And it's official, the organizing committee's dream has come fruitful as a battle of North America will commence as Canada will battle the United States. Canada outplayed,outwitted and outlasted the Swedes in the semi-final. For those enamored in reality television, yes that was a Survivor reference and to continue this line of thinking it's as if Canada won the immunity idol and acquired the numbers and ran with the game the rest of the way through. Sweden had it's moment but the minute Dominique Ducharme elected to turn to Carter Hart it was all she wrote.
So about Carter Hart, Hart's performance was a footnote in a collection of great news in Everett Silvertip land today. First the Silvertips acquired Edmonton Oil King leader and perennial point producer Aaron Irving which if that wasn't enough good news in one day, Carter Hart spelled Connor Ingram early and channeled his inner Ron Hextall and was dynamite for the Canadians. The pre game intuition to favor Conor Ingram swung back in Ducharme's face as for whatever reason he couldn't handle the pressure and let in two absolute softies before being pulled. There's no other to use when describing Hart's night aside from classifying it as phenomenal. He had excellent rebound control, looked confident and completely stymied a fairly potent Swedish offensive attack. It'll serve the Canadian troops well heading into tomorrow's final.
I've been diff when assessing the play of Matt Barzal. After swimming through neglible performances where I felt he was trying to do too much individually, he bought into the team philosophy and never looked back from there. Mathieu Joseph is an easy guy to play with because of the respect the opposition must give him due to his speed which will create more open space for players like Barzal for where they thrive. He was more mindful of making quicker passes because essentially previously what was happening was that the opposition was backing off as them as with the rest of the nation could blatantly see that she was mindlessly stick handling and could afford to back off. It was gutcheck time for Matt as not often are you graced the world's greatest hockey stage and the New York Islanders should be pleasantly impressed with how he showed himself today. I touched on this in the Czech Republic game observations but the longer this run of Canada carries on the better and better Ducharme is looking for dropping Pierre-Luc Dubois down to the third line alongside the other two Quebecois. It's been a rough year for Dubois as he's had to deal with the warranted criticism that beamed from him getting selected third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets whilst skating to an unproductive campaign with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. When you ponder his strengths and weaknesses, a conspicuous weakness is his choppy skating stride.It's come night and day to what it used to be in my previous viewings from last year but still at times he struggles to maintain an elite pace. I'm not here attempting to condone Columbus' selection just yet but what happened today is Pierre-Luc appeared engaged as from opening puck drop you could visibly see him physically dominating some of the Swedish defenceman with him dismantling the bulky David Bernhardt on a couple of occasions. Some and perhaps most importantly Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen will spout that Dubois projects out as a skill player but the more I watch him play the more I'm convinced he exudes Rick Nash(ironically a former Blue Jacket) qualities.
As I'm watching the game I had the following thought. Jeremy Lauzon is under appreciated. He's such a mundane player that probably in earlier games his ranking of mine was undeservingly negatively effected but the time is now that I point out the positives, and their are many! In many sports being invisible can be met with negative connotations but in hockey going unnoticed can be just as important as someone who's all flash. The Phillipe Myers injury opened the door for more ice time for some of the unheralded and Lauzon has flourished in the newly adopted shutdown pairing beside Dante Fabbro. In previous renditions of this tournament TSN has pushed real hard in selling the shut down pairing and maybe in lieu of the constant line shuffling it's been difficult to attach to one pair but if it wasn't already apparent it is now with Fabbro and Lauzon being assigned to "tackle" some of the skillful specimen in the event.On several occasions I've been quick to identify this backend as a whole as too weak,not fit to square up an aggressive forecheck. Well in response to that now with one game to go I'll say that we haven't been exposed to teams who thrive on the perimeter I genuinely wish the squad the best of luck containing the crash and banging Americans, specifically Kieffer Bellows and Jordan Greenway. Additionally, one last game note is this blogger opining how absurd it is that Noah Juulsen wasn't selected as one of Canada's top three players in this tournament.
Game Rankings:
1.Pierre-Luc Dubois(47)
2.Dylan Strome(49)
3.Noah Juulsen(32)
4.Jeremy Lauzon(68)
5.Taylor Raddysh(71)
6.Blake Speers(49)
7.Matt Barzal(59)
8.Anthony Cirelli(53)
9.Kale Clague(65)
10.Tyson Jost(66)
11.Dillon Dube(87)
12.Dante Fabbro(80)
13.Julien Gauthier(50)
14.Mathieu Joseph(54)
15.Mitchell Stephens(55) * 4 games*
16.Thomas Chabot(36)
17.Jake Bean(76)
18.Nicholas Roy(67)
19.Michael McLeod(81)
Phillipe Myers-DNP with an injury
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Monday, January 2, 2017
Quarterfinal Canada/Czech Republic Observations
This game was dominated territorially by the Canadians, the shots 41-19 in favor of Canada confirm that hypothesis. The disavowing nature of this game is due to the fact that even though the contest was so lopsided that the Czechs remained in the game for so long.
Connor Ingram wasn't very good at all this evening and that's summarizing his performance lightly. If Canada would've been tasked with lining up against a half competent opponent, a Sweden or U.S.A for example then I'm not so sure the Canadians are walking away with victory. The first two goals are complete buzz killers but when you summon Ingram's fastly growing reputation, a slow start should be of no surprise. He's notorious for gaining strength as the game progresses and you could argue today cements that scouting report. I don't know the extent of the pre-scout players and coaches immerse in but on the Tomas Soustal shot who is a member of the Kelowna Rockets there is simply put no excuses with Ingram also residing in the B.C division so he should be more well aware with Tomas' tendencies. Seemingly their's been debate this entire tournament on who should start the next game and I don't think Ingram did much to silence the doubters. My premonition dictates we'll see Carter Hart versus Sweden in the semi's.
You're going to observe shortly when skimming my individual rankings that I did not think highly of Matt Barzal's performance tonight case in point Michael McLeod who to my recollection didn't even receive a shift is seeded ahead of Matt. The increasing trait in Barzal's repertoire is his propensity to over stickhandle whilst playing with not enough purpose. It's difficult to ignore the flare that he plays with but when all he does is stickhandle I can only imagine the frustration linemates of his must have because you work so hard to position yourself properly only to be standing there like a lost puppy because he doesn't utilize them. The birthday boy and New Jersey Devil property Blake Speers got it all started today but where credit should truly be going is that of Mitchell Stephens. Stephens who has missed the last couple games with injury didn't miss a beat as it was his masterful cross ice pass that allowed Speers an easy tap in. I haven't spent much time in this summaries chronicling any of the oppositon but the thought I've internally held for a while is that draft eligible prospect Martin Necas is the real deal and after perusing a few mock drafts it would be a disparaging crime if he was not a top ten selection. I've observed a couple that have him going 20-30 which in this bloggers opinion is absurd.There was one play in particular where Necas got in the grill of Anthony Cirelli which is uncommon for a undrafted individual to showcase that type of swagger. In the postgame show Bob McKenzie of TSN vocalized what everybody was thinking and that it was a radiant decision by Coach Ducharme to orchestrate a true big bodied line with Julien Gauthier, Nicholas Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The three who are naturally familiar with one another used that chemistry to perfection as at the very least Dubois had his best game of the tournament after not keeping up with Dylan Strome's style early on. Lastly all the chatter is surrounding finding a way to get Strome going 5 on 5, well a sensible option would be to reunite Erie teammates Strome and Raddysh. Is it too logical not to?
