Team USA – McKeen's Hockey

2024 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – December 26th, 2023 Game Review

Derek Neumeier — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 13:29:51 +0000

Gavin Brindley of USA during the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship between USA and Norway on December 26, 2023 in Gothenburg.
Photo: Carl Sandin / BILDBYRÅN

Slovakia 6 vs. Czechia 2

The most recent match between these hockey rivals and former nation siblings went in the favour of Slovakia, with the Slovakians riding a three-goal burst early in the third period to extend a narrow 2-1 lead into a 5-1 rout and eventual 6-2 finale. It was an impressive victory considering their last medal at this tournament was a bronze in 2015, as well as the fact that the two best eligible players for their country, Juraj Slafkovský and Šimon Nemec, are currently playing for their NHL clubs instead. Forward Servác Petrovský led the way offensively for the winning side, with two goals and one assist, while Samuel Honzek, Filip Mešár, Maxim Štrbák and Viliam Kmec all chipped in two points apiece. Czech starting netminder Michal Hrabal was never quite able to find stable ground in his crease, allowing six goals on 34 shots while looking shaky throughout.

Canada 5 vs. Finland 2

Canada's depth and balance will be their most important attributes at this year's event, and they utilized both masterfully on Tuesday, skating away with a 5-2 win in a game that they were in control of throughout, aside for some penalty troubles. Despite being assembled as more of a checking line, the trio of Nate Danielson, Owen Beck and Owen Allard was Canada's best overall, generating the first two goals and tilting the ice throughout most of their shifts. Projected 2024 1st-overall draft selection Macklin Celebrini also had a huge goal in the second frame on a net-front scramble that needed video review to be confirmed. Crucially, the undrafted Mathis Rousseau made 24 saves and looked plenty sharp, instilling some confidence about the team's seeming weakness between the pipes. Defenseman Arttu Kärki recorded assists on both Finnish goals, while goaltender Niklas Kokko turned aside numerous quality scoring chances but wasn't able to deny all of them.

United States 4 vs Norway 1

If the Americans were expecting a casual skate in their tournament opener, they were given a quick wake-up call, as the heavy underdog Norwegians came out ready to play hard. While the outcome of a U.S. win was easily predicted the narrowness of the 4-1 score and the back-and-forth exchange of scoring chances in the first half certainly wasn't. Gavin Brindley's 2-0 goal finally broke the dam for the red, white and blue, and he followed it up with another two and a half minutes later, snuffing out most of the spark that their opponents showed early on. The diminutive Markus Stensrud was simply sensational in net for Norway, making a multitude of stellar saves, and 40 overall, while preventing the score from getting obscene, which could end up being important later on in the tournament if goal differential comes into play as a tiebreaker.

Sweden 6 vs. Latvia 0

The last match of the day was by far and away the least eventful of the opening four, as the host Swedes outshot Latvia 35-20 and trounced them on the scoreboard to the tune of 6-0. At no point did the game ever really seem close, though that didn't deter the cheers from the raucous home crowd. Latvia had a five-minute powerplay just 25 seconds into the first period, on a nasty boarding penalty by Swedish defender Elias Salomonsson, but wasn't able to generate anything from it, and shortly after it ended it was obvious that a vitally important opportunity for them as underdogs had been unfortunately squandered. Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Filip Bystedt, 1st-round picks of the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks, respectively, each scored two goals apiece, while goaltender Hugo Hävelid didn't face the toughest of tests to earn the 20-save shutout.

Three Stars:

1) Gavin Brindley — United States

The first half of the game between the United States and Norway had all the necessary ingredients for an historic upset. However, Brindley had other ideas. A notorious workhorse and spark plug who was also part of the bronze medal-winning American roster last year, he narrowly pounded home a powerplay one-timer to make it 2-0 and then went beautifully bar down shortly afterwards to make it 3-0. That second marker took the wind out of Norway's sails for a while and they never fully recovered.

2) Maveric Lamoureux — Canada

Lamoureux didn't have a particularly flashy or exciting game, but that was by design, focusing his attentions instead on keeping the Finns quiet and under control over the course of his team-leading 24:50 of ice time. The rangy blueliner was a suffocating defensive presence and undoubtedly frustrating for his opponents to get through. He did, however, help create the game's opening goal when his shot from the point went off Danielson and in, and he was similarly rewarded on the score sheet in the dying minutes when he calmly buried an empty-net goal from center ice.

