The IIHF announced on Feb. 17 that the previously-canceled World Junior Championship would be rescheduled for this coming August. The tournament is still set to be held in Alberta.
It's looking likely that the Russian team won't be part of it, though.
The IIHF on Monday announced that all Russian and Belarusian national teams are suspended from participation in every age category and in all IIHF competitions or events until further notice, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship that was scheduled to take place in Novosibirsk, Russia from Dec. 26, 2022 to Jan. 5 2023 will be relocated.
The only Penguins prospect this impacts is Russian forward prospect Kirill Tankov, who was likely to play in the World Juniors in August. He had made Russia's roster for the initial attempt at holding the tournament in December.
The IIHF isn't the first international governing body to issue similar sanctions. FIFA hasn't yet banned Russia from international soccer tournaments, but did ban Russia from playing World Cup qualifying matches.
If you ask me, banning the Russian national teams from prestigious international tournaments like these is the right move. No reason to give Russia the opportunity to have its national teams play for their country right now, especially in hockey.
“There are a lot of sports, but hockey probably hits Putin the hardest,” IIHF Vice President Bob Nicholson told Sportsnet. “He learned to play hockey himself so he could be around the hockey people.”
Some people -- such as former goaltender Dominik Hasek -- have called for the suspension of all Russians from the NHL. The CHL (which includes the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL) is expected to meet on Wednesday and discuss how to handle the situation, with one possible outcome being the banning of Russians from the coming import draft.
Banning the Russian teams from international tournaments makes sense. But there is a difference between Team Russia and individual Russian players.
I'm not so sure if banning individual players from participating in leagues in North America is the right move, if only because it doesn't seem like it would accomplish what the people suggesting it hope it would accomplish. It would only strengthen the KHL, which is already the No. 2 hockey league in the world. You don't think Vladimir Putin and all the KHL teams run by oligarchs or state-run organizations want their best players at home, adding even more prestige to that league and those teams? We're all aware of what it took to get Evgeni Malkin out of there back in 2006. Sending those players back home only punishes the players, not the country.
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Here's how the Penguins' prospects in junior, college, and Europe did this week:
FORWARDS
Raivis Ansons
Position: Right wing/left wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 9 goals, 22 assists
Ansons scored a goal and an assist in three games this week. He picked up his own rebound attempt for the goal:
(Disregard the play-by-play. It's Ansons taking the shot).
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 31 games, 5 goal, 5 assists
Broz scored a goal and two assists in two games.
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-3/207
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 33 games, 9 goal, 7 assists
Caulfield added two goals and an assist in two games. Both goals came in the same game:
His second goal that night was a shorthanded tally, his second shorthanded goal of the season:
Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-3/199
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Team: Princeton University (NCAA)
Season totals: 26 games, 2 goal, 3 assist
Gorman was scoreless in three games.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Center/right wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Season totals: 40 games, 20 goals, 30 assists
Svejkovsky played in three games and recorded an assist.
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 10 goals, 11 assists (regular season), 4 games, 1 goal, 1 assist (playoffs)
The VHL playoffs are underway, and Tankov's SKA-Neva team is 3-1 in its opening series. He's recorded a goal and an assist in the postseason so far:
Tankov was elevated to second-line center.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-11/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Team: Providence College (NCAA)
Season totals: 36 games, 5 goal, 6 assists
Yoder scored a goal and an assist in two games:
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-9/163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 2 games (Mestis)
Airola missed the start of the Liiga season with a lower-body injury. His team announced on Oct. 14 that Airola underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 6-8 months.
Niclas Almari
Size: 6-1/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2016, fifth round
Team: Lukko (Liiga)
Season totals: 11 games, 1 goal, 1 assist (AHL), 6 games, 4 assists (ECHL), 3 games (Liiga)
Lukko resumed play after having games delayed due to COVID protocols. Almari was scoreless in two games.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 40 games, 4 goal, 20 assists
Belliveau recorded two assists in three games.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 25 games, 2 assists
Laatsch remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 47 games, 6 goals, 17 assists
McCleary was scoreless in two games.
Clayton Phillips
Size: 6-0/195
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, third round
Team: Penn State University (NCAA)
Season totals: 31 games, 5 goal, 7 assists
Phillips was scoreless in one game.
Phillips is one of three Penn State players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, awarded annually to the top player in college hockey. Voting is here and runs through March 6.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-1/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Team: Karpat (Liiga), Hermes (Mestis)
Season totals: 15 games, 1.31 GAA, .941 SV% (Liiga), 4 games, 2.26 GAA, .882 SV% (Mestis)
Blomqvist played in two games this week. His first was a relief appearance in which he stopped 14 of 15 shots after entering the game late in the first period. He played in Karpat's next game and stopped 23 of 24 shots to earn in a win.
Calle Clang
Size: 6-2/176
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, third round
Team: Rogle (SHL)
Season totals: 12 games, 2.38 GAA, .907 SV%
Clang played in one game and made 24 saves on 26 shots in a win. He's now won his last four appearances.
