Nash Daily: Predators Prospect Kasper Kulonummi In WJC Semis

As the semifinal round of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship kicking off on Thursday morning, Kasper Kulonummi is the lone remaining Nashville Predators prospect still in the tournament.

Kulonummi and Team Finland square off with the United States at 12:30 p.m. CT. The 19-year-old blue-liner is tied for the team lead among defensemen with two points (on 7 shots) in five games while playing a team-high 22:37 per game. He’s arguably been Finland’s top defenseman, playing on the team’s top defensive pairing.

Kasper Kulonummi and Nate Danielson win player of the game for their respective teams.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/KAfR8z4jUt

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 26, 2023

Kulonummi will have his work cut out for him trying to defend a high-powered USA offense that features World Juniors leading scorer Cutter Gauthier (1 goal, 11 points) plus Gavin Brindley (6 goals, 8 points), Frank Nazar (8 points), Isaac Howard (5 goals, 7 points) and Rutger McGroarty (4 goals, 7 points) — all of whom rank in the tournament’s top 10 in points.

Nashville Hockey Now

The plus/minus report from Tuesday’s shutout win over the Blackhawks, which details a strong effort from Nashville’s power play and discusses Gustav Nyquist’s recent hot streak, can be read here.

Milwaukee Admirals leading scorer Denis Gurianov, who leads the Ads with 30 points in 27 games, earned an AHL award on Tuesday.

With Tyson Barrie still out with an upper-body injury, his status with the Predators remains in flux. Here’s what could be holding up a potential trade for the 32-year-old defenseman.

Central Division Standings

1. Colorado Avalanche — 24-11-3, 51 points
2. Winnipeg Jets — 23-9-4, 50 points
3. Dallas Stars — 22-10-4, 48 points
4. Nashville Predators — 21-16-1, 43 points
5. Arizona Coyotes — 19-15-2, 40 points
6. St. Louis Blues — 18-17-1, 37 points
7. Minnesota Wild — 16-16-4, 36 points
8. Chicago Blackhawks — 11-24-2, 24 points

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Follow Michael Gallagher on X/Twitter @MGsports_