Alessio Beglieri – McKeen's Hockey

2024 WORLD JUNIORS CHAMPIONSHIP – January 2nd, 2024 – Game Recaps + Three Stars

Brock Otten — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 15:26:06 +0000

Goaltender Michael Hrabal of Czech Republic during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship quarter final between Canada and Czech Republic on January 2, 2024 in Gothenburg.
Photo: Jesper Zerman / BILDBYRÅN

Slovakia 3, Finland 4

What a hockey game this was, filled with non-stop action and several momentum swings. Just when one side looked to be taking hold of the game, the pendulum swung. The best example of that was late in the third period when Aleksanteri Kaskimaki one timed the puck past Adam Gajan to give Finland a 3-2 lead with under two minutes to go. Not even a minute later, with Gajan pulled, the Slovaks tied it on a wobbling wrister to send the game to overtime. It certainly seemed like the Slovaks would have all the momentum heading into overtime, but not even 30 seconds into the extra frame, Jere Lassila burst in alone and buried one past Gajan to send Finland to the semifinals. It was quite a remarkable turnaround for the Finns, who were a loss away in the round robin from hitting the relegation round, but now find themselves facing the United States in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Canada, 2, Czechia 3

Would you even consider this to be an upset? I know I wouldn’t, and several of our scouts predicted this exact outcome for Canada in our WJC pre-tournament guide. Additionally, several of our scouts predicted a strong tournament performance for the Czechs. The Canadians looked completely overwhelmed by the speed of the Czechs in the opening frame and Mathis Rousseau let in two goals he’d probably like to have back: his first real moment of shakiness in this tournament. The second and third were largely dominated by Canada as they managed to flip the script, hemming the Czechs in their own zone for large stretches. But kudos to the Czechs, who largely weathered the storm by remaining disciplined (not taking a single penalty in the game) and clogging up shooting lanes, all while receiving great goaltending from Michael Hrabal. It seemed like this game was headed to overtime, but some sloppy puck management in the defensive end by Canada led to the game winner by Czechia with 11 seconds to go. Sure, you can identify it as puck luck, as Jakub Stancl’s shot bounced off Oliver Bonk and in, but the Czechs had improved drastically over the course of this tournament and deserved to move on.

United States 7, Latvia 2

In the only non-competitive game of the quarterfinals, the United States squashed Latvia; although to Latvia’s credit they kept competing right to the final whistle, even scoring the final goal of the game. The forecheck and speed in transition, in combination with the greater skill and creativity of the Americans was just too much for Latvia on this day. The lineup tinkering by the United States, with Oliver Moore moving on to the first line, pushing Jimmy Snuggerud to the fourth line, proved to be successful as that line generated a couple of goals and Snuggerud was more successful with Danny Nelson and Quinn Finley. It was also the best game of the tournament for Seamus Casey as he was a standout from the back end. The United States now prepares for Finland in the semifinals, an opponent who will obviously not be taken lightly.

Sweden 3, Switzerland 2

The final game of quarterfinal day gave us a way better and closer matchup than anticipated. After the first period, it seemed like this one was destined to be a blowout like the U.S./Latvia one before it. But the Swiss clamped down and frustrated the heck out of Sweden in the second and third periods, sending this game to an overtime frame. In the OT period, Rodwin Dionicio got called for a questionable hooking penalty, sending Sweden to a powerplay which they converted on to push them through to the semi-finals. Axel Sandin Pellikka walked in and snapped a wrist shot past Alessio Beglieri, serving as the OT hero. This was a tough pill to swallow for Dionicio, who had been one of the better defenders in the tournament thus far, as he snapped his stick and handed it to the official. The hometown Swedes will now take on a Czech team that has beaten Canada and pushed the United States to the brink in recent games. Without question, they will need to be sharper on Thursday to beat Czechia.

Three Stars of the Day

#1 Michael Hrabal - Goaltender - Czechia

One could probably make the case that Hrabal’s defenders deserved this more than him with how many shots they blocked in the third period, but he was just so poised and solid in today’s win over Canada. He stopped 28 of 30 and really limited second chance opportunities in the second and third period when Canada was pressing. His size and athleticism have such a profound impact on the mentality of shooters as it was clear that the Canadian players were trying to be perfectly precise with their shots to try to beat him, thus the amount fired wide today. It’s been a bit of an up and down/inconsistent tournament for Hrabal, but top prospects are supposed to be at their best when it matters most and Hrabal was just that today. Does he have another big game in him on Thursday against Sweden?