3) Adam Gajan — Slovakia

Things easily could have gone south for the Slovakian netminder Gajan after allowing a goal just 1:01 after puck drop, but to his credit he immediately bounced back and once again looked like the star player who was crucial in almost upsetting Canada in the quarterfinals of the 2023 tournament. Dialed in and on his toes, he kept things tight and tidy for the remainder of the game's opening 40 minutes, which in turn helped his confident teammates break the deadlock late in the second period and then produce their outburst of goals in the third.

Connor McDavid steals spotlight, Team Canada and Team USA U18 reports

David Burstyn — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:02:59 +0000

Connor McDavid is blowing the hype out of the water.

The 1997-born forward dominated competition that were mostly two years his senior. McDavid not only led the tournament in scoring, but was named MVP and Best Forward following his exceptional play.

McDavid helped lead Canada back to prominence with a gold medal. It was the first time the Americans didn’t capture gold in the past five tournaments.

Several players increased their draft stock with solid tournament performances. Here’s a look at some of the players from Team Canada and Team USA that left a lasting impression in Sochi, Russia.

Team Canada

Connor McDavid (C, 2015)

Named tournament MVP after producing 6-8-6-14 totals, setting a new Team Canada point total .. recorded back-to-back hat tricks in round robin play against Sweden and Switzerland .. electrifying talent with the puck as he was able to generate offense out of innocent-looking plays .. double under-ager used this tournament to put himself on the hockey world map .. the most heralded prospect to come out of the CHL since Sidney Crosby.

Morgan Klimchuk (RW, 2013)

Tied for 7^th in tournament scoring riding shotgun with McDavid on Team Canada’s first line .. highly involved in the offensive zone due to his ability to stay with plays and makes incredible use of his shot selection .. a permanent fixture for head coach Don Hay in PP situations where Klimchuk delivered the offensive goods.

Nicholas Baptiste (RW, 2013)

Recorded two key assists in the gold medal game, including the GWG .. was used in all situations and played a simple, yet effective game showcasing his above-average skill-set .. took advantage of his ice-time and played in all situations, including the dying minutes of both the gold medal and semi-final game to help Team Canada preserve its lead.

Laurent Dauphin (LW, 2013)

Showed up when it mattered most with his best performance in the gold-medal game where he scored a goal and an assist in the gold-medal final .. a fearless and hard-nosed competitor who would always fight his way into the slot or go hard to the net .. skating was exposed at times but made up for it with keen attention to detail and uncompromising work ethic.

Samuel Morin (D, 2013)

Cool, calm and collected, he logged a ton of minutes and was very practical in terms of his decision-making .. simplistic in his approach, he utilized his speed advantageously and kept forwards to the outside with his long reach .. played with a heightened intensity .. his draft stock soared after this tournament as he has great size and is only scratching the tip of his potential.

Dillon Heatherington (D, 2013)

Consummate two-way tower of power, he was always involved along the boards and winning loose puck battles .. showed a keen sense of anticipation and was never out of position .. staunch defensive efforts coupled with the ability to make a play with the puck made him highly-serviceable.

Philippe Desrosiers (G, 2013)

Only undefeated goalie in the entire tournament went 6-0 while only allowing six goals against all tournament .. recorded back-to-back shutouts, including final game of round robin against Sweden as well as the quarterfinal game against Czechs .. never fell behind in one game this tournament as he always played with the lead .. aggressive in his reads and handling the puck, plays a determined butterfly style and was very diligent with his rebounds .. upped his draft stock considerably with stand-out performance.

Team USA

Steven Santini (D, 2013)

Named the tournament’s best defenseman .. Santini’s no nonsense approach, coupled with his physical brand of play, kept the opposition not only in check but off the scoreboard .. one of the most physically-imposing defensemen at the tournament despite going pointless, he recorded the highest +/- for his team (+8) second-highest in the tournament.

Tommy Vannelli (D, 2013)

Hard to imagine that he only joined the Program a few weeks before the start of the U18 World Championships as he took over the PP duties and was on the ice for the dying stages of the gold-medal game looking for the equalizer .. calculated and ultra-poised on the line to make a play .. showed good defensive awareness to complement his maturing offensive game.

JT Compher (C, 2013)

Returned for his second consecutive U18 World Championship (won gold in 2012 as an under-ager), capturing a silver medal in 2013 for his efforts .. heart and soul player went to the wall each and every game with gutsy performances, including the shootout winner in semi-final game against Team Russia .. team captain averaged a point a game and was relied upon by Coach Granato to score goals and kill penalties .. a jack of all trades.

Tyler Motte (C, 2013)

Recorded the highest amount of goals for Team USA with five while providing clutch scoring .. a dual-threat due to his work ethic, Motte was always in motion and could make plays by quickly charging up ice .. great in transition, he would often catch the opposition off guard with timely stick raises.

