The Sheet Pool and the World Juniors

For the past couple of seasons, I've been trying to get the selection sheet pool ahead of the curve a little, trying to designate some of the top drafted young players onto the sheet and hope we get some real gems to breakout for lots of points. Since I've expanded the selection sheet to 32 boxes a couple of seasons ago, I had the chance to add young player boxes in Box 9 and Box 25 for forwards and Box 14 and Box 30 for defensemen, which has worked to varying success.

What I have noticed, this year especially, that a good number of those kids who were picked for those young player boxes have gone on to represent their country at the World Juniors, the under-20 tournament, which is one of my favourites, around this time of year.  Well, the sheet pool has been well represented this year, mostly by Canada, of course.

Brett Connolly, Louis Leblanc, Ryan Ellis, Calvin de Haan, Brayden Schenn and Ryan Johansen are all figuring prominently for the Canadian side at this year's tournament and most of them were very close to cracking their NHL squad, with Schenn actually playing in eight games for the Kings this season.

Only one American was chosen on the sheet this year, as Kyle Palmieri of the Ducks was selected to represent the USA in their title defense.

Let's also not forget the Swiss speedster, Nino Niederreiter, who managed to get in his nine games with the Islanders this year.  He was awfully close to cracking the Islanders full-time roster, but his development was better served in the WHL and playing in this tournament.

The eight players that were chosen from this year's sheet is way up on the sheet from the 2010 season, where only Cody Hodgson, Jordan Eberle and Alex Pietrangelo were selected from the junior program.  It is definitely better to have less players play at the World Juniors if they are on the selection sheet, but at least you should have a keen idea of who should be good enough for the NHL eventually.  Plus, you will have already seen their names once or twice before they really break through.

It's just a little food for thought this year.