After the first period I commented to a buddy that I felt Jake Bean was our most complete defenceman in that period. Sadly for Jake his play deteriorated as the game went along as it was his turnover that translated in a Czech Republic goal. The turnover aside this was Bean's best game as for the first time he didn't look timid the puck. When Jake skates and is aggressive is what's endeared himself to the Calgary Hitmen fan base. I'm presuming Coach Tim Hunter who oversees the defence watched video with Jake because the first four or so games all he was doing was touching the puck and immediately get rid of it and that's not why he made the team. The loss of Phillipe Myers has been discussed on several fronts and it was known that Thomas Chabot would have to take the mantle and run with it. Chabot has not only been Canada's best defenceman but their best player. Not to pad my own ego but in my pre tournament predictions I had Chabot selected a first team all star and if I would've selected an overall M.V.P he's likely my choice. If it wasn't for Alex Nylander, Chabot is probably the front runner. That goal from the back end that he scored was incredibly risky as he was the lone man back but because it was fruitful he'll garner consideration for the Highlight of the Night.
Game ranking time....
1.Thomas Chabot(20)
2.Mitchell Stephens(40) *Three games played*
3.Julien Gauthier(37)
4.Mathieu Joseph(40)
5.Blake Speers(43)
6.Jake Bean(59)
7.Pierre-Luc Dubois(46)
8.Dante Fabbro(68)
9.Nicholas Roy(49)
10.Jeremy Lauzon(64)
11.Tyson Jost(56)
12.Anthony Cirelli(45)
13.Noah Juulsen(29)
14.Dylan Strome(47)
15.Dillon Dube(76)
16.Kale Clague(56)
17.Taylor Raddysh(66)
18,Michael McLeod(62)
19.Matt Barzal(52)
Phillipe Myers-DNP
Connor Ingram wasn't very good at all this evening and that's summarizing his performance lightly. If Canada would've been tasked with lining up against a half competent opponent, a Sweden or U.S.A for example then I'm not so sure the Canadians are walking away with victory. The first two goals are complete buzz killers but when you summon Ingram's fastly growing reputation, a slow start should be of no surprise. He's notorious for gaining strength as the game progresses and you could argue today cements that scouting report. I don't know the extent of the pre-scout players and coaches immerse in but on the Tomas Soustal shot who is a member of the Kelowna Rockets there is simply put no excuses with Ingram also residing in the B.C division so he should be more well aware with Tomas' tendencies. Seemingly their's been debate this entire tournament on who should start the next game and I don't think Ingram did much to silence the doubters. My premonition dictates we'll see Carter Hart versus Sweden in the semi's.
You're going to observe shortly when skimming my individual rankings that I did not think highly of Matt Barzal's performance tonight case in point Michael McLeod who to my recollection didn't even receive a shift is seeded ahead of Matt. The increasing trait in Barzal's repertoire is his propensity to over stickhandle whilst playing with not enough purpose. It's difficult to ignore the flare that he plays with but when all he does is stickhandle I can only imagine the frustration linemates of his must have because you work so hard to position yourself properly only to be standing there like a lost puppy because he doesn't utilize them. The birthday boy and New Jersey Devil property Blake Speers got it all started today but where credit should truly be going is that of Mitchell Stephens. Stephens who has missed the last couple games with injury didn't miss a beat as it was his masterful cross ice pass that allowed Speers an easy tap in. I haven't spent much time in this summaries chronicling any of the oppositon but the thought I've internally held for a while is that draft eligible prospect Martin Necas is the real deal and after perusing a few mock drafts it would be a disparaging crime if he was not a top ten selection. I've observed a couple that have him going 20-30 which in this bloggers opinion is absurd.There was one play in particular where Necas got in the grill of Anthony Cirelli which is uncommon for a undrafted individual to showcase that type of swagger. In the postgame show Bob McKenzie of TSN vocalized what everybody was thinking and that it was a radiant decision by Coach Ducharme to orchestrate a true big bodied line with Julien Gauthier, Nicholas Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The three who are naturally familiar with one another used that chemistry to perfection as at the very least Dubois had his best game of the tournament after not keeping up with Dylan Strome's style early on. Lastly all the chatter is surrounding finding a way to get Strome going 5 on 5, well a sensible option would be to reunite Erie teammates Strome and Raddysh. Is it too logical not to?
After the first period I commented to a buddy that I felt Jake Bean was our most complete defenceman in that period. Sadly for Jake his play deteriorated as the game went along as it was his turnover that translated in a Czech Republic goal. The turnover aside this was Bean's best game as for the first time he didn't look timid the puck. When Jake skates and is aggressive is what's endeared himself to the Calgary Hitmen fan base. I'm presuming Coach Tim Hunter who oversees the defence watched video with Jake because the first four or so games all he was doing was touching the puck and immediately get rid of it and that's not why he made the team. The loss of Phillipe Myers has been discussed on several fronts and it was known that Thomas Chabot would have to take the mantle and run with it. Chabot has not only been Canada's best defenceman but their best player. Not to pad my own ego but in my pre tournament predictions I had Chabot selected a first team all star and if I would've selected an overall M.V.P he's likely my choice. If it wasn't for Alex Nylander, Chabot is probably the front runner. That goal from the back end that he scored was incredibly risky as he was the lone man back but because it was fruitful he'll garner consideration for the Highlight of the Night.
Game ranking time....
1.Thomas Chabot(20)
2.Mitchell Stephens(40) *Three games played*
3.Julien Gauthier(37)
4.Mathieu Joseph(40)
5.Blake Speers(43)
6.Jake Bean(59)
7.Pierre-Luc Dubois(46)
8.Dante Fabbro(68)
9.Nicholas Roy(49)
10.Jeremy Lauzon(64)
11.Tyson Jost(56)
12.Anthony Cirelli(45)
13.Noah Juulsen(29)
14.Dylan Strome(47)
15.Dillon Dube(76)
16.Kale Clague(56)
17.Taylor Raddysh(66)
18,Michael McLeod(62)
19.Matt Barzal(52)
Phillipe Myers-DNP
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Canada/U.S.A Observations
The Americans who I quickly determined the tournament's most complete today looked just like it today in what some would consider a dismantling versus Canada. The three S's: Speed,size and skill all favoured the Americans as today it was made abundantly clear that they did not need the Minnesota Miracle Man himself Gordon Bombay to propel the troops against Canada.
I think whichever side of the ledger Ducharme turned to between the pipes would've been viewed as a controversial decision. Connor Ingram is who received the nod but in retrospect Carter Hart would've been the apt choice as now he'll have to shake out the cob webs as I foresee no scenario where Ducharme can turn back to Ingram in the quarterfinals. The most staunch Ingram supporters will have you believe that he settled down as the game progress but the summary I took out of his performance was that he struggled handling the nerves early and nothing indicated we wouldn't be in for a repeat showing in whomever Canada draws in the all important quarters. I'm no goaltending expert and don't pretend to be one but what I was able to discern from Connor's technical ability is often times he stands too deep in the net and I lost count how many times the Americans, particularly Minnesota Wild prospect Jordan Greenway crashed the net without getting challenged in the crease area. Naturally Carter Hart entered this pinnacle contest peeved that the staff didn't show the confidence in his abilities. Well Carter lest not worry anymore, he'll be the individual all eyes will be pointed to on January 2nd.
