Every year in the dead of summer, some of the best under 20 hockey players are invited to play in a small and short tournament called the World Junior Summer Showcase. The gathering gives players looking to make their home nation’s World Junior Championship squad a chance to show what they have and compete against some of the world’s best future NHLers.
This tournament is often seen as the first step down the path of representing your country at the WJC. Although coaches and scouts recognize it is a summer tournament and long term projections can’t be made, it is still fun to keep track of what’s going on.