Winnipeg Jets World Junior Prospects: Day 1 Recap; Day 2 Preview

The World Junior Championship kicked off on Sunday and all four Winnipeg Jets prospects featured. Here’s a recap of their games and a preview of day two.

On the first day of the 2022 World Junior Championship, three of the four games featured Winnipeg Jets prospects.

The Jets have four prospects competing at this tournament and each one is representing a different country. Those prospects are Nikita Chibrikov (Russia), Daniel Torgersson (Sweden), Cole Perfetti (Canada), and Chaz Lucius (USA)

Here is our recap of all that happened with former Jets’ draft picks as they played in their first games of the WJC and a preview of the games featuring Winnipeg prospects on the second day.

Day 1 Recap

Russia (Chibrikov) vs Sweden (Torgersson)

Torgersson got the upper hand in the first battle between former Winnipeg draft picks and this was a fantastic game to watch. Sweden was able to hang on and beat Russia 6-3.

Sweden took a 4-1 lead with seventeen minutes left in the game, but then just a minute after Sweden scored their fourth goal,  Russia scored two goals within a minute to bring them within one of the lead. Ultimately Sweden was able to score their fifth goal with eight minutes remaining and they added an empty net goal in the final minute.

Torgersson added an assist on Sweden’s extremely important fifth goal and was on the ice for the empty netter. Although Torgersson only had one point in the contest, he led the game with a plus-3 plus/minus.

Chibrikov also had one point in the game. In the late stages of the second period, the Jets 2021 second-round draft choice had an assist on Russia’s first goal and also took a nasty high-stick to his face on the play.

As seen in the video above, the eighteen-year-old was sprawled on the ice and injured after the goal. Fortunately, he did return in the third period and finished the game.

Chibrikov finished the contest with 4 shots, 1 assist, and a plus-1 plus/minus in 15:23 of ice time.

Canada (Perfetti) vs Czechia

This game had a wild first period that included six goals. Canada took an early 1-0 lead, but then Czechia scored three unanswered to take an unlikely 3-1 lead. Canada then finished the period with two unanswered goals to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of one.

Cole Perfetti had a huge part in both of Canada’s second and third goals. On Canada’s second goal, Perfetti crashed the net for a rebound and knocked the goaltender back into his net. Then Owen Power released a shot from the point that caught Czechia’s goaltender by surprise.

On Canada’s third goal, Perfetti entered the offensive zone with the puck and took three opposition defenders with him. He then sent a beautiful backhand saucer pass to Donovan Sebrango who was wide open in the slot. Sebrango then fired a shot past the goaltender to tie the game.

Canada then started to run away with the game in the second period. Canada got an extended five-on-three powerplay because three different Czechia players took minor penalties. Power completed his hat trick with two goals on the man advantage and Perfetti had an assist on both goals to extend Canada’s lead to 5-3 at the end of two periods.

Canada was able to add one more goal in the third period to win by a final score of 6-3. Perfetti finished the game with three assists, three shots, and a plus-two plus/minus in 19:43 of ice time. Perfetti led Canada in plus/minus and all forwards in time on ice.

USA (Lucius) vs Slovakia

In the final game of the day in Alberta, the United States began their Gold Medal defense with a  3-2 win over Slovakia.

The United States dominated and controlled the first two periods of this contest and took a commanding 3-0 lead into the third period.

Slovakia found their game at the start of the third and threw everything they had at the U.S. net. Eventually, Slovakia scored early in the third and pulled themselves within two goals of the Americans’ lead. Then within under three minutes left, Slovakia found the back of the net again to make the game 3-2 but the U.S. stood strong in the dying stages of the game to deny Slovakia’s comeback and start the tournament off with a win.

Lucius played on the fourth line and was on the ice for the U.S.A.’s third goal. The 2021 first-round draft pick crashed the Slovakia net with Landon Slaggert and caused havoc on an ensuing shot. Slaggert then found the rebound and slotted the puck into a wide-open net.

Lucius’ 13 shifts against Slovakia were the second-lowest amount of shifts played among all American players. The eighteen-year-old did not register any points in the game but had a plus-one plus/minus and was tied for the team lead with five shots.

Day 2 Preview

Monday, December 27

Both Chibrikov and Torgersson will be back in action on the second day of the tournament, while Perfetti and Lucius will have an off day.

At 3:30 p.m. CT, Chibrikov and Russia will be seeking their first win as they take on Switzerland, who did not play yesterday. Then at 8:30 p.m. CT, Torgersson and Sweden will look for back-to-back wins as they face off against Slovakia.

Viewers located in the United States can watch these games on the NHL Network, while these games will be available on TSN for viewers in Canada.

Winnipeg Jets Fans: Which Winnipeg Jets prospect impressed you the most on the first day of the WJC? Leave your comments below!

*All Stats Provided by the IIHF*