No Canadian hopefuls at the next World Junior Championship: it’s possible

In recent days, we’ve seen that Michael Hage has not been invited to Team Canada’s summer camp. The Canadian’s first-round pick in 2024 might well have deserved an invitation, we agree.

But is it the end of the world? No.

We agree that going to play in the U.S. works against him… and we also agree that the World Junior Championship is primarily a tournament for guys playing their age-19 season, not their age-18 season.

But it’s worth noting one thing: the Montreal Canadiens could be very poorly represented at the next World Junior Championship.

How badly? To the point where the Flanelle may have no hope of making the tournament.

At first, when I read Grant McCagg’s assertion in a recent tweet, I jumped. How can a rebuilding club like the Habs potentially have no hope at the WJC?

But basically, he’s right.

I had a major brain cramp yesterday. I thought Jacob Fowler was eligible for the next world junior and would be playing in this Summer Showcase. It slipped my mind that he is a late birthday. Apologies for the misinformation in the draftcast. This upcoming World Junior may have…

– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) July 20, 2024

When you look at it, it’s clear that circumstances are working against the Habs. For example? The fact that Russia and Austria won’t be at the World Junior Championship will prevent Ivan Demidov and David Reinbacher from going.

These are two players who are old enough to go… and as the #5 pick in the draft, the guys would have been there. However, Austria isn’t playing in the big leagues and Russia is sanctioned.

In reality, the 2024-2025 tournament will mainly serve as a showcase for the prospects drafted in 2023… and for the Habs, it’s not a big year in terms of CMJ.

Because Reinbacher is Austrian, because Alex Newhook cost the #31 and #37 picks and because Jacob Fowler is no longer eligible (he’ll be 20 on November 24), the 2023 crop isn’t exceptional in that sense at the top of the pyramid.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

All the youngsters drafted in 2022 (Lane Hutson, Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Juraj Slafkovsky, who didn’t go in the last two years because he was in the NHL) are now too old to go.

And the 2024 hopefuls, apart from Demidov and Hage, aren’t necessarily candidates right now.

Of course, that can all change quickly with a strong start to the season – especially in the case of Michael Hage… and perhaps Sam Harris, who did well last year – in the coming months. But right now, that’s what it’s all about.

What this means, apart from the fact that the club’s top prospects sometimes play for countries not represented at the CMJ, is that the habs’ youngsters are getting older and older.

Lane Hutson, Jacob Fowler, Joshua Roy, Justin Barron, Owen Beck, Kaiden Guhle, Filip Mesar, Emil Heineman, Adam Engstrom and Riley Kidney have all taken part in the tournament in recent years. Logan Mailloux had the talent to go there, but for the circumstances.

Let’s just say that the fact that the club’s prospect pool is a little older is a good sign: it means the guys are getting closer to helping the Canadiens bring home the Stanley Cup.