Ray Ferraro the colour commentator for this prestigious championship stipulated on several occasions that Canada's advantage over the States was the speed game. Unless Ray and I were watching two different games, the decisive skating advantage gets awarded to the Americans. Taylor Raddysh is a shooter, not a skater but just because pristine skating isn't in your repertoire doesn't excuse not engaging in the competition. The four goal accolades that he received versus the Latvians was the worst thing that could happen to the player due to the fact that began to develop the mindset that everything will go in without moving his feet. Charlie McAvoy and Ryan Lindgren, two of the U.S.A's best defensive defenders take pride in positional work that when it comes to somebody like Raddysh they know that if they're in his face they'll have neutralized his one weapon, that being his shot. Against inferior opponents where there's more time and space available Taylor will flourish but pertaining to elite oppositition as we saw today it becomes perfectly clear why his name was ommited from the Summer Camp roster. On a more positive note upfront, I loved the adjustment made by the coaching staff midway through the game flanking Tyson Jost alongside Dylan Strome and Michael McLeod. Strome for a lack of a better word was astute this afternoon but the one individual who really seized the increased icetime was Michael McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads. Prior to roster selection in the forums I was perusing the consensus appeared to be that Michael was renowned for his skating abilities but had NO offensive flare. At twenty eight points through twenty six games perhaps I let this false rhetoric cloud my judgment because from what I saw he is a player who possesses the proper amount of offensive creativity to fit in just fine with Jost and his former minor hockey teammate Strome. That's not to say Dubois was poor in this game. Wher Dubois thrives is with his legendary hand eye coordination and is a handful in front of the net on a power play. Goaltenders and opposing defenceman have to respect his ability to make seam to seam passes with little time and space because if not you get burned. Essentially he needs little room in the office to get to work By saying all of that I have yet to see a complete enough to justify the scorching Columbus Blue Jackets selecting him third overall in the 2016 entry draft.
As I've said in so many other words previously I just haven't been impressed with the complexion of this defence make up. I analyze the list of d-man 1 through 7 and the missing toughness has been noticeable the entire tournament but specifically reared its ugly head today. The unit American head coach Bob compiled is monstrous to that of the Canadian entry so you begin to ask yourself, do we have the horses to beat the red, white and blue. The defenceman who held their own admirably today were Noah Juulsen and Thomas Chabot. Juulsen will always size up favourably against a group such as this because he grasps at asserting himself physically and because the Americans recripocate he'll always be the most important horse in the stable. Let's nor kid ourselves Juulsen has limitations offensively but the reason I was so impressed today is because he was the one guy who stood up to the Thompson's, Greenways and Harper's and didn't head back to the bench intimidated. When Phillipe Myers left a game with a pirported serious injury, Jeremy Lauzon was asked so step up and fulfill a top four role and unfortunately for us Canadians he failed to live up to the billing. I've been awfully critical of Boston Terrier Dante Fabbro but maybe playing against five of his BU teammates woke him up as he actually showcased competent tendencies. For Fabbro, skating isn't his forte but the more big hits he's able to lay the better his overall game transitions to and I think once Ducharme scurries through the tape and presuming Myers can't go in the quarters(unknown as of this writing) I suspect we'll Fabbro supplant Lauzon on the depth charts.
Time for the game rankings....
1.Noah Juulsen(16)
2.Mathieu Joseph(36)
3.Thomas Chabot(19)
4.Michael McLeod(44)
5.Dante Fabbro(60)
6.Dylan Strome(33)
7.Tyson Jost(45)
8.Nicholas Roy(40)
9.Kale Clague(40)
10.Dillon Dube(61)
11.Pierre-Luc Dubois(39)
12.Anthony Cirelli(33)
13.Matt Barzal(33)
14.Julien Gauthier(34)
15.Jake Bean(53)
16.Blake Speers(38)
17.Taylor Raddysh(49)
18.Jeremy Lauzon(54)
Phillipe Myers-left the game early enough that he won't be included in my ranking
Mitchel Stephens-DNP
I think whichever side of the ledger Ducharme turned to between the pipes would've been viewed as a controversial decision. Connor Ingram is who received the nod but in retrospect Carter Hart would've been the apt choice as now he'll have to shake out the cob webs as I foresee no scenario where Ducharme can turn back to Ingram in the quarterfinals. The most staunch Ingram supporters will have you believe that he settled down as the game progress but the summary I took out of his performance was that he struggled handling the nerves early and nothing indicated we wouldn't be in for a repeat showing in whomever Canada draws in the all important quarters. I'm no goaltending expert and don't pretend to be one but what I was able to discern from Connor's technical ability is often times he stands too deep in the net and I lost count how many times the Americans, particularly Minnesota Wild prospect Jordan Greenway crashed the net without getting challenged in the crease area. Naturally Carter Hart entered this pinnacle contest peeved that the staff didn't show the confidence in his abilities. Well Carter lest not worry anymore, he'll be the individual all eyes will be pointed to on January 2nd.
Ray Ferraro the colour commentator for this prestigious championship stipulated on several occasions that Canada's advantage over the States was the speed game. Unless Ray and I were watching two different games, the decisive skating advantage gets awarded to the Americans. Taylor Raddysh is a shooter, not a skater but just because pristine skating isn't in your repertoire doesn't excuse not engaging in the competition. The four goal accolades that he received versus the Latvians was the worst thing that could happen to the player due to the fact that began to develop the mindset that everything will go in without moving his feet. Charlie McAvoy and Ryan Lindgren, two of the U.S.A's best defensive defenders take pride in positional work that when it comes to somebody like Raddysh they know that if they're in his face they'll have neutralized his one weapon, that being his shot. Against inferior opponents where there's more time and space available Taylor will flourish but pertaining to elite oppositition as we saw today it becomes perfectly clear why his name was ommited from the Summer Camp roster. On a more positive note upfront, I loved the adjustment made by the coaching staff midway through the game flanking Tyson Jost alongside Dylan Strome and Michael McLeod. Strome for a lack of a better word was astute this afternoon but the one individual who really seized the increased icetime was Michael McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads. Prior to roster selection in the forums I was perusing the consensus appeared to be that Michael was renowned for his skating abilities but had NO offensive flare. At twenty eight points through twenty six games perhaps I let this false rhetoric cloud my judgment because from what I saw he is a player who possesses the proper amount of offensive creativity to fit in just fine with Jost and his former minor hockey teammate Strome. That's not to say Dubois was poor in this game. Wher Dubois thrives is with his legendary hand eye coordination and is a handful in front of the net on a power play. Goaltenders and opposing defenceman have to respect his ability to make seam to seam passes with little time and space because if not you get burned. Essentially he needs little room in the office to get to work By saying all of that I have yet to see a complete enough to justify the scorching Columbus Blue Jackets selecting him third overall in the 2016 entry draft.
As I've said in so many other words previously I just haven't been impressed with the complexion of this defence make up. I analyze the list of d-man 1 through 7 and the missing toughness has been noticeable the entire tournament but specifically reared its ugly head today. The unit American head coach Bob compiled is monstrous to that of the Canadian entry so you begin to ask yourself, do we have the horses to beat the red, white and blue. The defenceman who held their own admirably today were Noah Juulsen and Thomas Chabot. Juulsen will always size up favourably against a group such as this because he grasps at asserting himself physically and because the Americans recripocate he'll always be the most important horse in the stable. Let's nor kid ourselves Juulsen has limitations offensively but the reason I was so impressed today is because he was the one guy who stood up to the Thompson's, Greenways and Harper's and didn't head back to the bench intimidated. When Phillipe Myers left a game with a pirported serious injury, Jeremy Lauzon was asked so step up and fulfill a top four role and unfortunately for us Canadians he failed to live up to the billing. I've been awfully critical of Boston Terrier Dante Fabbro but maybe playing against five of his BU teammates woke him up as he actually showcased competent tendencies. For Fabbro, skating isn't his forte but the more big hits he's able to lay the better his overall game transitions to and I think once Ducharme scurries through the tape and presuming Myers can't go in the quarters(unknown as of this writing) I suspect we'll Fabbro supplant Lauzon on the depth charts.
