It was a busy day of action at the U20 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. After only one tuneup due to the threat of COVID, they played the first games of Group format on Boxing Day.
With Rogers Place and WP Centrium Arena in Red Deer hosting the signature event featuring the game’s best prospects, once again it’s a loaded deck early on in the preliminary round. Eight teams can play in a single day at the two arenas.
Group B is considered the group of death due to defending champion USA, Sweden and Russia. There’s also pesky Slovakia and Switzerland. Group A is headlined by Canada with the always tough Finland, Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Canada is the heavy favorite in that group while USA is a slight favorite in Group B.
If Day 1 was any indication, then the Americans will be tested early and often. Following a near flawless first two periods in which they scored three goals including a pair on the power play, USA had to hold on for a 3-2 win over Slovakia in Red Deer.
It was quite the nightcap. Following Canada’s 6-3 victory over at times an over matched Czech, USA finally got a challenge from the resilient Slovaks in a heated third period. They can thank goalie Drew Commesso for remaining calm in net when things got tight. He finished with 23 saves on 25 shots with many coming in the frantic final period to earn Player Of The Game honors for USA.
With six players back from last year’s gold medal team including key star Matty Beniers and captain Jake Sanderson, USA didn’t start strong at all. Instead, they got into early penalty trouble. After killing off a bench minor, they were successful on the penalty kill with Landon Slaggert off for tripping. Commesso made a few big saves to keep Slovakia off the scoreboard.
Once they settled down, the Americans used their team defense and forecheck to control most of the play. Special teams made a difference in the first. USA took advantage of two undisciplined Slovakia penalties to get the game’s first two goals.
On the first man-advantage with Maxim Strbak off for interference, some superb passing resulted in Logan Cooley setting up Matthew Knies for a quick one-timer past Slovakian goalie Simon Latkoczy at 13:35. It came on an abbreviated five-on-three due Simon Nemec in the box for tripping. That proved costly as USA connected twice.
Still on a five-on-four power play, the Americans moved the puck well around the box. Eventually, a nice play started from Beniers saw Matthew Coronato get the puck across to an open Mackie Samoskevich in the circle for a good snapshot over the glove of Latkoczy for a 2-0 lead with 4:42 remaining.
That kind of precision allowed USA to grab a two-goal lead into intermission. Despite not totally dominating play, they used the power play to be in command. If the first was a bit of a feeling out process as most opening periods are in such a short tournament (ask Canada), then the second was all USA.
Despite an iffy interference minor on Carter Mazur with four seconds left in the first for what really was a clean check that was essentially the IIHF strict rules working against a player, they had no problem killing off the remaining 1:56 of Slovakia’s third power play. In fact, they held them without a shot for the first 19 minutes of a flawless second period.
With Sanderson leading a disciplined team defense that included plenty of strong back checking from the forwards when they weren’t hounding the Slovaks on the forecheck, it really could’ve been more goals than the single one they got from Slaggert, who put in a rebound of a tough Wyatt Kaiser shot that Latkoczy couldn’t handle. What if Latkoczy wasn’t handcuffed by the Kaiser shot and Slaggert hadn’t converted his first at even strength? Perhaps it’s a different game.
Who knew that goal would prove so crucial. It did for one reason. The stellar play from Latkoczy, who in his second year for Slovakia again demonstrated that maybe an NHL team should consider taking a chance on him. The 19-year old was under siege in a lopsided second that saw USA outshoot Slovakia 23-2.
To be honest, the performance from Latkoczy was outstanding. He gave his team every chance to come back. They nearly rallied back from a three-goal deficit. It was quite a final period. Maybe a little too close for comfort for USA Hockey coach Nate Leaman. However, he indicated he was mostly satisfied with how his team played.
For two periods, Slovakia only had 11 shots. To put it into perspective, USA had 23 in the second alone. They led in shots by a wide margin. But a Beniers minor for closing his hand on the puck with 10 seconds left in the second provided the spark the underdogs needed.
On their fourth power play of the game, Slovakia made it count when Samuel Knazko and Matej Kaslik combined to set up captain Martin Chromiak on the doorstep for an easy finish at 63 seconds of the third period. A Kings’ 2020 fifth round pick, Chromiak is having a good season for Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
“It’s my job to have a big role here and to score goals, so that’s what I’m trying to do.” Chromiak told reporters courtesy IIHF.com afterwards. “But this game showed us how strong this Group is. If we don’t play 60 minutes, we’re not going to win. I think if we play our best game, we can beat anybody. We have a really good group of guys.”
He wasn’t done either. Neither were his pesky teammates, who began taking the play to a suddenly fragile USA. Maybe it was partially having what looked like a comfortable lead due to how they played the prior period. But you can never relax against a dangerous opponent. Slovakia had a good tournament in ’21 before being eliminated in a closely fought quarterfinal by you guessed it. Team USA.