#2 Seamus Casey - Defense - United States

Another player who has had an up and down tournament, Casey’s inconsistent play seems to have stemmed from the illness he picked up that caused him to miss a round robin game. However, judging by today’s performance against Latvia, he is finally healthy. Casey was all over the ice, excelling at both ends. He finished the game with three assists and was a +4 overall. Casey’s poise in the offensive end was on display today as he did a great job of getting pucks to the net, two of which directly resulted in U.S. goals. He was also a standout defensively with his ability to shut down the transition game thanks to his high-end skating ability. Puck management has been a bit of an issue for the U.S.’ defense in this tournament and if Casey can replicate this performance moving forward, it would greatly improve this team’s chances of capturing gold.

#3 Jere Lassila - Center - Finland

The overtime hero for Finland today in their victory over Slovakia, Lassila had an excellent overall game finishing with a goal and an assist. The assist was off a great play in puck pursuit as he won a battle behind the net then centered it to the slot for Lenni Hameenaho, who put Finland up 2-1 at the time. Then he finished things off in overtime by exploding into the offensive zone, splitting the defense and beating Adam Gajan to play hero. Overall, it’s been a great tournament for Lassila, a previously undrafted pivot. The Finnish captain has always performed well for Finland internationally, but his lack of size, combined with a lack of explosiveness has previously kept him from drawing NHL interest. That may not be the case anymore as Lassila looks to have improved his skating and has had a great year in Liiga with JYP, where he is third among U20 players in the league with 10 assists.

2024 WORLD JUNIORS CHAMPIONSHIP – December 31st, 2023 Game Recaps + Three Stars

Mark Dubreuil — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 17:05:28 +0000

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN - DECEMBER 31: Rutger Mcgroarty #2 of USA battles for position against Peter Repcik #21 of Slovakia in Preliminary Round - Group B action at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Frolundaborg on December 31, 2023 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/IIHF)

USA 10, Slovakia 2

The two undefeated teams in Group B faced off for the first game of New Year’s Eve and it didn’t turn out to be the nail biter that was expected. The USA squad asserted their dominance by beating the Slovaks 10-2 in this lopsided game, although Slovakia’s top goaltender Adam Gajan did not dress in order to rest for their quarter final matchup on January 2^nd, 2024. Slovakia outshot the Americans 20-11 in the second period, but the US side tamed the onslaught with some great goaltending by Trey Augustine who finished the game allowing only 2GA with while facing 40 SOG. USA clinches first place with the win ahead of Sweden in the preliminary round. Rutger McGroarty earned himself a hat trick, leading the way for the Americans on the scoresheet. USA will meet up with Latvia in the quarterfinals and Slovakia will face off against Finland on January 2^nd, 2024.

Sweden 4, Finland 5 (SO)

The Swedes secured first place in Group A, even with the shootout loss to Finland in the final game of the preliminary rounds. The Finns forechecked hard all game and didn’t allow team Sweden to gain any momentum throughout the entire 60 minutes of relegation play. The Finnish side pulled their goalie early with 2:35 left in the third period and the team responded with a nice goal from Jani Nyman who scored with only 92 seconds left in the game to secure the tie and force the game into overtime. Nothing was settled in OT, so the game would be determined by a shootout. Nyman would also come up big in the shootout by scoring on the last attempt to secure the win for Finland. Sweden will now face Switzerland in the quarterfinals next game.

Czechia 4, Switzerland 2

The game between Czechia and Switzerland started out lopsided with the Czechs outshooting the Swiss 14-5 in the first period, and were only able to get one shot by Swiss goaltender Alessio Beglieri from a power play goal from Matyas Sapovaliv. The Swiss side stuck around all game, but the Czech side iced it in the third period when team Captain Jiri Kulich buried his fourth goal of the tournament into a wide open net after a great individual effort and pass from 2024 NHL Draft prospect Tomas Galvas. With the win, Czechia ended up in third place in Group B, while the loss secures them fourth place. Czechia will now play against Canada in the quarterfinals.

Canada 6, Germany 3

Canada, coming off a 2-0 loss to Sweden two days prior needed to rebound in order to place themselves in a good playoff position. Team Canada started the game on their heels when Conor Geekie was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for a hit to the head only 11 seconds into the game. The Germans managed to capitalize during the five minute power play and scored a goal at 2:57 from Arizona Coyotes 2022 draft choice Julian Lutz. For most of the game the Germans stuck around until the third period when Jordan Dumais broke a 3-3 tie with a power play to help Canada move on to a 6-3 win over Germany. Macklin Celebrini again looked very good on the Canadian side and notched two goals to help Canada secure second place in Group A. The loss forces Germany into a relegation match against Norway on January 4^th, 2024.

Three Stars of the Day

#1 – Rutger McGroarty – Forward – USA

The 14^th overall Winnipeg Jets draft choice in the 2022 NHL Draft was buzzing all game and was rewarded capturing a hat trick against the Slovak side. McGroarty opened the scoring with a nice wrap around goal at 6:21 of the first period. He added another goal near the end of the second to help the American side go up 5-2. McGroarty completed the hat trick at the beginning of the third period which helped seal the win.

