Two Calgary Flames prospects were involved in USA Hockey’s World Junior Summer Showcase over the past week in Plymouth, Michigan. While one prospect had a short stay in camp, another did a good job making a case for a trip to the World Juniors.
Demetrios Koumontzis
Koumontzis had a wild week. He came into camp and played two games with Team White. He had two shots and a minor penalty between the two games. He didn’t play a ton, but didn’t stand out all that much for positive or negative reasons.
With Team USA going down to one roster for their international exhibition games against Canada, Sweden and Finland, Koumontzis was one of the cuts on July 29. Originally, he was to be the only member of the Arizona State University team heading to China for the Renaissance Cup in Beijing. But with his early exit from camp, he hopped on a plane and met his team in China for their tournament.
Koumontzis is a long shot to play in the World Juniors, but at least he got his feet wet in camp.
Dustin Wolf
In the mini-camp, Wolf played for Team White. He played one game during the first stage of camp (with two American teams), stopping 37 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Sweden.
He survived cuts and was one of three USA goalies on their main roster. He played twice and gave up six goals in four and a half periods. He made 18 saves in a 4-1 loss to Canada, then five saves in relief in a 6-5 loss to Finland.
Massive save by #Flames prospect – and the biggest steal of the draft – Dustin Wolf. He has been great over the past few days. #WJSS pic.twitter.com/gwLzsqhu8Q
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) July 30, 2019
It seems like the gig at the World Juniors backing up Spencer Knight is between Wolf and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Isaiah Saville. Considering Wolf was one of the last players taken at the NHL Draft in Vancouver, his showing in Plymouth should give him some confidence and momentum heading into WHL camp at the end of the month.
There weren’t any other Flames prospects on the other teams in Plymouth, though it seems likely that Ilya Nikolayev will get strong consideration for a spot on the Russian team due to his chemistry with Vasili Podkolzin. (The Russians usually go heavy on 19-year-olds, but Nikolayev may be good enough to force his way onto the team.)
