WORLD JUNIORS: Munzenberger and Maatta ready to represent Edmonton

EDMONTON, AB - Both have shared the ice, locker rooms and living quarters together at the University of Vermont, but now Oilers prospects Luca Munzenberger and Joel Maatta will be on opposite sides at the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship competing as members of their respective countries.
The World Juniors run from August 9-20 at Rogers Place with the pair of Oilers prospects set to represent Germany and Finland respectively after the original tournament back in January was cancelled and rescheduled to this month.
The pair of Vermont teammates will be the lone Blue & Orange prospects at this year's World Juniors.
"I'm really excited," Maatta said. "It's an honour to be drafted by Edmonton and it's kind of a funny story. We were on the ice with our team, we were having a battle day, and our coach just shut down the practice and told us that I got drafted. That was pretty special to be able to share it with my teammates."
Edmonton's 2021 first-round pick Xavier Bourgault was a member of Team Canada last year and was expected to re-join the Red & White, but after an extended QMJHL championship playoff and Memorial Cup run, the 19-year-old will forego the tournament.
Oilers 2022 first-round pick Reid Schaefer also attended Team Canada's summer selection camp alongside 2021 fourth-round pick Jake Chiasson, but both players were unable to crack the Canadian roster this year. The duo will return to the Western Hockey League next season, with Schaefer suiting up for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Chiasson for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Germany and Finland are slotted in separate groups for the preliminary round, so we'll have to wait until the quarterfinals for any potential matchup between Munzenberger and Maatta at Rogers Place.
Read about each Oilers prospect heading into the start of the World Juniors on Tuesday below.

LUCA MUNZENBERGER

The Oilers third-round selection in 2021 returns to Edmonton for the World Juniors after his abbreviated tournament back in January saw the defenceman record a goal and an assist in two games for Germany.
The 19-year-old defenceman has been a steady presence in the German National Team program, representing his home nation at the U-17, U-18, and U-20 levels thus far in his career.
Munzenberger spent all last season plying his trade at the University of Vermont where he is currently led by Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's brother Todd. It was a bit of a difficult season for the Catamounts, who finished 8-25-2 on the year, with the team's leading scorer only having 16 points in 35 games.
Tweet from @EdmontonOilers: #Oilers 2021 pick Luca Munzenberger gets the Germans on the board vs. Finland! 🚨#WorldJuniors�� | #LetsGoOilers��pic.twitter.com/adawjFh6mQ
Munzenberger chipped in with three assists and 45 PIMs in his 32 games at Vermont but has said he is spending the offseason working to round out the offensive side of his game.
This time around, he is excited about a more traditional World Junior experience.
"I've already been to the town because of World Juniors twice, but I was just staying at the hotel and at the rink," Munzenberger said while attending the Oilers Development Camp in July. "We weren't really allowed to go outside because of covid and because it was in the winter it was really cold."
For those wishing to watch Münzenberger at the tournament at Rogers Place, here is the preliminary-round schedule for Team Germany:
You can purchase tickets for the World Juniors HERE.

JOEL MAATTA

Munzenberger isn't the only one hoping to replicate abbreviated success from the 2021 World Juniors.
Maatta will compete at the World Juniors with Finland for the second time after a strong showing in two games at the cancelled tournament, recording a goal and two assists in three games including the game-winner against Germany and Munzenberger back on December 26.
"It was really special," Maatta said of last year's World Juniors experience. "It's always an honour to represent your country, so that was really fun."

In addition to some solid offensive returns, the left-shot centre finished third in tournament faceoff percentage by winning 74.2 percent (23-of-31) of draws for the Finns. Maatta described himself at Oilers Development Camp back in early July as a bottom-six forward who kills penalties, blocks shots and plays hard, so being strong the defensive side of the puck is an area that he prioritizes.
"I take a lot of pride in my faceoffs and work on it a lot, so that's a part that I'll always be working on and try to get better," he said.
The 20-year-old comes into the World Juniors this time around as a seventh-round selection of the Oilers at the 2022 Draft in Montreal and having already been to Edmonton twice with last year's tournament at Rogers Place and during Development Camp.
For those wishing to watch Maatta at the tournament at Rogers Place, here is the preliminary-round schedule for Team Finland:
You can purchase tickets for the games HERE.