Senators will not release Erik Karlsson for World Juniors

According to Sportsnet's Ian Mendes, the Senators will not release rookie blueliner Erik Karlsson for the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, and therefore the spot reserved for him on Team Sweden will go to another player. At last year's WJC tournament, Karlsson was named the top defenceman after posting two goals and seven assists in six games.

I'm a little disappointed, to be honest, as Karlsson could benefit from some high-pressure games where he is able to play big minutes and dominate against kids his age. Furthermore, it's not as though the Senators will be terribly hurt without him for a couple of weeks, as the Senators have more defenders than they can ice at this time. Still, Karlsson has been solid on the powerplay and stronger in his own zone as of late, so perhaps Clouston and Murray feel the club is better with him on the roster at the moment.

Two other Senators prospects, Jakob Silfverberg and Andre Petersson, will both play for Team Sweden at the tournament. Meanwhile, 2009 first round pick Jared Cowen is currently at Team Canada's evaluation camp. We should find out if Cowen has made the final roster on Monday. As reported earlier, Patrick Wiercioch was sent home from Team Canada's camp due to a pre-existing injury, and will not play in the tournament this year.