Blackhawks' goal-scoring prospects World Junior hopes crushed with Team Canada roster cut

The decision landed Thursday morning, and it caught almost everyone off guard, including fans tracking Canada's pre-tournament roster closely. Vanacker dressed for just one exhibition game, skated on the fourth line, and never got a real look with offensive players.

Vanacker's résumé made the cut especially jarring. The 19-year-old winger entered camp as the CHL's leading goal scorer, producing at a rate few draft-eligible players could match this season. Chicago selected him believing his finishing touch would translate quickly.

Team Canada's staff leaned on role clarity throughout camp, and Vanacker never escaped the checking assignment. In limited minutes, he was asked to forecheck, finish hits, and play safe pucks, not exactly his calling card as a scorer.

The Blackhawks prospect logged modest ice time in that lone pre-tournament appearance and did not see power play usage. With Canada prioritizing defined fourth-line energy roles, the leash was extremely short for offense-first players.

Marek Vanacker cut shocks Team Canada plans

Honestly, this is one of those cuts that makes fans stare at the screen and reread the tweet twice, because it feels disconnected from everything Vanacker has done this year.

The news first surfaced via Steven Ellis, confirming that Vanacker was among the final cuts alongside Jake O'Brien and Jackson Smith. The announcement spread quickly across Blackhawks circles online.

From a Chicago perspective, the silver lining is workload and health. Vanacker avoids a physically demanding short tournament and returns to his CHL club with confidence intact and plenty to prove.

It also highlights how brutal the margins are at the World Junior Championship. Production in junior leagues matters, but fit, versatility, and trust often decide the final spots.

For Vanacker, the long-term projection does not change. He remains a key piece of Chicago's prospect pool, a pure shooter with improving pace and a nose for high-danger areas.

Sometimes the World Juniors tell more about roster philosophy than player value, and this cut feels like one of those moments. Vanacker's response back in junior hockey will say far more than one quiet fourth-line game ever could.