Suddenly turning up the volume, it was Slovakia with the extra jump in their step. They were faster to loose pucks and forechecked much better. That tenacity lead to some good scoring chances. Luckily for USA, Commesso was very poised under pressure. He made some key stops and had superb rebound control throughout. While counterpart Latkoczy was busier in stopping 39 of 42 shots, Commesso also was strong to finish with 23 saves. It’s no wonder each goalie were selected as the game’s Top Players.
A tremendous glove save from a diving Latkoczy kept the game alive with a few minutes left. Had he not made that stop, it’s 4-1 and it’s over. Instead, it remained a two-goal game. After matching roughing minors to Slaggert and Stacha were handed out with 2:55 left, Latkoczy was finally lifted at the 57:25 mark of the contest.
It was perfect timing. Again, the Slovaks were able to find their meal ticket for a big goal that made things interesting. Nemec was able to dish across for a lethal Chromiak one-timer on a six-on-four that made it 3-2 with still 2:33 remaining in regulation. More than enough time for the limited crowd of over 1,000 spectators to get their comeback hopes up.
Probably a regrettable decision was to not keep Latkoczy on the bench following Chromiak’s second goal. Instead, Slovakia was conservative. They waited before pulling Latkoczy with under a minute left.
By that time, USA started defending better in front of Commesso, who still had to come up with one more clutch save. There also was a close call where Chromiak was all set up in his office, but his heavy shot missed wide. Had it been on target, the game likely goes to overtime. That’s how impressive Slovakia was in the final 20 minutes. But like Chromiak noted, they needed to play better in the rest of the game.
Following the near tying goal, a couple of American players got in front of shots to deny a desperate Slovakia. That was enough to burn the final 20 seconds. When the buzzer sounded, they celebrated the victory while breathing a sigh of relief.
“It was kind of a funny game. Drew was super busy for certain parts of it, so it’s kind of on the guys to stay dialled. It’s also a reminder you can’t take any country lightly. We have to be ready every night,” Sanderson pointed out.
“But you have to find ways to win. It’s not going to be pretty hockey for 60 minutes. You have to chip away, get pucks deep, and just get to work. That’s winning hockey.”
They’ll take the win and move on. Monday is an off day for USA. Next up is Switzerland on Tuesday. That will be one of only two games following a busy Day Two. Canada also has a day off before facing Austria.
Speaking of the tournament hosts, Canada overcame a two-goal first period deficit before scoring five unanswered goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic on home ice at Rogers Place.
It wasn’t so much about what Czech Republic did well. But rather what Canada did wrong to put themselves behind 3-1 after a good start thanks to a highlight reel goal from Ducks’ prospect Mason McTavish four minutes in. Following a brilliant individual effort from the ’21 third pick, three undisciplined Canadian miscues would up in the back of their net.
A sloppy turnover in the neutral zone allowed the Czechs to counter attack with Jiri Kulich and Jakub Brabanec combining to feed Michal Gut for the tying goal past Rangers’ prospect Dylan Garand at 7:42. Garand had a strange game due to allowing three goals on just 17 shots. However, he wasn’t helped much in an absurd first period where the teams combined for six goals.
Defense was optional. So was maintaining good puck possession and discipline. An Xavier Bourgeault tripping minor allowed Czechia (no idea why they’re called that) to grab the lead. It only took 27 seconds for Ivan Ivan (middle name is also Ivan!) and David Jiricek to find Pavel Novak isolated for an easy one-timer on the power play at 11:32.
In a sharp contrast to last year’s team who went undefeated until a tough shutout loss to USA for the championship, Canada never trailed at any point during Group play. This was different. As if to confirm that it might come harder, some more sloppiness allowed the Czechs to take a two-goal lead.
After another turnover, Gut moved the puck over to Stanislav Svozil. He gained the Canadian zone and then made a great power move around a defender before beating Garand short side top shelf for a 3-1 lead at 12:23. Their last two goals coming 51 seconds apart.
At that point, Canada coach David Cameron had seen enough. No. He didn’t foolishly pull his goalie like Sergei Zubov did to Yaroslav Askarov in Russia’s 6-3 loss to Sweden earlier in the day. He used a timeout to help his team regroup. It worked.
As if a light switch went on, Canada replied back quickly. Only 23 seconds later thanks to relentless pressure down low, defenseman Owen Power let go of a shot that snuck through traffic past Jakub Malek at 12:46 to immediately cut the deficit to one. It was the start of a memorable World Junior debut for the Sabres’ recent top pick, who is having a big sophomore season for Michigan.
Demonstrating how crazy the period was, Canada nearly got caught again. This time, a good Malek outlet lead to a two-on-one rush. But a poor pass across quickly fueled the Canadian transition. Rather than potentially being down two again, instead they drew even when defenseman Donovan Sebrango scored his first of the tournament from Cole Perfetti and 16-year old phenom Connor Bedard with 29 seconds left.
