I hope everyone who celebrated the holiday had a Merry Xmas. With the Rangers off until Wednesday, I thought this would be a good time to take a quick look at the team's three prospects playing in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships being held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Two players are suiting up for Team USA with the third skating for Team Slovakia. What is initially mildly striking is that the Rangers only have three skaters in the tourney, as we have gotten used to seeing many more of the team's players taking part.
Best of luck at World Juniors to our #FutureBlue! pic.twitter.com/sUAc6GzNXw
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 26, 2023
Adam Sykora, New York's second round pick, 63rd overall in 2022, is Slovakia's captain. He is projected as a future checking line player in the NHL due to his high motor, which is evident in everything he does, and willingness to go to the dirty areas on the ice. The term energizer bunny fits perfectly for Sykora, but that doesn't tell his full story.
Sykora has shown a little more offense than expected, notching three goals and eight assists in 25 games for the Wolf Pack in the AHL. In no surprise, that production has largely come in front of the net and due to his energy on the ice. Just 5-foot-10, 179 pounds, Sykora plays much bigger than his size on the ice and his style of play makes him quite noticeable.
Slovakia opened the preliminary round against Czechia in the first game of the tourney at 6am on Tuesday with Sykora notching an assist in the 5-1 win. They will then play Switzerland on Wednesday, Norway on Friday and the United States on Sunday as they look to improve off their sixth-place finish last year, Once the tourney ends, Sykora will head back to Hartford.
Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue are suiting up for Team USA.
Perreault surprisingly slipped to 23rd in the draft last season where the Rangers were thrilled to select him. A freshman at Boston College, Perreault is in the midst of a fine first campaign for the Eagles, notching five goals with 20 assists in 17 games, tied for fourth in scoring in the NCAA. He has benefitted from some familiarity, skating at times on the left wing with Will Smith (Sharks’ fourth-overall pick in 2023) and Ryan Leonard (Capitals’ eighth-overall pick in 2023), former teammates of Perreault with the US National Development Team. That trio look to be the third line for Team USA in the tournament.
Perreault is known for his playmaking but his best attribute may be his hockey IQ and awareness on the ice. The latter two is what helps Perreault compensate for just average skating. Perreault uses his anticipation to be in the right place at the right time, giving him an edge over others, which allows him to process plays quicker.
Fortescue was a third-round pick in June, with the Blueshirts trading up a spot to nab him at pick No. 90 overall. A native of Pearl River, N.Y., Fortescue is a stay-at-home blueliner in the Ryan Lindgren mode with a bit more height. Fortescue has continued that style of play at BC, where he's posted four points (three goals and one assist) with a plus-eight rating in 17 games as a freshman
Team USA will use Fortescue in that manner. He should open the tournament on a defensive pair alongside Ryan Chesley (University of Minnesota, Capitals’ 37th-overall pick in 2022). That duo should either be USA's first or second pair and their play against high-profile, scoring lines will go a long way to help determining how well the squad does.
Coming off a disappointing bronze medal finish last year, the United States - viewed by many as pre-tournament favorites - will look to secure gold for the first time since 2021. Team USA opens against Norway today at 11 a.m. After taking on Switzerland Thursday, Team USA will face Czechia the next day and Slovakia the day after that. Team USA has medaled in six of the past eight World Junior Championships but been shut out in two of the last four.