It's become as much a rite of the holiday season as jamming along to Mariah Carey and sipping eggnog by a roaring fire.
The IIHF World Junior Championship has become one of the biggest events on the hockey calendar, with the Under-20 international tournament matching up the best young talent in the world with national pride on the line.
It’s a tournament of twists and turns, dramatic wins and heartbreak losses. And this season, two players who were drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2023 will be taking part.
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Forward Luca Pinelli will be on the home team, as Canada is hosting this year’s event in the capital city of Ottawa, while goaltender Melvin Strahl will represent Sweden at the competition that runs from today through Jan. 5.
Not only is Pinelli competing on home soil, he’s doing it in the city in which he plays junior hockey – and with his Ottawa 67s head man Dave Cameron serving as Canada’s coach. Cameron is quote familiar with the game that has allowed Pinelli to place third in the Ontario Hockey League in goals both last season (48 tallies) and this year (21 in 26 games) when he left the 67s for Canada’s selection camp, but he’s no homer pick.
“His hockey speaks for itself,” Cameron told the OHL’s official website. “He’s a special kid in terms of coming in every day with a smile on his face, he’s a great teammate, he loves hockey. I told him when the invitation came in the summer, I told him the invitation came in December, and I told him when he made this team, he isn’t here because of me. That’s quite clear. He made this team because he’s a hell of a hockey player.”
The CBJ fourth-round draft pick brings goal-scoring touch, fire and intensity to the game, which has allowed him to post a combined 69-50-119 line in 94 games for the 67s since being drafted by the Blue Jackets.
PIPELINE PODCAST PRES. BY RUOFF MORTGAGE: FloHockey analyst Chris Peters breaks down the CBJ prospects at the World Juniors
Pinelli noted that being informed he’d get to take part in a tournament that means so much in his country was something he’ll never forget.
“It was obviously an unbelievable moment, it felt amazing,” Pinelli said of finding out he made Team Canada. “It has to be one of the best moments of my life.”
As for Strahl, the fifth-round draft pick is off to an excellent start this season with Youngstown of the United States Hockey League, the top junior league here in America. In his first season with the Phantoms just up the road in the Buckeye State, Strahl is 12-7-0 with a 2.38 GAA and .902 save percentage.
November’s USHL goalie of the month, Strahl finished that month with a five-game stretch in which he posted two shutouts, allowed just four goals and had a .964 save percentage.
He told Blue Jackets broadcaster Dylan Tyrer on the Pipeline Podcast earlier in December that he was thrilled to be chosen to represent his country.
“Obviously that’s awesome,” Strahl said. “It’s a childhood dream, and I’ve dreamt of it since I was growing up. Me and my family always watched the World Juniors; most of the time we have to wake up at midnight to watch due to the time difference, but we always watch the World Juniors. Obviously making the roster is a huge accomplishment, and I’m really happy.”
A native of Sollefteå, Sweden, Strahl has come up through the Swedish system with MoDo, where he had a .903 save percentage for the U-20 team a season ago. He is committed to play college hockey at Michigan State and is the first CBJ drafted goalie to play in the World Juniors since Daniil Tarasov represented Russia in 2018-19.
Preliminary action begins today, with Sweden taking on Slovakia at noon and Canada hosting Finland at 7:30 p.m. Round-robin action continues through New Year’s Eve, with the quarterfinals set for Jan. 2, semifinals on Jan. 4 and the medal games on Jan. 5.
Five More To Watch
In addition to Pinelli and Strahl, there have been a number of Blue Jackets draft picks who have stood out so far this season both in the minor leagues, junior hockey, college hockey and overseas.
Here are five prospects who have caught our attention during the first half of the season.
Denton Mateychuk: The first-round pick in 2022 made his NHL debut Monday, and it’s fair to say his call-up from AHL Cleveland to The Show was more than deserved. Mateychuk dominated junior hockey a year ago, and his first season in the pros has been more of the same, as he led American Hockey League defensemen in goals (nine) and assists (25) at the time of his recall. Mateychuk, 20, nearly made the Blue Jackets out of training camp and appears set to be a mainstay for years to come on the Columbus blue line thanks to his smooth skating, hockey sense and burgeoning offensive skills.
Luca Del Bel Belluz: While Mateychuk has paced AHL defenders this year, Del Bel Belluz has been among overall league leaders in his second pro season, posting a 16-15-31 line to place third among AHL goal scorers and tie for third in points. The 21-year-old center’s season included a stretch of nine goals in seven games in late November and early December, and Del Bel Belluz appears close to being a potential impact player at the NHL level. A second-round pick in 2022, Del Bel Belluz made his NHL debut in the season finale last season and scored a goal.
Luca Marrelli: The Jackets’ third-round pick in this past summer’s draft also could have been in consideration for Team Canada’s World Juniors squad given how well he’s played thus far for Oshawa of the OHL. Marrelli is second among all league defensemen in goals (14) and points (44) through 34 games, trailing only first-round pick Sam Dickinson, and the 19-year-old has been a major engine for a Generals team leading the OHL’s East Division so far. Blessed with a good all-around game, Marrelli has seen his offensive skill blossom this year and could be a solid addition to the blue line down the road.
Evan Gardner: A second-round pick this summer, Gardner has kept the momentum going from his excellent 2023-24 season and is in the mix to be named the Western Hockey League’s top goaltender this season. Skating with Saskatoon, Gardner has posted a 13-7-2 record with a 2.85 GAA and .909 save percentage and was named the league’s best goalie in November. Still just 18, the Gardian of the Goal is fourth in the WHL in GAA and third in save percentage. His arrival is expected down the road thanks to how long it takes goalies to mature at the highest level, but Gardner is turning in excellent numbers in juniors.
Oiva Keskinen: The Blue Jackets found a solid, do-it-all forward in the fourth round of the 2020 draft in Mikael Pyyhtia, and Keskinen could be the next Finnish Find for Columbus. Chosen in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, Keskinen has followed up a strong rookie season with an even better sophomore campaign in Finland’s top-level Liiga, posting a 9-15-24 line in 34 games with Tappara. The 20-year-old center/wing has impressed observers the past two seasons in his home country and could be a depth piece down the road for the Blue Jackets.
