The Chicago Blackhawks have two prospects heading to the semi-final of the World Junior Championships.
The Chicago Blackhawks have Oliver Moore on Team USA getting ready to take on the World Junior Championships semi-final. The American squad will face off against Czechia.
The interesting thing for Chicago is that Moore isn't their only Blackhawks-drafted player left in the tournament.
On the opposite side of Moore, playing for Team Czechia will be Jiri Felcman, whom the Blackhawks selected in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Felcman is a good middle-six role player (third-line center) on this Czechia team that wins by playing smarter than their opponent.
They may not have the high-end talent of the United States, Sweden, and Canada, but they win by going about things a certain way. Felcman is part of that recipe.
With Moore and Felcman facing off, the Hawks are guaranteed to have at least one prospect in the World Junior Championships Gold Medal Game.
Fans can watch the United States take on Czechia at 6:30 PM CT on Saturday. Before that, Sweden will take on Finland for the first berth in the final game. That one will take place at 2:30 PM CT.
Neither Finland nor Sweden have a Blackhawks prospect but they are entertaining to watch nonetheless.
Being a former first-round pick by Chicago and playing for the hometown Team USA, there will more more eyes on Morre but Felcman's pedigree is respectable too.
There is nothing wrong with being a mid-round draft pick. The guys in the first round knew where they were going quicker. Once camps open in the NHL, nobody cares where you were selected. They care about developing the right pieces.
Felcman fits that mold and he's going to be given an opportunity one day. Having something like a World Junior Medal on his resume wouldn't harm him by any means. Seeing how he plays against Team USA will give Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks some insight into his current game.
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