It’s almost that time of year. That time when we get super excited about a bunch of 18-20 year-old prospects playing hockey. The Under-20 Men’s World Junior Championships is right around the corner. That means rosters are starting to come out, beginning with Team Canada. While the final roster still needs some work, at least one member of the Lightning organization will be at their training camp.
On a roster that includes 11 first-round draft picks, the Lightning’s second round pick in 2023, Ethan Gauthier, will be competing for one of 25 spots for the tournament that begins on Boxing Day. Team Canada’s training camp begins on December 15th, with their first pre-tournament game scheduled for December 19th against Switzerland.
After putting up 71 points (36 goals, 35 assists) in 64 games last year for Drummondville, the 6’0″, 183 lb. forward is rolling with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 22 games. Gauthier is turning 20 shortly after the tournament (January 26th). Yes, he’s been productive this year, but it also helps that Team Canada’s Head Scout is none other than Al Murray, who was in charge of the Lightning’s scouting department when they drafted Gauthier in the second round.
Slovakia and the United States have also released their preliminary rosters, but unfortunately there were no Lightning prospects on either list. There was a chance that Jan Golicic could be on the roster, but the 18-year-old will have a shot at next year’s team. We are still waiting to hear about Finland’s initial roster, but there is a good chance that Joona Saarelainen could be on it. The shifty center has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) with KalPa this season as an 18-year-old.