Michael McCarron (RW, 2013)

Biggest player up front in the entire tournament came slightly unraveled against Team Sweden with undisciplined penalties but rebounded nicely in both the semi-final and gold-medal game .. imposed his will and was extremely effective down low when charging the net .. caught up ice on a handful of occasions as he struggled with the big ice surface but showed good patience and offensive prowess.

More than meets the eye from Team USA

David Burstyn — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:40:50 +0000

The United States National Team Development Program will begin its defence of four-consecutive under-18 world championship gold medals.

Keaton Thompson will begin the tournament needing a big performance to salvage a season’s worth of poor showings. The defender appears to have peaked after slipping into a comfort zone which produced little growth in his game.

Michael McCarron is trending upwards. The hulking 6’5 forward is an immovable object in front of the opposition’s goal and is showing the type of improvements and progression in his game scouts like to see.

John Hayden scored some big goals for his team throughout the season and brings a lunch-pail mentality on every shift. Meanwhile, newcomer Tommy Vannelli brings depth and a responsible, two-way game to Team USA.

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Keaton Thompson (D, 2013), USA

Courtesy of the US National Team Development Program

Has shown limited improvement since the onset of the season .. looks very attractive on the ice thanks in part to a smooth and silky skating style .. tends to play the game at a single pace and hasn’t learned to push the envelope this year, both from a physical and offensive perspective .. easy to play against defensively in large part due to his unwillingness to take a hit .. maintains a good gap and uses his stick well but is often the second man in and hopes to create the illusion that he wants the puck .. will step into a guy on occasion but isn’t naturally aggressive .. needs to follow through on plays as he can get caught up ice and his rushes usually fizzle before an offensive opportunity is created .. offensive totals this season have been less than impressive .. hasn’t elevated his play in several key tournaments .. needs to rebound at the U18 World Championships to salvage his draft stock as a top ’90-born prospect.

Michael McCarron (W, 2013), USA

Courtesy of U.S. National Team Development Program

Arguably the most improved player at the program since the beginning of the season .. McCarron’s foot speed and skating mechanics have shown some polish, however, upgrades to his fluidity and agility are a must moving forward .. glide helps him gain the zone and stay involved in plays due to his somewhat wonky turning .. makes good use of his size by attacking the net and staying in the slot .. unmoveable in front once he plants his feet .. his shot release has gotten quicker as he has been able to settle down pucks with more regularity .. goes to the net looking for more garbage goals off rebounds .. shown more creativity with the puck and is capable of generating plays not just on the cycle but in open-ice .. playing harder in all three zones and finishes his hits with regularity .. most physically-developed and imposing on the team, standing at 6’5 .. also racked up the most PIM on the team .. has time to develop and grow into his expansive frame .. has a lot to gain from a good showing at the U18 World Championships as he will be under the microscope to see how he performs against other country’s elite players .. his style compares favourably to Mike Rupp.

John Hayden (W, 2013), USA

Courtesy of the US National Team Development Program

Perennial hard worker continues to flourish in a multitude of roles on the team, including providing timely scoring (4 GWG) while also adding a layer of physical play that keeps the opposition honest .. not opposed to engaging in a fight and actively seeks it out on the ice .. always comes to the aid of his players and is involved in scrums .. hand skills and creativity surprise; at times, he can make skilled plays that often catch his line-mates by surprise .. not a stranger to traffic areas .. willingly takes a hit as he bangs and crashes at rebounds in front with little fear of the punishment he will receive .. choppy skater .. has a powerful thrust to his game but his lateral quickness and overall agility is quite sloppy and needs refinement .. plays a hard-nose, character game and is highly-adaptable to most game situations .. may struggle on the big ice at the U18 World Championships, however, his determination will always keep him involved in the play.

Tommy Vannelli (D, 2013), USA

Joined the program after his Minnesota High School season concluded in Minnetonka .. has been a pleasant shot in the arm for Team USA, giving the back-end depth .. plays a diligent and responsible two-way game .. is more conservative in terms of his offensive rushes at the USHL level, but plays with a quiet confidence and is able to execute plays .. sly in the offensive zone .. he can side-step players to gain more positional advantage inside the zone .. skating has a deceptive quality to it as he generates good speed but is not a burner .. his lateral movement and pivots need some work as he can get turned around at times when defending out wide .. his firm positioning and game-reading ability always allow him to slow down a player .. would benefit from playing with more sandpaper .. has yet to adopt a physical approach and tends to lean on players .. should thrive with Team USA at the U18 World Championships due to his smarts and ability to make plays in all three zones.