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Boston Bruins Prospects Who Made the Cut for 2021 WJC

By Matt Hawkins

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 17: Johnny Beecher #17 of the Michigan Wolverines follows the play against the Michigan State Spartans during the first period of the annual NCAA hockey game, Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena on February 17, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 17: Johnny Beecher #17 of the Michigan Wolverines follows the play against the Michigan State Spartans during the first period of the annual NCAA hockey game, Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena on February 17, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /
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Which Boston Bruins prospects made their team’s final WJC roster and which didn’t?

Going into this week, the Boston Bruins had three prospects on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Junior Championships (WJC) team rosters. Leaving this week, they’ll only have two.

The three prospects that were invited to WJC camp were 2019 first-round pick (30th overall), forward Johnny Beecher for Team USA; 2019 fifth-round pick (154th overall), defenseman Roman Bychkov for Team Russia; and 2019 sixth-round pick (185th overall), forward Matias Mäntykivi for Team Finland.

Final rosters started being announced yesterday with Team Canada and more and more countries have slowly been announcing theirs. Last night/early this morning Finland announced their final roster, and USA and Russia announced theirs earlier today.

So, we officially know which of these prospects made their team’s roster, With that, I won’t keep you waiting any longer.

Which Boston Bruins prospects made their team’s final WJC roster?

Roman Bychkov – Defenseman (Russia)

Bychkov was drafted by Boston in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in the fifth round at 154th overall. Currently, he is still not signed to an entry-level contract (ELC). But many Russian players sign their ELCs late and wait a few years before coming over to North America.

So far this season, Bychkov has been playing for Buran Voronezh of the VHL. Through 21 games, he has registered four points (one goal, three assists) and has a plus/minus (+/-) of -13.

Matias Mäntykivi – Forward (Finland)

Mäntykivi was drafted in 2019 in the sixth round at 185th overall by the Bruins. Like Bychkov, he is still not signed to an ELC. However, like Russians, European players also tend to take a few years before coming over to North America.

For 2020-21, Mäntykivi has been playing for SaiPa of Liiga. In 17 games, he has recorded four assists and has a +/- of -5.

Which Boston Bruins prospect didn’t make their team’s WJC roster?

Johnny Beecher – Forward (USA)

As a 2019 first-round pick and being a part of the USA’s team last year, this is surprising for many. However, it has been confirmed that Beecher was cut in COVID-19 testing protocols relation (he tested positive for the virus) rather than performance issues.

Like Bychkov and Mäntykivi, Beecher is unsigned. However, this is because he is currently playing college hockey for the University of Michigan and is not allowed to sign an ELC per NCAA rules.

So far this season, Beecher has suited up for eight games and has scored two points (one goal, one assist), and has a +/- of -4. Last season in the WJC, Beecher played in five games, was unable to register a point, and had a -3 +/-.

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Hopefully, we see Mäntykivi and Bychkov a lot during the WJC. If they have a good tournament, we could see them skyrocket up the Black and Gold’s prospect depth chart.

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