The World Junior Championship tournament is just 12 days away.
On Dec. 26, 10 countries -- Canada, Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, and Switzerland -- will compete in the U20 tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
The Penguins have three prospects named to rosters for the tournament, with goaltender Calle Clang making Sweden's roster, goaltender Joel Blomqvist making Finland's roster, and forward Kirill Tankov making Russia's roster.
Goaltender Brett Brochu was named to Canada's roster. Because the OHL didn't play last season, Brochu spent the full year practicing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before starting in the final game of the season. The Penguins hold no rights to Brochu, but he did attend the team's development camp this past September.
Before the main tournament gets underway, the second-tier of the World Junior Championship, the Division 1 tournament, is already underway in Denmark.
Through the first two days of the tournament, Penguins prospect Raivis Ansons ranks No. 3 in scoring with three goals and two assists in two games for Latvia.
Ansons, 19, was the Penguins' fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Ansons is an alternate captain for Latvia and is playing on the left wing of the first line.
Latvia opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over Norway, with Ansons scoring Latvia's second goal of the game and recording the lone assist on the fourth goal.
Latvia's second game of the tournament was a 5-4 win over Denmark in which Ansons played the hero.
Latvia trailed Denmark 4-2 late in the second period, when Ansons scored in the final second of the period to cut Denmark's lead to one goal. Ansons had the secondary assist on Latvia's game-tying goal with just over five minutes remaining in the third period, then scored the game-winner with just 1:26 remaining in the game:
Ansons plays for the QMJHL's Baie-Comeau Drakkar, where he ranks No. 3 in team scoring with six goals and 18 assists in 19 games. An injury forced him to miss the Drakkar's first eight games of the season, as well as the Penguins' development camp and training camp.
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Here's how the Penguins' prospects in junior, college, and Europe did this week.
FORWARDS
Raivis Ansons
Position: Right wing/left wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 6 goals, 18 assists
Ansons is away from the Drakkar to play in the World Junior Championship Division I A tournament.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 15 games, 2 assists
The Gophers did not play this week.
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-3/207
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 19 games, 3 goal, 5 assists
Caulfield was scoreless in two games. He played third-line right wing in both games.
Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-3/199
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Team: Princeton University (NCAA)
Season totals: 13 games, 1 goal, 2 assist
Gorman picked up an assist in two games as Princeton's third-line left wing.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Center/right wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Team: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Season totals: 22 games, 11 goals, 17 assists
Svejkovsky played three games and scored one goal and two assists as Medicine Hat's first-line center. The goal was his 50th career WHL goal:
Svejkovsky scored a game-winning shootout goal for the Tigers this week. Enjoy this prime view of the official's backside:
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 25 games, 6 goals, 6 assists
Tankov didn't play this week, as he's attending Russia's World Junior camp. He was officially named to Russia's final roster on Tuesday morning.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-11/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Team: Providence College (NCAA)
Season totals: 21 games, 3 goal, 4 assists
Yoder scored a goal and an assist in two games as Providence's third-line center.
Yoder's goal went in off of a Princeton defenseman:
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-9/163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 2 games (Mestis)
Airola missed the start of the Liiga season with a lower-body injury. His team announced on Oct. 14 that Airola underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 6-8 months.
Airola signed a one-year contract extension with the Ilves this week with another year as a club option.
"Santeri Airola is one of the most talented defenders on the Ilves in recent years, but he has unfortunately suffered a lot of injuries," Ilves sports director Timo Koskela said in a Finnish press release. "He is a very dynamic player, strong skater and has an excellent shot. In Santeri's case, it's just a matter of developing physically and staying healthy. We want to support his recovery and we are really looking forward to seeing him on ice in full play and developing to his full potential."
The Penguins hold Airola's exclusive signing rights until the summer of 2023, so this doesn't impact their ability to eventually sign him.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 27 games, 1 goal, 9 assists
Belliveau recorded one assist in two games on the left side of Gatineau's top defense pairing.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 18 games, 1 assist
Laatsch was scoreless in two games on the left side of Wisconsin's second defense pairing.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 20 games, 1 goal, 6 assists
McCleary picked up two assists in two games on the left side of Portland's third defense pairing.
Clayton Phillips
Size: 6-0/195
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, third round
Team: Penn State University (NCAA)
Season totals: 17 games, 4 goal, 5 assists
Phillips was scoreless in two games playing on the left side of Penn State's second defense pairing.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-1/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Team: Karpat (Liiga), Hermes (Mestis)
Season totals: 8 games, 0.73 GAA, .964 SV% (Liiga), 3 games, 2.07 GAA, .902 SV% (Mestis)
Blomqvist posted his third shutout of the season on Thursday, requiring only 17 saves. He was called on the following night for a perfect 25-minute relief appearance, then started again on Sunday. He allowed three goals on 23 shots in that game, his first loss of the season and first game in which he's allowed multiple goals.
Blomqvist was named to Finland's World Junior roster as expected.
Calle Clang
Size: 6-2/176
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, third round
Team: Rogle (SHL)
Season totals: 8 games, 2.73 GAA, .892 SV%
Clang played one game, making 26 saves on 29 shots in a loss to Lulea.
Clang was held out of Rogle's second game this week with what sounds like a lower-body injury, for which the team doctor said he is still being evaluated as of Dec. 10.
Clang was officially named to Sweden's World Junior team as expected, and has a cool retro-looking gear setup for the tournament:
CALLE CLANG / INSTAGRAM