Flyers’ Prospect Emil Andrae Is Standing Out At World Juniors

After the Christmastime rendition of the 2022 World Junior Championship was shut down after just four days due to COVID-19 issues, the remounted summer installment has successfully reached the quarterfinal phase.

There have been no reports of positive COVID tests, and not a single game forfeit or postponement. This time, it looks like they’ll get to the finish line and crown a champion.

Here’s a look at how the Philadelphia Flyers’ four prospects have fared in the tournament to date.

Andrae Is Top-Scoring Defenseman

Emil Andrae was named captain for Team Sweden, and has been an offensive standout.  He’s the top-scoring defenseman in the tournament heading into the quarterfinals. His three goals and four assists put him one point ahead of Olen Zellweger of Canada and Luke Hughes from Team USA.

Andrae was named Sweden’s best player of the game in his team’s 6-0 win over Austria last Friday. He potted a pair of goals less than a minute apart in the second period.

Andrae also chipped in a goal and an assist in Sweden’s 3-2 loss to the United States on Sunday night, while logging a whopping 22:39 of ice time. Then, with top prospect Simon Edvinsson suddenly absent from the lineup on Monday, Andrae stepped into Sweden’s top defense pairing against Germany. On a back-to-back, he led his team with 21:09 of ice time. And after his team started flat and fell into a 1-0 hole, Andrae drew primary assists on two first-period goals to help Sweden to a 4-2 win and second place in Group B, with a record of 3-0-0-1.

In Wednesday’s quarterfinal, Sweden will face Latvia in the second game of the day, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Listed at 5’9″ and 187 pounds, Andrae won’t have an easy time cracking an NHL lineup. But with the leadership, determination and scoring touch that he’s displaying at this tournament, the Flyers’ second-round pick from 2020 is seizing the spotlight and getting noticed.

Canada Cruises With Foerster, Desnoyers

Getting his first chance to suit up for Canada at an international tournament, winger Tyson Foerster is holding down a top-six spot on a deep roster. And he’s staying healthy — no small feat for an aggressive power forward who has endured more than his share of injuries since the Flyers drafted him 23rd overall in 2020.

Canada cruised to a perfect 4-0-0-0 record in the preliminary round, and first place in Group A. Foerster logged two goals and one assist, averaging 14:00 per game on a line with Kent Johnson and Logan Stankoven.

On Monday, he stayed with the play and converted this rebound after Ridly Grieg’s impressive drive to the net with the man advantage.

So far, Elliot Desnoyers has mostly flown under the radar. He has had a steady role, centering Canada’s fourth line, where he is averaging 9:39 per game. Desnoyers is coming off a 42-goal campaign with the Halifax Mooseheads, so he can put the puck in the net. In this tournament, he’s playing more of a defensive role.

The Canadians won all four of their preliminary-round games by at least three goals. So defensive diligence hasn’t been required — yet. That will change at some point in the playoff round. Canada’s gold-medal journey begins with a quarterfinal matchup against Switzerland. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET.

Around Full Press Hockey

Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

Injury Hampers Brian Zanetti

Will Flyers’ prospect Brian Zanetti be on the blue line for the Swiss in their knockout game against Canada? That remains to be seen.

The fourth-round pick from 2021 missed Switzerland’s final preliminary-round game, reportedly after suffering an injury during practice.

Zanetti also saw very limited action in Switzerland’s third game. He played just four shifts in Switzerland’s 3-2 loss to Germany on Saturday: 1:45 in the first period, 1:04 in the second, and no time in the third.

Health-wise, the 19-year-old has been dealing with bad luck from the moment the tournament began. In the first period of Switzerland’s 3-2 loss to Sweden on opening day, he lost some teeth when his own stick came up into his mouth.

The Swiss squeaked into the quarterfinals on Monday, with a tight 3-2 win over Austria.

World Juniors Notebook

Anything can happen in single-game elimination settings like Wednesday’s quarterfinals. But if the preliminary round is any indication, the tournament is setting up for a potential repeat of the gold-medal matchup from 2021. Also in Edmonton, the United States beat Canada 2-0 for the title. Spencer Knight earned the shutout and Trevor Zegras was named tournament MVP.

Both Canada and the U.S. ran the table in their round-robin groups, and have not yet been seriously tested. The Canadians finished with a total goal differential of 27-7 and captain Mason McTavish is leading the tournament scoring race with 13 points in four games. Team USA boasts a 22-4 differential and the best defense in the tournament. Undrafted 19-year-old goaltender Kaidan Mbereko has allowed just four goals in three games, for a 1.33 goals-against average. And the Americans are relying on a balanced scoring attack. Seven players have at least five points, while Thomas Bordeleau leads the way with seven.

Here’s Wednesday’s full quarterfinal schedule:

1. Finland vs. Germany – noon ET
2. Sweden vs. Latvia – 3:30 p.m. ET
3. Canada vs. Switzerland – 7 p.m. ET
4. USA vs. Czechia – 10:30 p.m. ET