Yahoo Sports 2025 World Junior Championship: Oilers Prospects Get Limited Opportunities
The Edmonton Oilers aren't known for their great farm system.
That meant it was a pleasant surprise when two of their defence prospects were named to World Junior rosters: Canada's Beau Akey and the United States' Paul Fischer.
It was seen as a confirmation of the Oilers' belief in the two youngsters, who entered the season as relative unknowns but still found their way onto two of the best rosters in the tournament.
On the final day of the tournament, however, we don't know much more about these players than we did on Christmas Day. That's because both Akey and Fischer barely played at all.
Akey, of course, was part of a massively disappointing Canadian team that bowed out in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. In a tournament full of questionable decisions from Team Canada, their treatment of Akey was one of the strangest.
Akey played in all five of Canada's games, but only once did he see more than six minutes of ice time (14:34 in their shocking shootout loss to Latvia). Remarkably, he played fewer than three minutes in every other round-robin game, before getting just under six in the quarterfinal against Czechia.
That then begs the question: why was Akey on the team at all? The coaching staff clearly didn't trust him, and what minutes he did play were of no consequence. When blue-chip prospects like Carter Yakemchuk and Zayne Parekh are sitting at home watching Canada struggle to score, it's a pretty bad look to have one defenceman sit on the bench all game.
Akey could've been useful on Canada's blueline, or he could've been a disaster. We'll never know, however, because he was never given a chance. Taken in concert with all the other questionable decisions made by Team Canada, it's fair to wonder what on Earth they were thinking.
On the other side of the border, Paul Fischer got even fewer opportunities with the United States. Fischer only dressed for two round-robin games, playing a grand total of 11 minutes and 28 seconds. He hasn't played since the United States' loss to Finland on December 29th, and is in the press box for the gold medal game tonight against Finland.
One last ride. 🇺🇸's lines ↓
Game preview: https://t.co/bZQuyjFDpi#WorldJuniors | @WinmarkResale pic.twitter.com/xBc0i4nQqo— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 5, 2025
Fischer's lack of ice time is more defensible than Akey's because the USA is a juggernaut that's barely encountered any resistance on its way to the gold medal game. Still, it's disappointing for Oilers fans who hoped to get a better look at the player they acquired as compensation for the Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway offer sheets over the summer.
It's been a long time since Oilers fans have had any prospects to cheer on at the World Juniors, especially on Team Canada. After this year's tournament, they're still waiting.
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