton and Brayden Schenn scored two more to give Canada a 3-0 lead heading into the third period. Then, disaster struck, as Russia scored two quick goals just 13 seconds apart early in the period. They tied it five minutes later, before taking the lead and scoring an insurance goal with less than five minutes left.

Canada was less than 20 minutes away from getting their hands on the Gold Medal but fell short. They were riding high from 2005 to 2009, but this started one of their lowest points in the tournament’s history.

Jonathan Huberdeau

Hey look, another painful World Junior Championship, this time, featuring Jonathan Huberdeau. Like Backlund, he participated in two WJC, the 2012 WJC and the 2013 WJC. In his first tournament, he scored a goal and nine points, before potting three goals and nine points the following year.

Huberdeau scored his only goal of the 2012 WJC in the first game, while also picking up four assists in an 8-1 thumping over Team Finland. Their second game saw them shutout Czechia 5-0, with Huberdeau picking up one assist. Huberdeau also picked up a lone assist in Canada’ 10-2 defeat over Denmark in their third game, before a 3-2 victory over the United States on New Year’s Eve. Once again, Huberdeau picked up an assist in that game, as Canada clinched their group.

Unlike previous years, Canada didn’t play for the Gold Medal, even though they put in their best effort. With just 12 minutes left in the third period, Nikita Kucherov of Team Russia scored to make it 6-1 for Russia. Canada attempted a late come back, scoring four unanswered goals to make it 6-5 with over five minutes left in the period, but they were unable to score the game-tying goal. Where’s Jordan Eberle when you need him?

Thankfully, Team Canada was able to keep their Medal streak alive, as they defeated Finland 4-0 in the Bronze Medal Game.

The same cannot be said for the 2013 WJC Team Canada, as for the first time since the 1998 WJC, they failed to medal. Thanks to the 2012-13 National Hockey League lockout, Team Canada was rather stacked, with the team winning their first game 9-3 against Germany thanks to Huberdeau’s goal and two assists.

In Canada’s 6-3 victory over Slovakia, Huberdeau picked up an assist, as he did in their 2-1 victory over Team USA in their third game. Against Russia on New Year’s Eve, Huberdeau scored an empty net goal and picked up an assist as Team Canada won 4-0 to clinch the group, sending them to the semifinals.

It didn’t go well, as Team USA got off to a 4-0 lead, with the late great Johnny Gaudreau scoring the third goal. Ty Rattie scored in the third period, but Gaudreau iced the game with a goal with just over four minutes remaining.

In the Bronze Medal game, Huberdeau scored a goal and an assist, with the game tied at five apiece after regulation. It didn’t take long for Team Russia to win the Bronze Medal though, as Valeri Nichushkin scored less than two minutes into the game to snap Canada’s medal streak.

Anthony Mantha

The Flame that represented Team Canada in the 2014 WJC was Anthony Mantha, who may go down as only playing 13 games with the team. However, he had a terrific tournament, scoring five goals and 11 points in seven games.

He got off to a great start in a 7-2 victory over Team Germany, as he scored a hat trick. In the following game, a 5-4 shootout loss to Team Czechia, he picked up two assists, followed by a one goal, three assists game in Canada’s 5-3 victory over Slovakia. On the New Year’s Eve game against Team USA, he picked up an assist to help lead Canada to a 3-2 victory.

Unlike previous tournaments, winning the group didn’t give you an automatic bye to the semifinals, as the playoffs expanded to eight teams. In the quarterfinals, Mantha scored on a penalty shot in what was a 4-1 victory over Team Switzerland.

Unfortunately, Canada’s dreams of winning the Gold Medal were dashed in a 5-1 loss to Team Finland, sending them to their third straight Bronze Medal game. For the second consecutive tournament, Team Canada failed to medal as they fell 2-1 to Team Russia.

Daniel Vladař

Canada returned to the podium in the 2015 WJC, winning the Gold Medal for the first time since 2009. However, no current Flame played on that team.

However, Czechian netminder Daniel Vladař served as one of the three goalies on that nation’s roster, but didn’t get into a game. In their first game, Czechia lost 5-2 to Team Sweden, followed by a 5-2 loss to Team Switzerland. They defeated Team Denmark in their third game, before a big victory against Russia on New Year’s Eve. Backup netminder Miroslav Svoboda started that game.

Svoboda also started their quarterfinal game, a 3-0 loss against Slovakia, sending Team Czechia home early. Unfortunately, this was the only time Vladař made the team’s roster.

Andrei Kuzmenko

Team Russia may not be playing in the WJC for the foreseeable future, but before geopolitics saw them and Belarus removed from the tournament, they were one of the better teams in the annual event. In 2016, the tournament was held in Helsinki, with Andrei Kuzmenko playing for Russia.