Time for the game rankings....
1.Noah Juulsen(16)
2.Mathieu Joseph(36)
3.Thomas Chabot(19)
4.Michael McLeod(44)
5.Dante Fabbro(60)
6.Dylan Strome(33)
7.Tyson Jost(45)
8.Nicholas Roy(40)
9.Kale Clague(40)
10.Dillon Dube(61)
11.Pierre-Luc Dubois(39)
12.Anthony Cirelli(33)
13.Matt Barzal(33)
14.Julien Gauthier(34)
15.Jake Bean(53)
16.Blake Speers(38)
17.Taylor Raddysh(49)
18.Jeremy Lauzon(54)
Phillipe Myers-left the game early enough that he won't be included in my ranking
Mitchel Stephens-DNP
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Canada/Latvia Observations
While Pool A in the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship has made for dramatic theater, Pool B Canada's group has gone very well to form as Canada comfortably took care of the Latvians 10-2. The real test, the first real test will commence on New Year's eve day when they take on the United States of America.
In net, many have read into Dominique Ducharme's decision to start Carter Hart against the Latvians differently but the way I've interpreted the situation is that he'll run with the Carter the rest of the way.. A few different reasons why but essentially even in the exhibition series Hart was given the net solely in the intersquad games while McNiven and Ingram were left to battle it out for the back-up job. If they revert back to Ingram against the states I'll be more shocked then I would be if Rex Ryan lands another NFL Head Coaching job. I thought in the early going that Hart was solid when needed as the Latvians applied loads of pressure and whether it was fatigue or simply getting out skilled the true colors of Canada began to eventually shine as shots in the second and third periods were 26-15. I was personally indifferent pertaining to who I felt deserved the nod and aside from a couple late softies Hart did nothing to bring forth cause for concern for the coaching staff. For Latvia the starter Mareks Mitens looked stellar in the first and I perceived from the Latvian administration to yank Mitens after the fourth goal as sheer brilliance because as tournament goers are aware, the Super Bowl for Latvia is tomorrow against Slovakia as an appearance in the quarterfinals in dependant on securing the win. No sense exhausting Mitens in this meaningless at the time out of reach game.
In the game against Russia it would've been difficult to argue the assertion that the line of Tyson Jost-Nicholas Roy-Julien Gauthier was the most dominant threesome but in the last two games I've noticed timidness from Roy and Jost. I'll speak to Jost particularly and quite honestly a few of the Western Canadians on this team but for the purposes of focusing on forwards I find Tyson is playing hot potato with the puck and for someone that possesses such high octane skill everyone and their grandmother Tyson can carry a line but he needs some confidence instilled in him Against the former Soviet Union he was all over the ice, a threat 5 on 5 and on the penalty kill. In this game v Latvia, too much north-south action without enough truculence. I referenced timidness from some if not most Western Canadians earlier and my conspiracy theory behind why this is due to the fact that with the tournament being hosted in Toronto/Montreal, their's an obvious comfortability factor for the Eastern Canadians on the roster and players like Jost are still attempting adapt to unfamiliar conditions. One of the narratives of this game will naturally be the four goal performance from Taylor Raddysh and what some other forwards can take from Raddysh is just to get pucks to the net. The best example of this would be Seattle Thunderbird Matt Barzal who is illustrating flare with the puck but often it's a lot of weaving without purpose. If opposing defenders and goaltenders start respecting the shot threat then it will inevitably open up more time and space for the likes of the aforementioned Barzal and Dylan Strome. They're scoring at a frequent pace which is a re-assuring sign for Hockey Canada but what internally concerns me is how they're manufacturing offence. The Americans are a big, mean bunch that may look to prey on Canada's diminutive nature and pound the cycle thus creating odd man advantages that way. It's not necessarily that the Canadians are overly small, it's that some of the forwards that have been blessed with size, Michael McLeod and Pierre-Luc Dubois to name two are refusing to engage physically.
What this game and tournament have taught me is the Philadelphia Flyers have an embarassment of riches on defence. Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim are the high draft picks that Flyer faithful clamours over however the undrafted, signed free agent in Phillipe Myers could be the best out of the bunch?Unquestionably Canada's breakout star,someone I didn't know a lot about but what stands out is his eagerness to ALWAYS jump into the rush and does so maturely and responsibly. His penchant to jump into the rush only works if certain forwards forego statistical capital and cover Phillipe's assignment, and in a hockey game like this that could prove difficult for teenagers. Noah Juulsen was a rock defensively. For a first period that was filled with turnovers Noah was the one constant that you knew would make a good first pass at no risk. Don't let the obscurity of the nation fool you, Latvia has a couple premier stalwarts up front in Connor Ingram's Kamloops teammate Rudolf Balcers and Martin Dzierkals and I formed the impression in thee early going that they were going to push the forecheck and Canada's D would have to be on their toes which they were for the second and third periods. The one last thought about tonight's game I wanted to make is I've seen Kale Clague play out of Brandon several times and it donned upon me tonight that he has a real accurate shot. If he could ever beef up his frame then the Los Angeles Kings have a nice prospect on their hands.
Ranking time....
1.Phillipe Myers(16)
2.Taylor Raddysh(32)
3.Blake Speers(22)
4.Julien Gauthier(20)
5.Dylan Strome(27)
6..Thomas Chabot(16)
7..Noah Juulsen(15)
8.Pierre-Luc Dubois(28)
9.Matt Barzal(20)
10.Mathieu Joseph(34)
11.Kale Clague(31)
12.Michael McLeod(40)
13.Nicholas Roy(32)
14.Anthony Cirelli(21)
15.Dante Fabbro(55)
16.Tyson Jost(38)
17.Jeremy Lauzon(36)
18.Dillon Dube(51)
19.Jake Bean(38)
Mitchell Stephens(DNP)
In net, many have read into Dominique Ducharme's decision to start Carter Hart against the Latvians differently but the way I've interpreted the situation is that he'll run with the Carter the rest of the way.. A few different reasons why but essentially even in the exhibition series Hart was given the net solely in the intersquad games while McNiven and Ingram were left to battle it out for the back-up job. If they revert back to Ingram against the states I'll be more shocked then I would be if Rex Ryan lands another NFL Head Coaching job. I thought in the early going that Hart was solid when needed as the Latvians applied loads of pressure and whether it was fatigue or simply getting out skilled the true colors of Canada began to eventually shine as shots in the second and third periods were 26-15. I was personally indifferent pertaining to who I felt deserved the nod and aside from a couple late softies Hart did nothing to bring forth cause for concern for the coaching staff. For Latvia the starter Mareks Mitens looked stellar in the first and I perceived from the Latvian administration to yank Mitens after the fourth goal as sheer brilliance because as tournament goers are aware, the Super Bowl for Latvia is tomorrow against Slovakia as an appearance in the quarterfinals in dependant on securing the win. No sense exhausting Mitens in this meaningless at the time out of reach game.
