Today marks the beginning of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships. As they are this year’s hosts, Vancouver Canucks fans are going to look at this tournament more closely, especially because of Quinn Hughes.
It’s my favourite time of the year. The World Junior Championships begin today and Vancouver Canucks fans are going to get a first hand look at their top prospect. I always forget how much smaller hockey is for our friends below the border (relatively speaking).
Instead of a grand announcement, USA Hockey revealed the captains of their U20 World Junior team in a video posted late on Christmas Eve. Quinn Hughes will be one of the alternate captains, embracing a bigger leadership role from last year.
In addition to his incredible skill set and skating ability, Hughes isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. While I don’t ever want to see our younger players get injured from fighting, he was doing it for a good reason. It’s good to know that he will stand up when someone tries to hurt one of his teammates (including his brother).
Hughes may be on the smaller side, but he doesn’t let that get in the way. Do I want Quinn to fight in the NHL? Absolutely not. But, it looks like the team has found another young player who will stick together with the future core. Character can be an overrated trait, but the Canucks have drafted players who have it in spades and are pretty good at playing hockey.
For our fans on the Island, enjoy seeing Quinn Hughes live. If you can’t be in Victoria, don’t worry. Team USA plays Slovakia at 3:30 pm today and will be broadcasted on TSN 2. Team Canada plays Denmark at 5:00 pm at Rogers Arena and the game will be on TSN.
You’ll get to see Hughes and Tyler Madden lace the skates for Team USA, Michael DiPietro for Team Canada (it is confirmed he will start) and Toni Utunen on Team Finland. As a Canadian, you can feel conflicted. Does all your support get behind Quinn Hughes or do you stick with National pride?
It’s an interesting decision, but at the end of it all, I just want to see our prospects excel, win or lose. But, if Canada and the US play in the Gold Medal game, well then it gets tricky. I’ll default to the Red and White, but if that game could go to overtime with Hughes putting on a show of offensive dominance and Canada winning, that would be a dream come true. Whatever happens, I can’t wait.