McTavish among breakout players at World Junior Championship

The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship featured several players stepping up and having strong efforts to lead their team.

Some of the players who excelled were expected to do so. Then there were others who went from role players to leading men.

Here are five breakout stars from the tournament (listed in alphabetical order):

Emil Andrae, D, Sweden

The Philadelphia Flyers prospect was the lone consistent offensive presence for Sweden, leading them with eight points (four goals, four assists) and averaging 22:04 in ice time in six games. He also had a hand in three of Sweden’s seven power play goals, and his ability to skate laterally along the blue line and get shots through from the point helped Sweden finish second on the power play during the tournament at 46.7 percent (7-for-15).

“He was our best player the whole tournament,” Sweden forward Isak Rosen (Buffalo Sabres) said. “He scored goals, he’s our leader off the ice and on the ice. He was just outstanding this tournament.”

Mason McTavish, F, Canada

McTavish had arguably the most memorable World Juniors of any Canada player in the tournament’s history. The Anaheim Ducks prospect and Canada’s captain led the tournament with eight goals and 17 points; he tied Wayne Gretzky (1978) and Eric Lindros (1991) for the second-most points by a Canada player at the WJC, one point behind the record held by Dale McCourt (1977) and Brayden Schenn (2011). He was named the tournament’s best forward and most valuable player.

But the lasting memory will be his remarkable save 2:09 into overtime of the championship game, when he batted a puck down on the goal line, and then cleared it out of trouble. 

“To be honest I got pretty lucky,” McTavish said. “The stick was in the right place, right time. I don’t even know why I was behind our goalie … probably not the best positioning. But I guess it worked out.”

Canada coach Dave Cameron said McTavish’s positive attitude, lack of ego and NHL-ready skill set stood out to him from the beginning of training camp.

“He’s an NHL player and he’ll be a good NHL player for a long, long time,” Cameron said.

Jan Mysak, F, Czechia

Mysak (Montreal Canadiens) led Czechia on the ice with eight points (five goals, three assists) and off the ice as its captain. He scored the first of three straight goals for Czechia in its 4-2 win against the United States in the quarterfinals and was named to the tournament all-star team.

“He’s amazing,” goalie Tomas Suchanek (2023 draft eligible) said. “I never had player like him in my room. Amazing leader, amazing player. He’s just a great guy. … You go ask him about anything and he just tells you everything that will make you better. He’s a great guy.”

Aatu Raty, F, Finland

The New York Islanders prospect wasn’t invited to the tournament in December, but played a key role when it was restarted. He was the center on Finland’s best line with Roni Hirvonen (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Joakim Kemell (Nashville Predators).

Raty had 10 points (three goals, seven assists), second to Kemell on Finland. He had the primary assist on the goal by Kasper Puutio (Florida Panthers) in Finland’s 1-0 win against Sweden in the semifinals and played 17:53, most among Finland’s forwards, in the 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game.

Finland coach Antti Pennanen, also the coach in December, said he wasn’t surprised at Raty’s level of improvement based on how the 19-year-old played last season. He had 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists) in 41 games with Jukurit in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, and four points (one goals, three assists) in six American Hockey League playoff games with Bridgeport.

“He’s a really good player,” Pennanen said. “His last season in Jukurit was really good. So I really expected that and I think he also at the moment has a good confidence and it’s really nice to see.”

Olen Zellweger, D, Canada

The Ducks prospect made the tournament all-star team after leading all defensemen with 11 points (two goals, nine assists). It’s the most points by a defenseman at the WJC since Alex Pietrangelo had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) for Canada in 2010, and one point behind Pietrangelo and Bryan McCabe (1995) for most points in a WJC by a Canada defenseman.

And Zellweger, a left-handed shot, did it while playing on the right side of Canada’s top defense pair.

“He’s crazy good,” said Canada forward Connor Bedard, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. “His skill and skating and his deception are unreal. I’ll just watch his highlights sometimes for enjoyment.”

LNH.com staff writer Guillaume Lepage and NHL.com independent correspondent Derek Van Diest contributed to this report