In the game against Russia it would've been difficult to argue the assertion that the line of Tyson Jost-Nicholas Roy-Julien Gauthier was the most dominant threesome but in the last two games I've noticed timidness from Roy and Jost. I'll speak to Jost particularly and quite honestly a few of the Western Canadians on this team but for the purposes of focusing on forwards I find Tyson is playing hot potato with the puck and for someone that possesses such high octane skill everyone and their grandmother Tyson can carry a line but he needs some confidence instilled in him Against the former Soviet Union he was all over the ice, a threat 5 on 5 and on the penalty kill. In this game v Latvia, too much north-south action without enough truculence. I referenced timidness from some if not most Western Canadians earlier and my conspiracy theory behind why this is due to the fact that with the tournament being hosted in Toronto/Montreal, their's an obvious comfortability factor for the Eastern Canadians on the roster and players like Jost are still attempting adapt to unfamiliar conditions. One of the narratives of this game will naturally be the four goal performance from Taylor Raddysh and what some other forwards can take from Raddysh is just to get pucks to the net. The best example of this would be Seattle Thunderbird Matt Barzal who is illustrating flare with the puck but often it's a lot of weaving without purpose. If opposing defenders and goaltenders start respecting the shot threat then it will inevitably open up more time and space for the likes of the aforementioned Barzal and Dylan Strome. They're scoring at a frequent pace which is a re-assuring sign for Hockey Canada but what internally concerns me is how they're manufacturing offence. The Americans are a big, mean bunch that may look to prey on Canada's diminutive nature and pound the cycle thus creating odd man advantages that way. It's not necessarily that the Canadians are overly small, it's that some of the forwards that have been blessed with size, Michael McLeod and Pierre-Luc Dubois to name two are refusing to engage physically.
What this game and tournament have taught me is the Philadelphia Flyers have an embarassment of riches on defence. Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim are the high draft picks that Flyer faithful clamours over however the undrafted, signed free agent in Phillipe Myers could be the best out of the bunch?Unquestionably Canada's breakout star,someone I didn't know a lot about but what stands out is his eagerness to ALWAYS jump into the rush and does so maturely and responsibly. His penchant to jump into the rush only works if certain forwards forego statistical capital and cover Phillipe's assignment, and in a hockey game like this that could prove difficult for teenagers. Noah Juulsen was a rock defensively. For a first period that was filled with turnovers Noah was the one constant that you knew would make a good first pass at no risk. Don't let the obscurity of the nation fool you, Latvia has a couple premier stalwarts up front in Connor Ingram's Kamloops teammate Rudolf Balcers and Martin Dzierkals and I formed the impression in thee early going that they were going to push the forecheck and Canada's D would have to be on their toes which they were for the second and third periods. The one last thought about tonight's game I wanted to make is I've seen Kale Clague play out of Brandon several times and it donned upon me tonight that he has a real accurate shot. If he could ever beef up his frame then the Los Angeles Kings have a nice prospect on their hands.
Ranking time....
1.Phillipe Myers(16)
2.Taylor Raddysh(32)
3.Blake Speers(22)
4.Julien Gauthier(20)
5.Dylan Strome(27)
6..Thomas Chabot(16)
7..Noah Juulsen(15)
8.Pierre-Luc Dubois(28)
9.Matt Barzal(20)
10.Mathieu Joseph(34)
11.Kale Clague(31)
12.Michael McLeod(40)
13.Nicholas Roy(32)
14.Anthony Cirelli(21)
15.Dante Fabbro(55)
16.Tyson Jost(38)
17.Jeremy Lauzon(36)
18.Dillon Dube(51)
19.Jake Bean(38)
Mitchell Stephens(DNP)
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Canada/Slovakia Observations
In game two in what I'll consider a series in which I chronicle each Canadian game at the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship. In tonight's tilt, a game I was able to view on tape delay was a rout featuring the Canadians and the lowly Slovakians.
It's hard to read much into this hockey game. For what it's worth as evidenced by a previous post I forged prognosticating this championship I don't think highly of the Slovaks as I predict we'll see the Latvians upending the Slovaks thus dropping them down to relegation which from what I know now could be a scary proposition with the Fins in danger of playing in that game. Getting back to the particular goaltending matchup, with the shots 44-6 in favor of Canada, University of Connecticut goaltender Adam Huska was bombarded and had very little chance on any goal. The only point I'll make regarding Huska is the disappointment I have in the Canadian Hockey League for not taking advantage of the European goaltending market as all it's done is push the NCAA's agenda as it's provided them a recruitment chip to lure the best backstoppers internationally. The objective from "banning' European netminders was to further develop the North American tender but in all actuality it's had the opposite effect. Pertaining to Conor Ingram,there's nothing insightful to report here other then to say if I was the man in charged I'm giving Ingram the start versus Latvia but I suspect Hart will called upon.
Does Dominque Ducharme read this masterpiece? Evidently so as I was pleading that Anthony Cirelli receive an extended role and Ducharme delivered on this wish as Cirelli was much more noticeable in all situations and my further down player rankings will showcase how substantially his effort enhanced in all areas. I think Cirelli could admirably inherit a first line role as linemates Dillon Dube and Blake Speers didn't do a lot from my vantage point to compliment the work ethic of the Oshawa General. Let's face it, back in 2009 and 2010 Jordan Eberle was renowned for scoring big goals and Anthony is no stranger to scoring in the clutch as he potted the golden goal in the 2015 Memorial Cup Final. However, for whatever reason Cirelli doesn't seem to garner the notoriety that Ebs once did and hopefully with tournament stardom will come exposure. Two games has told enough of the story that Tyson Jost and Julien Gauthier haven't found the chemistry and shouldn't be linemates, it's time to test the compatibility of Jost and Cirelli. The Slovaks played a style particularly in that first period that was all about sitting back and waiting for mistakes. When you're the inferior representative that's not a valid strategy. Aggressiveness enhances the chance that you may get blown out worse then the Cleveland Browns on any given Sunday but conversely allows you to take risks that could lead to the unorthodox goal. For Slovakia tonight it was abundantly clear that very few stood out aside from Boris Sadecky. After observing his season statistics courtesy of hockeydb.com I was surprised to notice he's only accumulated four points in thirteen games. This is most definitely an indictment of the Slovakian Hockey Association and how they need to do a better job of promoting offence.
I was rather harsh on the play of Kale Clague on opening night. The smallish soft as butter defenceman came out with an edge today and will need that the rest of the way. Admittely I haven't been the biggest Clague fan in my viewings of the Brandon Wheat Kings but will say the thing that's always stood out has been his willingness to jump into rushes and not be afraid to make a mistake fully understanding that physical limitations make it impossible for him to stay on a level playing field. He was more proactive in attempting to lay out the big hit tonight and was smart in picking his spots. Getting back to my belief that Ducharme must read this(tongue in cheek),Jeremy Lauzon was afforded a larger role although the score could've dictated that. A lot of complaints were vocalize that this team was too Eastern Canadian heavy on defence specifically with the conspiracy theory being that they wanted to cater to the Eastern Canadian bias with it being hosted by Toronto/Montreal. Lauzon was the poster child for this criticism but hasn't looked out of place one bit. As the tournament progresses and the wins continue to be compiled Lauzon's responsibility will only pullulate. Latvia will be a tricky test with the game plans being built around stymieing San Jose Shark prospect Rudolf Balcers and if the trend of Lauzon replacing Fabbro in key situations, Lauzon and the two other Quebecois defenceman best prepare for a high dosage of Balcers.
