The World Juniors kicked off on Boxing Day, just as they do every year. For at least a day, they don't need to compete with the NHL, which is on the last day of its three-day holiday break. Since I have the space today, I'll share some of my observations of the WJC games played on Friday. I probably won't be doing this every day I'm writing, though, as NHL games are the priority here.

In the first game, 2026 draft prospect Ivar Stenberg made a lasting first impression, scoring the game-winning goal for Sweden late in the game.  

The Swede that I was really impressed with was Anton Frondell, who scored a goal and an assist (both on the power play). Frondell had a certain presence in this game with his skating ability and his shot, which seemed noticeable enough for him to be named Sweden's player of the game. Blackhawks fans should be excited about the third overall pick from the most recent draft, while his fantasy value seems to be trending upward.

Next, Finland took care of Denmark fairly easily by a score of 6-2. Not much to say here except that Denmark was making its return to the World Juniors. They will be in tough to avoid relegation.

The U.S. looked like they were going to make quick work of Germany, storming out to a 3-0 lead. However, the Germans scored two goals to get the game to 3-2 and eventually 4-3. The Americans took over from there as the far more dominant team late in the second period to go up 6-3, with the score not changing after that. William Zellers, a Bruins prospect who I assume has no ties to the Canadian department store chain, scored two goals for the Americans.

Canada/Czechia turned out to be the tasty main course for those who tuned in for the quadruple-header on TSN. This was an exciting game with plenty of goals. Although Canada took this game 7-5, Czechia looked like they were never completely out of it. Canada is no longer the slam dunk to win the gold at this tournament like they once were, although they boast a more talented roster than last year. Keeping it simple and picking players based on talent helps with that.

The story of the game turned out to be Zayne Parekh. Left off last season's roster, Parekh scored a pair of goals, showcasing an impressive shot and top-level offensive instincts on Canada's top power play.

Parekh wasn't quite as outstanding on the defensive side of the game, however. That should not discourage keeper leaguers, as few defensemen possess his level of offensive upside. Just don't expect immediate dividends when he returns to the NHL, as it may take some time for Flames coach Ryan Huska to trust him to log 20+ minutes per game in all situations. While development takes place on his defensive game, Parekh may be limited to being a power-play specialist with sheltered minutes initially. At least the power-play side of that role could really take shape if potential UFA Rasmus Andersson is traded before the deadline.

For a more comprehensive preview of the World Junior Championship and the key players in it, check out last week's The Journey from Victor Nuno. The article is broken down into two parts: Part 1 on Sweden, United States, and Canada, and Part 2 on the remaining countries.

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With NHL players still on mandated vacation time, news barely trickles in during the holiday season. However, the Oilers announced on Friday that David Tomasek has been placed on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. Tomasek will reportedly return to Sweden, where he had 57 points in 47 games with Farjestad last season. Tomasek managed just five points in 22 games, getting buried down the lineup after an early-season trial on the McDavid line and the top power play.

One regular feature in the Midseason Guide (available for download January 8) lists and describes players who are not signed to NHL contracts succeeding in European leagues. Many of these players were never drafted (like Tomasek) and could be legitimate late bloomers. As long as these players haven't already reached 30, they may generate interest from NHL teams and become available for signing once their seasons ends. I listed Tomasek in this article last season, citing his success over multiple seasons in the SHL. Now that Tomasek is 29, his NHL window has very likely shut.

This particular path is not an easy one the NHL, as hockey development focuses on players meeting a certain curve – hitting during their draft year at 18, then being developed under the watchful eye of a team's system. Results have shown that the European league free agent route is more of a shot in the dark than anything for NHL teams. However, the upside to this path occurred in 2015, when the Blackhawks signed an undrafted 23-year-old KHL scoring star named Artemi Panarin.

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This week's scoring period is an unusual one because of the short week consisting of only four days' worth of games. For that reason, this week has less margin for error because each player's production means more to the week. If you're rostering players from Chicago, Detroit, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, or Toronto, you'll be able to use them on both Saturday and Sunday. Here are some players from those teams that might be on your league's waiver wire and can possibly provide some extra mileage during the short week.

Emmitt Finnie – After surprisingly making the Red Wings, Finnie demonstrated why with eight points over his first nine games. After that, Finnie hit the rookie wall (so to speak) with just seven points in his next 25 games. However, Finnie has gotten hot again with four points over his last four games. Three of those points have been with the man advantage. Finnie was promoted to PP1 on Tuesday against Dallas, a game where he also took five shots on goal. He's on about a 40-point pace, which probably makes him a bubble player in many leagues. For the rest of this week at least, he should be rostered.

John Gibson – Maybe Gibson needed some time to get accustomed to Detroit. Compare Gibson's first quarter (4-7-1, 3.59 GAA, .865 SV%, 30% quality starts) to his second quarter (8-0-0, 2.12 GAA, .927 SV%, 62.5% quality starts). He is still rostered in just under half of Yahoo leagues and just over half of Fantrax leagues. The other shoe may drop in terms of falling back to earth or another injury, but for now Gibson should be added in all leagues.

Anders Lee – The Islanders captain's numbers haven't popped out until recently. Following a sluggish first two months of the season (16 PTS in 31 GP), Lee has piled up eight points over his last six games. The fact that he has moved up in the lineup from Jean-Gabriel Pageau's line to Mathew Barzal's line might be a reason why. Lee has also seen his icetime increase about a minute and a half per game in the second quarter from the first quarter.

David Rittich – With the Islanders playing back-to-back games on the weekend, Rittich is pretty well guaranteed a start. Take your pick: neither the Rangers nor the Blue Jackets are among the league's top-scoring teams. On top of that, Ilya Sorokin was battling a "small nagging issue" before the holidays, so Rittich could be starting more games beyond that if Sorokin's issue still lingers after the break. Rittich has been up and down throughout his career, but he has settled in as a reliable option with the Islanders (8-3-2, 2.42 GAA, .913 SV%).

J.J. Moser – As a Victor Hedman injury replacement, Darren Raddysh has now been claimed in most leagues. That means fantasy teams can turn to Moser next, as he is also benefitting from Hedman's absence. Moser's season total (12 PTS in 34 GP) isn't anything to write home about, but he has accumulated five points in his last six games. Moser has also seen his icetime rise about a minute and a half per game in the second quarter from the first quarter. The only downside is a lack of power-play time.

Ryan Leonard – The Capitals play only one game this weekend (today vs. New Jersey), but I'm including Leonard here because he has been hot recently with nine points in his last six games. Leonard has been a popular waiver-wire add not only for his second-quarter run, but also because he recently returned to the lineup after a shoulder injury. Leonard is on a scoring line with second-unit power-play minutes, but the rookie seems to be playing his way up the Capitals' lineup the farther he progresses into the season.

The only team with games neither Saturday nor Sunday is Utah. It was a tough call, but I had to bench both Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz in a weekly league. The Mammoth and the Jets were the two teams that played only one game in the shortened Christmas week. Thanks to a 1-0 loss to Colorado on Tuesday, the Mammoth were the NHL's version of the Grinch this week, gifting you with exactly zero goals in an entire scoring period.

If you have a fringe Utah player, this would be a good time to drop them to make room for a player that can provide you with output this week. The strange trend about Utah rostership is that seven players are at least two-thirds rostered in Yahoo leagues, but the remaining players are rostered in 15% or fewer leagues. A player like Sean Durzi might be droppable, but he is also the only Utah player on the Frozen Tools hot list (5 PTS in last 6 GP).

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