Canada and Sweden go at it tonight for the World Junior Championship. The game will feature two Flames draft picks in Keith Aulie (whom I haven't really noticed) and the contentious Mikael Backlund (who leads his team in scoring).
Prior to the tournament, there were rumblings that Backlund was in trouble of losing his place on Vasteras altogether due to inconsistent play. It was strongly hinted that he would have to play well in the World Juniors in order to be welcomed back to his native team.
Well, the kid has played well. He leads his Swedish Juniors in goals with 5, including two beauty markers during the semi-final game. By many accounts he's been one of the best players on the team. His performance to date makes one wonder just how he was being employed back in Sweden...
A new wrinkle has appeared in the Backlund controversy recently as well. Bob Mckenzie appaeared on Hf boards and posted this:
Backlund will be joining Kelowna after the WJC. It's my understanding it's been agreed to and will happen, although my experience with international transfers is that it's not truly done until you see the player in the lineup...that said, Backlund is expected to finish this season the Dub.
Firstly, I've heard that that is indeed Mckenzie and not someone posing as him, so the tip should be legit. Secondly, it'll be interesting to see what Backlund does in the WHL if/when he makes the move. I dont know the relative development value of the Swedish league vs. the CHL, but it's doubtful his progression could go any worse than it has for Vasteras this year.