Now off to the game rankings.....(in parentheses will be the players overall score for the tournament)
1.Anthony Cirelli(7)
2.Kale Clague(20)
3.Noah Juulsen(8)
4.Julien Gauthier(16)
5.Jeremy Lauzon(19)
6.Thomas Chabot(10)
7.Mathieu Joseph(24)
8.Jake Bean(19)
9.Matt Barzal(11)
10.Pierre-Luc Dubois(20)
11.Blake Speers(19)
12.Michael McLeod(28)
13.Dylan Strome(22)
14.Phillipe Myers(15)
15.Tyson Jost(22)
16.Nicholas Roy(19)
17.Taylor Raddysh(30)
18.Dillon Dube(33)
19.Mitchell Stephens....injury situation unclear as of this writing(38)
20.Dante Fabbro(40)
It's hard to read much into this hockey game. For what it's worth as evidenced by a previous post I forged prognosticating this championship I don't think highly of the Slovaks as I predict we'll see the Latvians upending the Slovaks thus dropping them down to relegation which from what I know now could be a scary proposition with the Fins in danger of playing in that game. Getting back to the particular goaltending matchup, with the shots 44-6 in favor of Canada, University of Connecticut goaltender Adam Huska was bombarded and had very little chance on any goal. The only point I'll make regarding Huska is the disappointment I have in the Canadian Hockey League for not taking advantage of the European goaltending market as all it's done is push the NCAA's agenda as it's provided them a recruitment chip to lure the best backstoppers internationally. The objective from "banning' European netminders was to further develop the North American tender but in all actuality it's had the opposite effect. Pertaining to Conor Ingram,there's nothing insightful to report here other then to say if I was the man in charged I'm giving Ingram the start versus Latvia but I suspect Hart will called upon.
Does Dominque Ducharme read this masterpiece? Evidently so as I was pleading that Anthony Cirelli receive an extended role and Ducharme delivered on this wish as Cirelli was much more noticeable in all situations and my further down player rankings will showcase how substantially his effort enhanced in all areas. I think Cirelli could admirably inherit a first line role as linemates Dillon Dube and Blake Speers didn't do a lot from my vantage point to compliment the work ethic of the Oshawa General. Let's face it, back in 2009 and 2010 Jordan Eberle was renowned for scoring big goals and Anthony is no stranger to scoring in the clutch as he potted the golden goal in the 2015 Memorial Cup Final. However, for whatever reason Cirelli doesn't seem to garner the notoriety that Ebs once did and hopefully with tournament stardom will come exposure. Two games has told enough of the story that Tyson Jost and Julien Gauthier haven't found the chemistry and shouldn't be linemates, it's time to test the compatibility of Jost and Cirelli. The Slovaks played a style particularly in that first period that was all about sitting back and waiting for mistakes. When you're the inferior representative that's not a valid strategy. Aggressiveness enhances the chance that you may get blown out worse then the Cleveland Browns on any given Sunday but conversely allows you to take risks that could lead to the unorthodox goal. For Slovakia tonight it was abundantly clear that very few stood out aside from Boris Sadecky. After observing his season statistics courtesy of hockeydb.com I was surprised to notice he's only accumulated four points in thirteen games. This is most definitely an indictment of the Slovakian Hockey Association and how they need to do a better job of promoting offence.
I was rather harsh on the play of Kale Clague on opening night. The smallish soft as butter defenceman came out with an edge today and will need that the rest of the way. Admittely I haven't been the biggest Clague fan in my viewings of the Brandon Wheat Kings but will say the thing that's always stood out has been his willingness to jump into rushes and not be afraid to make a mistake fully understanding that physical limitations make it impossible for him to stay on a level playing field. He was more proactive in attempting to lay out the big hit tonight and was smart in picking his spots. Getting back to my belief that Ducharme must read this(tongue in cheek),Jeremy Lauzon was afforded a larger role although the score could've dictated that. A lot of complaints were vocalize that this team was too Eastern Canadian heavy on defence specifically with the conspiracy theory being that they wanted to cater to the Eastern Canadian bias with it being hosted by Toronto/Montreal. Lauzon was the poster child for this criticism but hasn't looked out of place one bit. As the tournament progresses and the wins continue to be compiled Lauzon's responsibility will only pullulate. Latvia will be a tricky test with the game plans being built around stymieing San Jose Shark prospect Rudolf Balcers and if the trend of Lauzon replacing Fabbro in key situations, Lauzon and the two other Quebecois defenceman best prepare for a high dosage of Balcers.
Now off to the game rankings.....(in parentheses will be the players overall score for the tournament)
1.Anthony Cirelli(7)
2.Kale Clague(20)
3.Noah Juulsen(8)
4.Julien Gauthier(16)
5.Jeremy Lauzon(19)
6.Thomas Chabot(10)
7.Mathieu Joseph(24)
8.Jake Bean(19)
9.Matt Barzal(11)
10.Pierre-Luc Dubois(20)
11.Blake Speers(19)
12.Michael McLeod(28)
13.Dylan Strome(22)
14.Phillipe Myers(15)
15.Tyson Jost(22)
16.Nicholas Roy(19)
17.Taylor Raddysh(30)
18.Dillon Dube(33)
19.Mitchell Stephens....injury situation unclear as of this writing(38)
20.Dante Fabbro(40)
Monday, December 26, 2016
Canada/Russia observations
As will be the case with every Team Canada contest at the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship I will attempt to pen a personalized game summary whilst at the end in highly subjective fashion rank the players based off off performance from 1-20 excluding goaltenders.
In net tonight even though on the losing end of the spectrum it was easy to ascertain that Ilya Samsonov was the better of the two goaltenders. The Washington Capital goaltending prospect faced the more dangerous scoring chances the entire game and was equal to the task. It's not as if I've spent much time analyzing the tendencies of Ilya but what caught my attention in this tilt was his propensity to give up a lot of the top half of the net. Side to side he's Tom Goodwin-esque fast but that athleticism he possesses can also be a hinderance because he reverts to the butterfly far too often without regard for the high glove side particularly. For Canada Carter Hart did very little to increased the confidence of Head Coach Dominique Ducharme. The Kaprizov goal can't be charged to the imcompetence of Carter but the other two are goals that the Canadian side can ill afford especially with medal round contests that are played tight knit and close to the vest. In brings into question and of this writing I have yet to read any post game comments from Ducharme but with Slovakia on deck tomorrow one could presume that Imperial,Saskatchewan native Conor Ingram will get the nod but that's complete conjecture on my behalf. Goaltending controversies are a yearly occurence at no fault to anyone because with how the tournament format is constructed with very game holding high importance(not as high as yester-year since regretfully removing the bye) each game is scrutinized profusely and deserving or not, an average showing from Hart will open the door to others. The Slovakian game is a given(I think), the real determinant will be who has their name called in the third game beyond.
Defence wins championships. Not this Team Canada defence with the way it exerted itself today any way. My biggest complaint, and truly a grudge that has carried over from the exhibition game is the way the defenceman were manufactured, the pairings that Ducharme has signed off aren't complimenting one another. A pet peeve just not from myself was the diminutive nature of this group. I don't think Russia is the most physically intimidating team in the tournament but when retrieving data from this one off you could've fooled me. Dennis Gurianov has been a hot button prospect ever since having his name called by the Dallas Stars twelfth overall in the 2015 draft. Some question his hockey I.Q and those questions will run rampant after some foolishly undisciplined penalties but from a size perspective he utilized his burly attributes to perfection by being strong on his skates and causing nightmares from some of the smaller d-men. I referenced the lack of height qualms in the beginning of this paragraph but I ask this simple question, why at any point are Kale Clague and Jake Bean on the ice together? I'm not exactly how often this occurred but can difinitively say it happened a few times and everytime the two saw ice together, specifically when the likes of Gurianov were on the ice they were like a fish out of water. I will never suggest and if at any point I do call me out for it immediately that Phillipe Myers and Thomas Chabot aren't Canada's two best defenceman but for that very reason accounting for the undersized nature of this collection as a whole I would love to see the coaching staff jiggle the pairings.I'm a proponent of Noah Juulsen see time with Phillipe Myers with Jake Bean pairing next to Thomas Chabot. Additionally, I can't help but scratch my head as to why Jeremy Lauzon is being criminally misused. Dante Fabbro and Kale Clague had rough games as will be evidenced from my below game rankings and to bring forth accountability to the aforementioned two it would be a logical endeavour to parlay an extended role to Lauzon so Clague and Fabbro don't take this Team Canada assignment for granted. I love Chabot and Myers and the game tonight did nothing to dissaude this notion but we need more production from the rest to remain serious contenders.
