The Vancouver Canucks will have only one prospect participating at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. Over the last week, participating countries have cut down their rosters in order to finalize the list of players that will take part in the world’s biggest junior hockey tournament.
Despite ten teams being present in Edmonton and Red Deer for the championships, all of which will be carrying excessively large rosters of 23+ players, the Canucks will have one lone participant in Dmitry Zlodeyev.
Zlodeyev, a 5’11” left-handed centremen, was a 6th round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by Vancouver, taken at 175th overall. Despite being on the outside looking inwards during training camp, and being excluded in a majority of roster projections, Zlodeyev was able to crack Russia’s 25 man roster, in what was the first squad selected by new Russian coach and ex-NHL player Sergei Zubov.
Congrats to #Canucks prospect Dmitry Zlodeyev on being named to Team Russia for the #WorldJuniors. https://t.co/LEHyaBH9Pz
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 14, 2021
Zlodeyev is likely to occupy a fourth line centremen role for Russia, if he even makes the starting lineup for game days. This is an enormous step in the career of the young Canucks prospects, who stands a minute chance of ever making the NHL level. If he is able to earn some playing time and make a name for himself, Zlodeyev may earn a chance in Abbotsford next season with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate.
Finally, Dmitry Zlodeyev scored on a power play by keeping his stick on the ice in the slot and redirecting a hard pass from the side boards. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/a4W8eQUL9A
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 8, 2020
After being in and out of the HC Spartak Moscow roster, Zlodeyev has only played two games in the KHL this season, registering zero points, having a plus/minus of +1.
Vancouver would’ve obviously been hoping and probably expecting some more prospects to make their respective nations rosters for the World Juniors, however some bubble players such as Jacob Truscott were left out in favour of others.
There was some questions and surprise within the Canucks fanbase over the topic of having only one prospect representing the franchise at the World Juniors. This fact does point to a subpar prospect pyramid that Vancouver currently possesses, but does justify and prove how incompetent the drafting has been by the Canucks previous front office regime. If this is not an immediate call to action regarding the youth development within the organization, then nothing will be.
The drafting and development of prospects through the NHL Entry Draft has to be of top priority for Jim Rutherford and whoever the Canucks incoming general manager may be.
What are your thoughts on the Canucks current prospect pool? What positions will they need to address in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft? Let us know your thoughts and feelings down below in the comment section!