World Juniors is a Stepping Stone to NHL | BLOG

Every Boxing Day kicks off one of the top international tournaments, highlighting the best under-20 talent from across the world:
the World Junior Championship
. Players earning a roster spot on their country's team is not only an honor, but an experience that ranks high on any player's achievements list.
"That's obviously one of the highest ones up there," forward Dawson Mercer said on playing in World Juniors. "As a kid growing up you always wanted to play in the World Juniors and play for your country and represent them so that was pretty special. That's right up there, every step of the way. Then it's your first NHL game, your first goal, so they're all up there."
Defenseman Ty Smith and Mercer each represented Canada in the 2020 edition of the tournament where they won gold. Smith also competed in the 2019 tournament as did Mercer in 2021, winning silver. Both credit the experience as an opportunity to grow their game, especially to make it to the NHL.

"When I got to play it was pretty special … the experience for me was really good and it definitely helped me to see a higher level of compete and speed level there," Smith said. "The speed of that tournament, the compete level, performance on demand, all that kind of stuff I think matches the NHL where there's no nights off."
"It's one of those experiences where everything matters, every little detail, it can just help you get better during the tournament just like here," Mercer said. "You want to prepare day by day to make sure you're better for every game stepping forward."
Devils defenseman P.K. Subban represented Canada twice at the tournament, winning gold in 2008 and '09. Through his career, he has seen first-hand how many players from those World Juniors teams go on to make it in the NHL.
"I was very excited to represent my country and be there," Subban reflected on his first tournament. "I learned a lot. A lot of the guys on that team are playing in the NHL now, that I've played against or with for the past 13 years. I look back at that and know that even though it's a World Juniors tournament a lot of players become NHL players and go on to have pretty good careers."
New Jersey has
four prospects playing in this year's tournament
: Alex Holtz (Sweden), Shakir Mukhamadullin (Russia), Luke Hughes (USA), Jakub Malek (Czechia). For coverage of these players during the tournament, stay on
NewJerseyDevils.com
.