From all accounts even from his own mouth Matt Barzal didn't come running out of the gates upon his return to the Seattle Thunderbirds. It doesn't necessarily surprise me however as motivation can sometimes be elusive for those returning from the National Hockey League but tonight Barzal returned home to the big stage and never missed a beat. Here was my assessment of Barzal as the tournament began, dynamic with the puck, legendary shiftiness and one of the best passers for his age group.Conversely the knock on Matt is and was that he becomes laxidazical at certain moments and hasn't mastered the defensively responsible art. All that being said he took the platform he was given tonight and was unarguably Canada's best forward. When he twists and turns at the speed he's able he makes opposing defenders nauseous as it would be very difficult to keep up with the puck and the open space he created to gift Dylan Strome was a belated Christmas present. Speaking of Strome I thought he showed flashes tonight. I've been awfully critical in past postings on how I perceive Strome as a player. I generally feel he's lethargic out on the ice and doesn't do much else aside from hanging out in the slot waiting for primo set ups. In fairness to my previous feelings I will give credit where credit is due by vocalizing that he was engaged the entire night and by extension opened up more free space for Pierre-Luc Dubois who had his moments. Ducharme made the late pre-tournament lineup change by swapping Blake Speers who now finds himself on a line with Dillon Dube and Anthony Cirelli and Mitchell Stephens who was awarded top line duties. I don't believe the swap paid dividends today. Stephens was largely ineffective and what boggles me is why Taylor Raddysh and Dylan Strome, teammates in Erie aren't thrown out on the same unit. The counter argument to all of this would be why meddle with Dylan Strome's productivity but keep in mind a lot of his effectiveness was on special teams and the pre developed chemistry could serve both young lads well. Stephens is a C level skater(as is Strome) but doesn't read the game like Dylan does so to get Dylan and Taylor going 5 on 5 it's advisable they're put together. The other alarming facet tonight that reared it's ugly head was the glaring scoring depth outside the top two lines. Strome can't score unless it's on the PP, Barzal has not been handed a finisher on his line and for whatever the reason the best overall line, that being the third line of Julien Gauthier, Nicholas Roy and Tyson Jost sees sparing special team time even though they create on almost every shift. The last remark I'd like to serenade my ever growing audience with is Oshawa Generals stud Anthony Cirelli deserves a bigger role but these kind of desires happen frequently when you compile the countries best players under one roof.
Now time for the rankings.........
1.Phillipe Myers
2.Matt Barzal
3.Nicholas Roy
4.Thomas Chabot
5.Noah Juulsen
6.Anthony Cirelli
7.Tyson Jost
8.Blake Speers
9.Dylan Strome
10.Pierre-Luc Dubois
11.Jake Bean
12.Julien Gauthier
13.Taylor Raddysh
14.Jeremy Lauzon
15.Dillon Dube
16.Michael McLeod
17.Mathieu Joseph
18.Kale Clague
19.Mitchell Stephens
20.Dante Fabbro
In net tonight even though on the losing end of the spectrum it was easy to ascertain that Ilya Samsonov was the better of the two goaltenders. The Washington Capital goaltending prospect faced the more dangerous scoring chances the entire game and was equal to the task. It's not as if I've spent much time analyzing the tendencies of Ilya but what caught my attention in this tilt was his propensity to give up a lot of the top half of the net. Side to side he's Tom Goodwin-esque fast but that athleticism he possesses can also be a hinderance because he reverts to the butterfly far too often without regard for the high glove side particularly. For Canada Carter Hart did very little to increased the confidence of Head Coach Dominique Ducharme. The Kaprizov goal can't be charged to the imcompetence of Carter but the other two are goals that the Canadian side can ill afford especially with medal round contests that are played tight knit and close to the vest. In brings into question and of this writing I have yet to read any post game comments from Ducharme but with Slovakia on deck tomorrow one could presume that Imperial,Saskatchewan native Conor Ingram will get the nod but that's complete conjecture on my behalf. Goaltending controversies are a yearly occurence at no fault to anyone because with how the tournament format is constructed with very game holding high importance(not as high as yester-year since regretfully removing the bye) each game is scrutinized profusely and deserving or not, an average showing from Hart will open the door to others. The Slovakian game is a given(I think), the real determinant will be who has their name called in the third game beyond.
Defence wins championships. Not this Team Canada defence with the way it exerted itself today any way. My biggest complaint, and truly a grudge that has carried over from the exhibition game is the way the defenceman were manufactured, the pairings that Ducharme has signed off aren't complimenting one another. A pet peeve just not from myself was the diminutive nature of this group. I don't think Russia is the most physically intimidating team in the tournament but when retrieving data from this one off you could've fooled me. Dennis Gurianov has been a hot button prospect ever since having his name called by the Dallas Stars twelfth overall in the 2015 draft. Some question his hockey I.Q and those questions will run rampant after some foolishly undisciplined penalties but from a size perspective he utilized his burly attributes to perfection by being strong on his skates and causing nightmares from some of the smaller d-men. I referenced the lack of height qualms in the beginning of this paragraph but I ask this simple question, why at any point are Kale Clague and Jake Bean on the ice together? I'm not exactly how often this occurred but can difinitively say it happened a few times and everytime the two saw ice together, specifically when the likes of Gurianov were on the ice they were like a fish out of water. I will never suggest and if at any point I do call me out for it immediately that Phillipe Myers and Thomas Chabot aren't Canada's two best defenceman but for that very reason accounting for the undersized nature of this collection as a whole I would love to see the coaching staff jiggle the pairings.I'm a proponent of Noah Juulsen see time with Phillipe Myers with Jake Bean pairing next to Thomas Chabot. Additionally, I can't help but scratch my head as to why Jeremy Lauzon is being criminally misused. Dante Fabbro and Kale Clague had rough games as will be evidenced from my below game rankings and to bring forth accountability to the aforementioned two it would be a logical endeavour to parlay an extended role to Lauzon so Clague and Fabbro don't take this Team Canada assignment for granted. I love Chabot and Myers and the game tonight did nothing to dissaude this notion but we need more production from the rest to remain serious contenders.