Overall, he was held pointless in seven games, picking up a penalty, and was a +1. As for how Russia did, they won 2-1 in a shoot-out over Czechia, followed by a 6-4 victory over Team Finland in their second game. The following day, the defeated Belarus 4-1, before a 2-1 victory over Slovakia on New Year’s Eve.

In the quarterfinals, they defeated Denmark 4-3 in overtime, before a massive 2-1 victory over Team USA in the semifinals. Their run came to an end in the Gold Medal game, as Kasperi Kapanen scored the Gold Goal in overtime to give Russia a Silver Medal.

This tournament marked the first time since 1998 that Team Canada didn’t play for a Medal.

Yegor Sharangovich

In the same tournament, Belarus’ Yegor Sharangovich was attempting to help his team avoid relegation. It didn’t go great, as Sharangovich scored a goal in the six games his team played.

Belarus fell 6-0 in their first game to Team Finland, 4-2 to Team Slovakia, 4-1 to Team Russia, and 5-3 to Team Czechia. Sharangovich scored in the final game, but after losing four games, Belarus was sent to the best-of-three relegation round against Switzerland.

It wasn’t even particularly close, as Belarus fell 5-1 in the first game and 6-2 in the second game, sending them to Division I, Group A. In the 2017 tournament, a round-robin featuring six teams, Sharangovich and Belarus finished with a 4-0-1-0 record (one overtime loss), edging out Team Germany to return to the WJC in 2018. Sharangovich picked up two assists in five games.

Sharangovich, now 19 years old, had a much better tournament in 2018, as he scored three goals and five points in six games. While they lost all four games again and were relegated, Belarus was far more competitive in this tournament.

In their opening loss to Team Sweden, Sharangovich scored the lone goal on the penalty kill. Their second game saw them fall 3-2 to Team Switzerland, before a 5-2 loss to Russia in their third game. On New Year’s Eve, they played Team Czechia, falling 6-5 where Sharangovich scored twice.

Belarus had no chance against Switzerland in the 2016 relegation round, but their best-of-three against Team Denmark was a lot closer. After leading 4-2 in the third period of the first game, Denmark stormed back with three unanswered goals, two of which came in the final minute. Sharangovich picked up two assists in this game.

Denmark led the second game 2-0 at one point before Belarus potted two quick goals midway through the third period to send it to a shootout. Unfortunately, Sharangovich missed his shootout attempt, with Belarus eventually losing the game. They haven’t returned to the main tournament since.

Jake Bean

Moving back a year to 2017, the only current Flame participating in that tournament was defenceman Jake Bean, who also played in the 2018 tournament. In 2017, he picked up two assists in seven games, followed by three assists in the following tournament.

Starting with Team Canada’s 2017 tournament, the annual event was hosted in Toronto and Montréal. Canada opened it off right, with a 5-3 victory over Team Russia, a 5-0 victory over Team Slovakia, and a 10-2 victory over Team Latvia. Unfortunately, they fell 3-1 to Team USA in the New Year’s Eve game. Bean didn’t pick up a point in the round-robin.

Canada defeated Team Czechia in the quarterfinals, meaning they’d play for a Medal at the very least. After a 5-2 victory over Team Sweden in the semifinals, with Bean getting an assist on the game-winning goal, Canada was set to face Team USA in the Gold Medal game.

The game was deadlocked at four after regulation, with Bean picking up another assist in the third period. Overtime didn’t solve anything, meaning the Gold Medal game was decided by a shootout, gross. Of the 10 shooters, only one scored, as Troy Terry was the only one who was able to hit twine.

Bean also picked up three assists in the 2018 WJC, as Canada picked up their 17th Gold Medal.

Martin Pospíšil

The 2019 WJC also saw one current Flame play in the tournament, Martin Pospíšil for Team Slovakia. Pospíšil only picked two assists and six penalty minutes in the tournament.

It wasn’t a great tournament for Slovakia, as they finished with a 1-3-0-0 record (three regulation losses), just enough to make it to the playoff rounds. Their only win was an 11-2 victory over Kazakhstan, with Pospíšil picking up an assist 32 seconds into the game. Slovakia lost 2-1 to Team USA, 5-2 to Team Sweden, and 5-1 to Team Finland.

In the quarterfinals, they fell 8-3 to Team Russia, with the Russians leading 7-0 after the second period. Pospíšil assisted on Martin Fehérváry’s goal with just over 16 minutes left in the game, but it was way too little, far too late.

Kevin Bahl

Two different current Flames played in the 2020 World Juniors, Kevin Bahl for Team Canada and Dustin Wolf for Team USA. We’ll start with the former, as the left-shot defenceman picked up an assist in seven games.

Team Canada opened their tournament against Team USA, defeating them 6-4, before a 6-0 victory over Team Russia. In Canada’s 4-1 victory over Team Germany, Bahl picked up his only point on the opening goal, before Canada defeated Team Czechia 7-2 on New Year’s Eve.

