During the opening games of the world junior championship in Ottawa, two Oilers prospects were benched in their games after poor performances were shown.

Oilers defensive prospect Beau Akey only played two minutes and 38 seconds of ice time for Team Canada as the Canadians went on to beat the Finns 4-0. After bobbling a play and not looking comfortable on the ice, Head Coach David Cameron decided to keep Akey on the bench.

During the 10-4 drubbing of Germany from the United States, 19-year-old Paul Fischer only played 6 minutes and 9 seconds of ice time which clearly shows that he is at the bottom of the depth chart for Team USA.

Fischer who currently plays for the University of Notre Dame of the NCAA was originally drafted in 2023 by the St Louis Blues, fifth round, 138th overall.

The Oilers acquired him along with the 2028 third round pick for future considerations on August 20th 2024. Considered a two-way defenseman, he has played eighteen games this year and has 9 assists along with eight penalty minutes.

Meanwhile, Akey who is currently playing for the Barrie Colts of the OHL was drafted by the Oilers in 2023, second round 56th overall. He has played 25 games this year, scoring four goals with 15 assists and 19 points along with 24 penalty minutes.

Both players may need to elevate their game or realize that both teams are stacked with great players which will push them down the depth chart. Some fans feel that these players should not be on the roster but there clearly is a reason why they were chosen.

This year’s world junior championship should be another great show for both Canada and the United states as many great talented players are on the rosters and will battle it out throughout the holiday season to see who will become the next World Junior Champion.