From all accounts even from his own mouth Matt Barzal didn't come running out of the gates upon his return to the Seattle Thunderbirds. It doesn't necessarily surprise me however as motivation can sometimes be elusive for those returning from the National Hockey League but tonight Barzal returned home to the big stage and never missed a beat. Here was my assessment of Barzal as the tournament began, dynamic with the puck, legendary shiftiness and one of the best passers for his age group.Conversely the knock on Matt is and was that he becomes laxidazical at certain moments and hasn't mastered the defensively responsible art. All that being said he took the platform he was given tonight and was unarguably Canada's best forward. When he twists and turns at the speed he's able he makes opposing defenders nauseous as it would be very difficult to keep up with the puck and the open space he created to gift Dylan Strome was a belated Christmas present. Speaking of Strome I thought he showed flashes tonight. I've been awfully critical in past postings on how I perceive Strome as a player. I generally feel he's lethargic out on the ice and doesn't do much else aside from hanging out in the slot waiting for primo set ups. In fairness to my previous feelings I will give credit where credit is due by vocalizing that he was engaged the entire night and by extension opened up more free space for Pierre-Luc Dubois who had his moments. Ducharme made the late pre-tournament lineup change by swapping Blake Speers who now finds himself on a line with Dillon Dube and Anthony Cirelli and Mitchell Stephens who was awarded top line duties. I don't believe the swap paid dividends today. Stephens was largely ineffective and what boggles me is why Taylor Raddysh and Dylan Strome, teammates in Erie aren't thrown out on the same unit. The counter argument to all of this would be why meddle with Dylan Strome's productivity but keep in mind a lot of his effectiveness was on special teams and the pre developed chemistry could serve both young lads well. Stephens is a C level skater(as is Strome) but doesn't read the game like Dylan does so to get Dylan and Taylor going 5 on 5 it's advisable they're put together. The other alarming facet tonight that reared it's ugly head was the glaring scoring depth outside the top two lines. Strome can't score unless it's on the PP, Barzal has not been handed a finisher on his line and for whatever the reason the best overall line, that being the third line of Julien Gauthier, Nicholas Roy and Tyson Jost sees sparing special team time even though they create on almost every shift. The last remark I'd like to serenade my ever growing audience with is Oshawa Generals stud Anthony Cirelli deserves a bigger role but these kind of desires happen frequently when you compile the countries best players under one roof.
Now time for the rankings.........
1.Phillipe Myers
2.Matt Barzal
3.Nicholas Roy
4.Thomas Chabot
5.Noah Juulsen
6.Anthony Cirelli
7.Tyson Jost
8.Blake Speers
9.Dylan Strome
10.Pierre-Luc Dubois
11.Jake Bean
12.Julien Gauthier
13.Taylor Raddysh
14.Jeremy Lauzon
15.Dillon Dube
16.Michael McLeod
17.Mathieu Joseph
18.Kale Clague
19.Mitchell Stephens
20.Dante Fabbro
Thursday, December 22, 2016
2017 World Junior Hockey Championship Game by Game Prognostications
What I've set out to do in this particular post is prognosticate each preliminary game followed by how I perceive the medal round to shake out. At the bottom of the post, I'll divulge my first and second team All-stars. Hope you thoroughly enjoy!
December 26th,2016
Sweden v Denmark= 9-1 SWE
U.S.A v Latvia=5-2 U.S
Czech Republic v Finland=4-1 FIN
Canada v Russia=4-3 RUS(O.T)
December 27th,2016
Czech Republic v Switzerland= 6-2 CZE
Latvia v Russia=6-2 RUS
Canada v Slovakia=8-0 CAN
Denmark v Finland=5-0 FIN
December 28th,2016
Switzerland v Sweden= 4-3 SWE
Slovakia v U.S.A=6-2 U.S
December 29th,2016
Denmark v Czech Republic=8-3 CZE
Russia v U.S.A=2-1 U.S
Finland v Sweden=6-2 SWE
Latvia v Canada=6-2 CAN
December 30th,2016
Switzerland v Denmark=5-1 SUI
Slovakia v Latvia=5-1 LAT
December 31st,2016
Sweden v Czech Republic=3-2 CZE(SO)
U.S.A v Canada=4-0 U.S
Finland v Switzerland=4-2 FIN
Russia v Slovakia=7-1 RUS
PRELIMINARY STANDINGS
Pool A:
1.Finland 9 points
2.Czech Republic 8 points
3.Sweden 7 points
4.Switzerland 3 points
5.Denmark 0 points
Pool B:
1.U.S.A 12 points
2.Russia 8 points
3.Canada 7 points
4.Latvia 3 points
5.Slovakia 0 points
MEDAL ROUND/RELEGATION
January 2nd,2017
5A(Denmark) v 5B(Slovakia)=5-0 SVK
1A(Finland) v 4B(Latvia)=4-3 LAT
2A(Czech Republic) v 3B(Canada)=4-0 CAN
3A(Sweden) v 2B(Russia)=6-2 SWE
4A(Switzerland) v 1B(U.S.A)=9-1 U.S
January 3rd,2017
5A(Denmark) v 5B(Slovakia)=3-1 SVK
January 4th,2017
3A(Sweden) v 4B(Latvia)=7-1 SWE
1B(U.S.A) v 3B(Canada)=3-2 U.S
January 5th,2017
Bronze: Canada v Latvia=6-1 CAN
Gold: U.S.A v Sweden=3-2 U.S(O.T)
First All-star team:
F-Carl Grundstrom(SWE)
F Rudolfs Balcers(LAT)
F Jeremy Bracco(U.S.A)
D Charlie McAvoy(U.S.A)
D Thomas Chabot(CAN)
G Jake Oettinger(U.S.A)
Second All-Star team:
F Calvin Thurkauf(SUI)
F Julien Gauthier(CAN)
F Alex Nylander(SWE)
D Gvido Jansons(LAT)
D Olli Juolevi(FIN)
G Carter Hart(CAN)
December 26th,2016
Sweden v Denmark= 9-1 SWE
U.S.A v Latvia=5-2 U.S
Czech Republic v Finland=4-1 FIN
Canada v Russia=4-3 RUS(O.T)
December 27th,2016
Czech Republic v Switzerland= 6-2 CZE
Latvia v Russia=6-2 RUS
Canada v Slovakia=8-0 CAN
Denmark v Finland=5-0 FIN
December 28th,2016
Switzerland v Sweden= 4-3 SWE
Slovakia v U.S.A=6-2 U.S
December 29th,2016
Denmark v Czech Republic=8-3 CZE
Russia v U.S.A=2-1 U.S
Finland v Sweden=6-2 SWE
Latvia v Canada=6-2 CAN
December 30th,2016
Switzerland v Denmark=5-1 SUI
Slovakia v Latvia=5-1 LAT
December 31st,2016
Sweden v Czech Republic=3-2 CZE(SO)
U.S.A v Canada=4-0 U.S
Finland v Switzerland=4-2 FIN
Russia v Slovakia=7-1 RUS
PRELIMINARY STANDINGS
Pool A:
1.Finland 9 points
2.Czech Republic 8 points
3.Sweden 7 points
4.Switzerland 3 points
5.Denmark 0 points
Pool B:
1.U.S.A 12 points
2.Russia 8 points
3.Canada 7 points
4.Latvia 3 points
5.Slovakia 0 points
MEDAL ROUND/RELEGATION
January 2nd,2017
5A(Denmark) v 5B(Slovakia)=5-0 SVK
1A(Finland) v 4B(Latvia)=4-3 LAT
2A(Czech Republic) v 3B(Canada)=4-0 CAN
3A(Sweden) v 2B(Russia)=6-2 SWE
4A(Switzerland) v 1B(U.S.A)=9-1 U.S
January 3rd,2017
5A(Denmark) v 5B(Slovakia)=3-1 SVK
January 4th,2017
3A(Sweden) v 4B(Latvia)=7-1 SWE
1B(U.S.A) v 3B(Canada)=3-2 U.S
January 5th,2017
Bronze: Canada v Latvia=6-1 CAN
Gold: U.S.A v Sweden=3-2 U.S(O.T)
First All-star team:
F-Carl Grundstrom(SWE)
F Rudolfs Balcers(LAT)
F Jeremy Bracco(U.S.A)
D Charlie McAvoy(U.S.A)
D Thomas Chabot(CAN)
G Jake Oettinger(U.S.A)
Second All-Star team:
F Calvin Thurkauf(SUI)
F Julien Gauthier(CAN)
F Alex Nylander(SWE)
D Gvido Jansons(LAT)
D Olli Juolevi(FIN)
G Carter Hart(CAN)
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