The quarterfinals and the semifinals were a breeze for Canada, as they defeated Team Slovakia 6-1 in the former and Team Finland 5-0 in the latter, setting up a Gold Medal game against Team Russia.

Russia opened the scoring midway through the second period and eventually took a 3-1 lead. However, Canada fired back with two goals in 2:01 minutes, before Robert Thomas scored with just under four minutes left in the game for Canada’s 18th Gold Medal.

Dustin Wolf

Dustin Wolf didn’t start the game against Canada, but started the game against Team Germany, with his team winning 6-3. Spencer Knight returned to the net for Team USA’s 3-1 victory over Russia, along with Team USA winning their next game 4-3 over Team Czechia.

Knight only allowed one goal to Team Finland in the quarterfinal game, but Team USA was unable to score, as they were sent home early with no chance to medal. The same cannot be said for the 2021 tournament.

The 2021 WJC was hosted in Edmonton in the bubble format. Team USA lost their first game 5-3 to Team Russia, as Spencer Knight started the game and allowed four goals on 12 shots. Wolf came in and saved all 11 shots he faced.

Team USA turned to Wolf in the second game and he saved all 10 shots he faced in an 11-0 victory over Team Austria. Knight returned to the net for Game 3, posting a 22-save shutout over Team Czechia. Team USA registered another shutout in their final game of the group stage, a 4-0 victory over Team Sweden with Knight picking up the shutout.

Like the year before, Knight started each of the playoff round games, as Team USA won 5-2 against Team Slovakia, 4-3 over Team Finland, and 2-0 over Team Canada to win the Gold Medal. Yes, Team USA had four shutouts in seven games, no wonder why they won the Gold Medal.

Jakob Pelletier and Connor Zary

The only time two current Flames were teammates in a WJC tournament was in 2021, as Connor Zary and Jakob Pelletier each played with Team Canada in 2021. Pelletier scored three goals and seven points in seven games, while Zary picked up two assists in seven games.

Their first game was a blowout, as Team Canada stomped Team Germany 16-2, with Pelletier picking up a lone point in this game. Canada’s next game was a 3-1 victory over Team Slovakia, before thrashing Team Switzerland 10-0. Pelletier scored twice and picked up an assist, with Zary assisting on his first goal. The final game of the group stage saw Canada defeat Team Finland 4-1, with Pelletier and Zary each picking up an assist.

In the quarterfinals, both the current Flames were held off the score sheet as Canada defeated Team Czechia 3-0. However, the semifinals saw Pelletier pick up two assists in a 5-0 victory over Team Russia, which was the final game Russia has played in the WJC. Unfortunately, Canada lost 2-0 to Team USA in the Gold Medal game.

Matt Coronato

The 2022 WJC was a weird one, as it was cancelled in late 2021 – early 2022 due to COVID. In Aug. 2022, the tournament returned, with Matt Coronato being the only current Flame in the tournament, playing for Team USA. Overall, he finished with four goals and seven points in five games.

The opening day saw Team USA defeat Team Germany 5-1, with Coronato picking up an assist. He scored his first goal of the tournament in their second game, a 7-1 victory over Team Switzerland, before picking up a goal and an assist in Team USA’s 7-0 victory over Team Austria. Their final game of the group stage was a 3-2 victory over Team Sweden, with Coronato scoring twice.

However, Team USA once again lost in the quarterfinals, as Team Czechia pulled off a shock victory, defeating Coronato and the United States 4-2 to move on to the semifinals. Coronato picked up an assist in this game.

Samuel Honzek

Lastly, we have Samuel Honzek, the Flames’ 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Of the 16 players I’ve written about, he’s the only player to have played in three different World Junior Championships. The 20-year-old played for Team Slovakia in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

His first tournament saw him play four games with four penalty minutes while being held pointless. It was a similar 2023 tournament for Honzek, as he was held pointless in two games. In the 2024 tournament, he scored three times and picked up an assist in five games.

The 2022 tournament was a rough one for Slovakia, as they finished 0-1-0-3 (one overtime win, three regulation losses), missing the playoff rounds. The 2023 tournament was better for Slovakia, finishing with two wins, one overtime loss, and one regulation loss. Unfortunately, Honzek was cut by a skate in the second game of the tournament and missed six months. Slovakia fell 4-3 in overtime to Team Canada in the quarterfinals.

Honzek was healthy for the 2024 WJC, picking up the first goal of his career in the tournament early in the third period in a 6-2 victory over Czechia. He also had an assist in this game. Honzek scored again in their 3-0 win over Switzerland, before another goal against Norway in a game which Team Slovakia won 8-4. Slovakia lost the New Year’s Eve game 10-2 to the United States.

For the second consecutive year, Team Slovakia fell 4-3 in overtime in the quarterfinals, this time to Team Finland.

Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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