#2 – Jani Nyman – Forward – Finland

Nyman was the difference for the Finnish side by coming up big when his team needed it. The second round selection of the Seattle Kraken in 2022 has been red hot in the Liiga posting 22 points in 28 games. Nyman showed off his offensive prowess in this game by scoring the tying goal with the empty net, then followed that up with an impressive deke in the shootout to secure the win for Finland.

#3 – Macklin Celebrini – Forward – Canada

The potential first overall prospect of the 2024 NHL Draft displayed his skill yet again at this tournament potting two goals to help Canada win an important game after a loss against Sweden the game prior. The young Boston University forward was the best player on the Canadian side and came up big when the game was on the line, especially early on. He got behind the German defense to set himself up for a breakaway and buried it on the backhand to tie the game in the first period. He followed it up with some nice hustle to beat the opposing goaltender to a loose puck and bury one into an empty from an impossible angle. The win helped Canada secure second place in Group A.

2023 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – TEAM PREVIEW – SWITZERLAND

Chapin Landvogt — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 16:33:13 +0000

Attilio Biasca of Switzerland celebrate with teammates after scoring 3-1 during the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship group stage game between Sweden and Switzerland on August 10, 2022 in Edmonton.
Photo: Joel Marklund / BILDBYRÅN /

Team Switzerland - Group B Preview

There have been times this past decade when a Timo Meier or Nico Hischier were putting up gaudy numbers in the CHL and playing big roles for a competitive WJC squad. A player of this caliber won’t be found on Switzerland’s roster this holiday season, but we’ll let it be known that there have been few Swiss U20 rosters ever to feature this many players currently honing their craft in one of the CHL circuits.

It starts with goaltender Alessio Beglieri (Mississauga) in the OHL where he’s joined by defensemen Rodwin Dionicio (Niagara) and Brian Zanetti (Peterborough). That’s literally only a light note when you see that defenseman Max Streule (Blainville-Boisbriand) and Vincent Despont (Saint John) as well as forwards Attilio Biasca (Halifax), Lorenzo Canonica (Shawinigan), Louis Robin (Val-d’Or), Miles Müller and Jonas Taibel (both Moncton) are all underway in the QMJHL. Sure, there’s no-one here from the WHL, but forward Liekit Reichle spent last season there. In short, only Canada will be fielding a squad with this many CHL players (although the Czechs could make things close).

On top of this, coach Marco Bayer is expected to have Lian Bichsel joining the team directly from the SHL while goaltender Kevin Pasche flies in from Omaha of the USHL. The rest of the team consists of homemade products entirely from the German-speaking portion of the nation who are predominantly busy putting up shiny numbers in the nation’s U20 circuit, a few also getting some good minutes in the second tier SL. One WJC returnee is 5’7” defenseman Dario Sidler, who is the only nominee taking a regular shift in the Swiss NL. What this all means is that as interesting as the options are for Bayer, he’s got quite a jigsaw puzzle to handle coming in while navigating through the preliminary round in Group B that could go all types of ways in the standings.

He won’t have as much time as he likes as the Swiss will be opening the WJC with an early December 26th tilt against a group favorite in Finland. The match-up against the USA will be in Game 3, which will be the 3rd game in 4 days for Switzerland. In between, they’ll face off against Latvia and then wrap things up with Slovakia. Upsets can always be part of the fun (and often are at least once per WJC), but it’s the latter two opponents mentioned who Switzerland will be focusing on and it’s likely going to be the gameday form that is decisive. With Austria and Germany being the two opponents best suited for the Swiss, there won’t be a single “gimme” in the preliminary round. But should a relegation round take place with Switzerland, they’ll be very ready for all takers after this preliminary round.

Of course, all those names on paper should have this team squarely in the quarterfinals. But at whose cost?

10 to Watch

Alessio Beglieri - G

There’s reason to believe that the aforementioned Pasche could be the starter as he’s not only returning from Edmonton, but also played three of four contests there. Still, he lost all of them. Beglieri has fared well enough in the upper scale OHL with a 10-6-2 record and was the starter for the U18 squad last spring in Germany. His 1-2 record was accompanied by some rather unimpressive numbers, but it shouldn’t be surprising if he gets the nod when the money is on the line.

Lian Bichsel - D

Few teams in this event will be able to boast a player such as Bichsel. Alone his size and wingspan will allow him to gobble up a number of oncoming opponents with regularity. He’s a full-fledged SHL player and although there’s little offense of note at that level, he’ll be assuming all sorts of important minutes in all situations. What he doesn’t have is WJC experience, but it will mean little with respect to his role on this team, which is filled with returnees boasting prior experience. A quarterfinal appearance should mean that Bichsel is making an impact every night. He’ll really get to test his metal against Finland and the USA.

