Two Flyers Prospects Earn Medals At 2020 World Junior Championship

Two Philadelphia Flyers prospects earned some bling at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The IIHF World Junior Championship also goes by fast, and this year was no different. This year’s event, which was held in the Czech Republic, wrapped up over the weekend with the medal round taking place on Sunday. The Philadelphia Flyers were solidly represented at this week-long event, having four prospects competing in Ostrava and Trinec, and two of them were able to help their respective countries earn medals when all was said and done.

Starting with the lower of the two, defenseman Adam Ginning and Team Sweden walked away with some bronze around their necks after failing to get past the quarterfinal stage in 2019. The Swedes narrowly defeated Team Finland 3-2 in the early game Sunday morning and Ginning made his mark on the contest following a somewhat lackluster preliminary performance.

The 2018 second-rounder had a secondary assist on Samuel Fagemo’s second tally of the day, springing a 2-on-1 break with an excellent outlet pass to Nils Hoglander deep in the defensive zone. It was honestly nice to see some of the lesser-known offensive upside Ginning can bring to a team in such a crucial game, as he’s more known as a stay-at-home type around the league and fanbase. The 6’4 blueliner finished the tourney with three assists in seven contests, sitting fourth among all Swedish defensemen in that category.

Last, but certainly not least, Egor Zamula and Team Russia came oh so close to securing themselves a gold medal. The Russians had a 3-0 lead over Team Canada with about ten minutes to go in third, looking to have the game all but wrapped up. The Canadians, then, stormed back, scoring four-straight goals within a six-minute span to eventually secure a 4-3 win and their second gold medallion in the past three years.

While he failed to will his team to victory, Zamula still had himself a good game, earning a primary assist on Russia’s first goal. He finished out the 2020 World Juniors with five points (2 Goals, 3 Assists) in seven matchups, tying for seventh among the Russians in points and sixth in goals. Overall, I thought Zamula easily had the best tournament of all the Flyers prospects in attendance this year, showcasing his two-way and skating abilities during the international tourney.

For those wondering, Bobby Brink, Cam York, and Team USA were eliminated by Finland during the quarterfinals, which was somewhat disappointing given all of the talent the Americans possessed. Brink netted two points (1 Goal, 1 Assist) and York went without a point in five games the USA played.

All four of the Philadelphia prospects have now continued on with their seasons in the WHL, NCAA, and Allsvenskan leagues, as they’ll hope to either build or improve upon this experience.