Bedard is a player to highlight. Considered by many to be the projected top pick in 2023, he is already a good scorer producing at a point-per-game clip for Regina in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Only listed at 5-9, 181 pounds, the right shooting playmaking center started as the 13th forward yet quickly moved up last night. It’s because he was around the puck and made things happen. He was a lot more noticeable than projected 2022 top pick Shane Wright.
It fell apart quickly for Czech in the second. Despite some key stops from Malek to keep the game tied, they ran into penalty trouble. Right after what looked like a serious leg injury to top defenseman David Jiricek when he collided with Rangers’ prospect Will Cuylle while going for a hit, things unraveled.
Following a holding minor to defenseman Jakub Sedivy that put them down two D, a complete loss of discipline saw Jan Mysak trip the ever elusive Kent Johnson. While on the delayed call, Canada got a good shot on Malek, who made the save. But before they could announce the Mysak penalty, Michal Hradek gave Johnson a cross-check that had to be called after the whistle.
It resulted in a lengthy two-man advantage for Canada. Half a minute following the unnecessary Hradek minor, Power switched spots to get over to the right circle where the very smart Perfetti made a perfect feed for a one-time blast past Malek for his second of the game at 8:50 of the second. That gave Canada the lead back.
Still on the extended five-on-three, it was Perfetti who set up a McTavish shot that rebounded right to a pinching Power for the sweet finish for his first career hat trick. He admitted after the win that he’d never had one. In getting three goals in his WJC debut, Power made some history to become the first Canadian defenseman to record a hat trick in a World Junior game. Not a bad way to start.
In the third period, defenseman Olen Zellweger added yet another power play tally with 6:38 remaining from Lukas Cormier and Blues’ prospect Jake Neighbours. Astonishingly, that made it five of six goals scored by defensemen for Canada in the win. One which was highlighted by a Power-ful performance from their top new player.
It was a game in which Bedard showed why he’s been much discussed. He wound up with 14 shifts for 12:23 with an assist in his introduction to the WJC. Recent Coyotes’ first round pick Dylan Guenther saw his ice-time slashed. He only received 3:02 over five shifts. On one shift, his skate blade broke and wad returned to him. All he could do was smile. It wasn’t his night.
In another noteworthy game in Group B, Sweden defeated Russia 6-3. They beat Askarov three times on 16 shots in two periods before new Russia bench boss Sergei Zubov decided to replace him with backup Yegor Guskov for the third.
While the move did help get his team’s attention, it proved costly at a crucial moment. Following a pair of goals from Matvei Michkov 41 seconds apart in the third that made it a one-goal game, Guskov let in a soft goal to Theodor Niederbach that went five-hole from the circle with 8:23 left.
That goal took the wind out of Russia’s sails. They chased the game from the very start. Oskar Olausson opened the scoring at 5:24 from Alex Holtz and Helge Grans. Consecutive goals from Simon Edvinson and Emil Andrae with the latter a soft shot going underneath Askarov begged the question about if he can be the guy he’s supposed to be. He hasn’t played much in the KHL which probably hasn’t helped.
Even though two of the three Sweden goals came on the power play, Edvinson managed one shorthanded. So, special teams shined through for the Swedes.
Russia mounted a comeback thanks to a great effort from Fyodor Svechkov that allowed him to stuff a puck past recent first round pick Jesper Wallstedt at 16:28 of the second to end the shutout. Wallstedt played well even though he had some bad luck on the three goals. That included a controversial one from the gifted Michkov that was rewarded after a video review on a delayed penalty. It didn’t make any sense.
Michkov would then purposely throw a backhand from a sharp angle towards the Swedish net that took a strange carom off a player and past Wallstedt to cut it to 4-3 with still 14:34 remaining.
The pair of stunning goals from Michkov suddenly made a Holtz power play goal significant. It was a great play where William Eklund set up Holtz for his deadly one-timer in the slot over a minute before Michkov’s theatrics. Holtz had a goal and assist in the game. He is considered the Devils’ best scoring prospect.
Following the crushing blow from Niederbach, Zubov lifted Guskov with over two minutes left in regulation. An empty netter from Daniel Ljungman with 50 ticks left sealed the deal for Sweden. They’ll next face Slovakia today.
As for Russia, they’re very unpredictable. The talent is there. But which team will show up? They need Askarov to live up to his hype. It’s his third WJC. The good news for the Predators is they can patiently waited for him to develop with Juuse Saros the established starter on a surprising team thus far.
The Russians are in action today versus the Swiss. There will be pressure on them to respond. Not very different from USA last year after they were dealt an early loss by Russia. That proved to be the wake-up call for them.
In the other Group A game, Finland defeated Germany 3-1. Samuel Helenius scored twice. Top prospect Brad Lambert had two helpers. Joel Maata tallied for Suomi. Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves on 24 shots.
The word out of this game was how competitive Germany was. No longer having Tim Stutzle, they still bring back Florian Elias and a few other skaters. They outshot Finland 24-22. Keep an eye on them to see if they can remain competitive in Group A. Germany is up against Czech Republic today.
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