Rodwin Dionicio - D

Not the most solid skater around, but plenty athletic and agile, and loves to be involved. Very active on the blueline, Dionicio regularly looks for open ice hits and jumps into the play with aplomb. On some occasions, he’ll even flash some nifty mitts. He’s a vet for this tournament and the program will be looking for him to be a difference-maker, like with a number of the blueliners on board for the ride.

Dario Sidler - D

He’s a bit of a mighty mite at 5’ 7”, but he’s getting things done career-wise and may end up on a pairing with Bichsler. The lone regular in the Swiss NL on this roster, Sidler has been known for years as a strong-skating two-way player who constantly thumps his critics by continually playing capably at any and every level despite his less than impressive size. A 20-point player in the SL last season and returning WJC vet, Sidler may very well end up captaining this team. He’s a righty shot to boot.

Brian Zanetti - D

At 6’3”, 195 pounds, Zanetti is in the midst of his second OHL season and whereas the offense hasn’t really been there, he’s gone from -12 last season to +8 this season. He’s also coming in as a vet of the summer WJC, where he had two assists and a -3 rating. He’ll get loads of minutes, likely on one of the top two pairings. Time to be an impact player if this team wants to remain out of sniffing distance of relegation.

Attilio Biasca - C/LW

Switzerland’s top scorer with four goals and six points at the summer WJC, Biasca has been understood as a skilled player for years now but is only just now seeing that reflected in his QMJHL production - in year three with Halifax. With 27 points in 28 games, he’s a key component of the Moosehead attack and will be expected to continue being just that for Switzerland on the top line. There’s certainly potential for more than a point per game here, which will be sound in light of the very even-keeled competition in round robin play.

Lorenzo Canonica - C

In his third season of play with Shawinigan of the QMJHL, Canonica’s junior career has somewhat mirrored that of Biasca. Both are undrafted and both are coming in as key WJC vets for the Swiss offense, albeit Canonica last played in the 2021 WJC. In addition, his production has been a bit stronger than Biasca’s until this year, albeit he’s pretty much on pace to duplicate last season’s pace. This tournament will present a good opportunity to not only be an impact player for his nation, but also enhance his push for a contract with an NHL organization, if not a selection as an overager in next summer’s draft.

Jonas Taibel - C

Another returnee, the dual citizen Taibel (SUI & AUT) is playing for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL and is one of two players on this roster for whom this tournament will have some major personal importance. He’s essentially playing for his home country in his hometown. In the summer, he was a key player for the Swiss with two goals, three points, and an even rating. What he’s generally not though is a big scorer. He had just 21 points in 57 games last season and is only on pace for 26 in the same sum of games this season. Alas, there’s a key role waiting for him here and the coaching staff is hoping his emotional ties will have the host country fans on the side of the Swiss every single night, kind of like the surrogate sons in a group not featuring Canada.

Joel Henry - C

He’s been around forever for Hockey Swiss and keeps on chugging in his 5’9” body. He’s currently in his third year of SL play for Küsnacht and the numbers aren’t quite what they were a year ago, but he’s the type of heart ‘n soul player the coaching staff will look to build on, especially with so many of his teammates currently playing their hockey elsewhere in the world. On a team that seems to have a lot of individual talents and a few more question marks, Henry is going to have to be a key glue ingredient if this team is going to experience success.

Miles Müller - C

Like the aforementioned Taibel, Müller is playing his club hockey for the Moncton Wildcats. Like Taibel, he’s a dual citizen (SUI & CAN). Much like an extrapolated Taibel, this will truly be a home-away-from-home tournament for him. And again, like Taibel, he’s on pace for 26 points in 56 games. Unlike Taibel, he’s just 17 and already taking part in his 3rd season of QMJHL play. In fact, he’s a guy the program is very excited about moving forward. This will be the first of what could be three WJC appearances and he’s already docked for a top 9 role on a squad with many options. Keep an eye on him, because the emotional ties to both his nation and host could generate the sympathy in the stands that could play a decent role in backing the Confoederatio Helvetica into the playoffs.

Sleeper:

Louis Robin - RW

Currently on his third QMJHL team in two seasons, Robin is one of the older members of this squad and although he wasn’t part of the summer festivities, he has been part of the program for five years now. After 29 points last season, he’s got 14 in 16 games this season. Only checking in at 5’9”, there’s potential here for him being one of those sneaky guys who pops up several times in the course of the week when the money is on the line. And that’s something this Swiss club is going to need in what should be four fairly tight preliminary round games.