The Sabres had three prospects playing in the WJC finals. Ryan Johnson and Team USA defeated Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn and Team Canada to win gold.
It seems safe to say that the Buffalo Sabres prospects had a successful World Junior Championship. Three of the four prospects that the Sabres had in the tournament played in the gold medal game. Ryan Johnson and Team USA beat Team Canada, which included Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, 2-0 to take home the gold.
Ryan Johnson finished the tournament with one goal and three assists and showed some real potential to be a quality defenseman in the future for Buffalo. He had only one shot on goal in the finals but had 16:14 of ice time. Johnson had a very solid tournament that ended in a gold medal. He will return to the University of Minnesota to continue playing there.
As for Team Canada, a disappointment for them not to come home with the gold. They were favored to win, as they were putting together one of the most dominant WJC tournaments of all time.
Sabres prospect Jack Quinn recorded 9:13 of ice time and no shots on goal in the finals. He finished the tournament with one goal and four assists. He will be present at Sabres camp and will be competing for a roster spot, but I see him as a likely candidate to be part of the Rochester Americans in the AHL this season.
Dylan Cozens tallied eight goals and eight assists in an amazing tournament. He played almost 22 minutes in the finals as he was someone Team Canada leaned on throughout the WJC. Cozens has a real shot at making the Sabres roster for this upcoming season, especially with the injury to Zemgus Girgensons.
Both Cozens and Quinn flew straight to Buffalo via private charter plane after the conclusion of the tournament to try and eliminate the need for a seven-day quarantine upon arriving in the United States. So they will be at Sabres camp as soon as possible.
The 2021 World Junior Championships showed that the Sabres have some very quality pieces that Buffalo fans should be excited about. We could very well see all four prospects from this tournament fighting for roster spots on the Sabres within the next couple of seasons.