Detroit Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina will play for the Czech Republic at the upcoming World Junior Championships. Zadina confirmed the news to Corey Pronman of The Athletic. General manager Ken Holland also told the news to the media on Tuesday.
Filip Zadina confirms he'll be released to the World Juniors for the Czech Republic.
— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) December 6, 2018
Filip Zadina to Play at World Juniors
Zadina has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 23 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins. His 15 points are fourth on the clubs. The Griffins are 14-7-0-2 and sit in third of the Central Division.
He would have been gone from the Griffins for a month, but he won’t leave until the Dec. 19 game against the Cleveland Monsters. Training camp for Czechs starts next week and the final will be Jan. 5 in British Columbia.
He finished tied for the most goals in last year’s tournament with seven in seven games. The Czechs finished fourth in last year’s tournament after losing to the United States in the bronze medal game.
There was speculation that the Red Wings would keep Zadina in the AHL, but the organization is letting the 19-year-old play at the prestigious event.
What It Means for the Future
This is a good chance for Zadina to win a medal for his country. It was Zadina’s decision to play in the tournament and the organization completely supported it. Griffins’ coach Ben Simon acknowledged that Zadina does have more latitude within the Red Wings’ system.
Zadina dominated the tournament last year in Buffalo as an 18-year-old and expect him to do the same this year in Canada.
Joe Veleno and defenseman Jared McIsaac with Canada and defenseman Malte Setkov with Denmark are other Red Wings’ prospects that are invited to the tournamet.
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Filip Zadina reacts after being selected sixth overall by the Detroit Red Wings during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
