It’s been a long summer already, and it’s still not over yet, but we’re dusting off the old prospect report for this week, as we recap the goings on in this year’s World Junior Summer Showcase (and outside of it).
The tournament, which just wrapped up in Plymouth, Michigan, saw teams from the US, Canada, Sweden, and Finland assemble for the first time this year, with the aim of beginning their evaluation processes for who might fill out their rosters for December’s World Junior teams. There’s a lot that will feed into those decisions — including performances in the early parts of the season with each player’s respective regular teams, as well as their showings in the pre-tournament training camps — but the introductions we got in this tournament will certainly be useful as well. Let’s dig in.
The rundown
Denver Barkey — 1 GP, 2A
In the Summer Showcase proper, Canada only played the one game, so our impressions on the host of prospects in that group are a little more limited, but that certainly doesn’t mean they were without their standouts. Denver Barkey, coming into this camp and tournament with a ton of motivation and momentum, was one of the players to really pop. Barkey really looked like a game breaker for Canada, bringing a whole lot of jump, generating a ton of chances, and seemingly just always looking to outwork his opponent out there. And while we didn’t see him pick up any goals — in what was overall a pretty dominant showing for Canada — he was still rewarded with two assists, and came away as one of the most noticeable players in his group.
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