Five Red Wing Prospects Set to Compete in World Junior Championships

From Trey Augustine to Kevin Bicker, Detroit will be well represented at this year's WJC

For (amateur) hockey fans, the holiday season revolves around one central event: The World Juniors, a delightful annual romp from Boxing Day to the early days of the new year featuring the globe's best under-20 hockey players.

This year's event, hosted by Gothenburg, Sweden, will feature five current Detroit Red Wing prospects.  Trey Augustine will represent the United States, Nate Danielson will represent Canada, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Anton Johansson will represent the host Swedes, and Kevin Bicker will play for the Germans.

For Bicker and Germany, the tournament will realistically be more about staving off relegation than taking home a medal.  Julian Lutz (a 2022 second round choice of the Arizona Coyotes) is the only other drafted prospect at the Germans' disposal, so this team is unlikely to keep up with more talented sides like the U.S., Canada, or Sweden.

However, for Bicker, it can nonetheless be a major developmental moment.  Bicker has had a difficult season in the DEL, playing 24 games for Lowen Frankfurt and picking up one goal and no assists.  However, in three games with the German U-20 team this year, he has four goals and four assists.  Perhaps an overachieving WJC playing within his age group can spur some progress when he returns to senior men's hockey after the event.

Meanwhile, Augustine will be competing with Jacob Fowler (a Montreal Canadiens draft pick and the starter for Boston College) to man the net for the Americans, who will absolutely have aspirations of a gold medal after taking home bronze last year in the Canadian Maritimes.

Danielson, as a Canadian, will of course have to contend with the weight of gold medal expectations, and Sandin-Pellikka and Johansson will face the pressure of hosting for a hockey-proud nation that hasn't struck gold for 2012.

The WJC is annually some of this most fun and frenetic hockey of the year, and Red Wing fans will have ample reason to watch thanks to the team's robust prospect representation.

For more discussion of the event, be sure to check out the second half of the most recent episode of THN Detroit's The Silky Mitten State:

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