After a week in Red Deer for the Hlinka Gretzky, it was off to Edmonton for the rescheduled 2022 IIHF Globe Junior Champion. Below is a recap of gamers that I really felt stuck out — or stopped working to stick out — this previous week in Edmonton after Canada defeated Finland 3-2 in overtime in the gold medal video game, with Kent Johnson racking up the gold objective.
Standouts
The Canadian Ducks: Mason McTavish, C / Olen Zellweger, D
McTavish was the very best gamer at the competition. His mix of speed, premium ability, power as well as racking up capacity differentiated him from the team. McTavish was impactful in puck property because of his feet, stamina as well as two-way complete while additionally having the ability to make really imaginative plays to create possibilities. He additionally made a tournament-saving protective play in the gold medal video game in overtime. He appears like a gamer all set to action in with the Ducks.
Zellweger was just one of the very best defensemen in the competition. His skating as well as puck-moving stuck out continually. He made a great deal of plays, as well as with his feet he had the ability to dip into the fast lane of this occasion uncreative. His safeguarding wasn’t impressive provided his dimension, however with his skating he had the ability to suffice on access as well as make sufficient defensive plays to maximize his offending presents.
Emil Andrae, LHD, Philly
Andrae was Sweden’s clear finest skater in the competition. His fantastic ability as well as playmaking capacity drove their infraction, as well as when they required an objective the puck mosted likely to his adhere to make points take place. Andrae isn’t the greatest defenseman however he contends rather tough, enabling him to make quits as well as win fights. As a result of his skating I examine whether his video game will in fact operate in the NHL, however he’s definitely a gamer trending up after a solid year in the Allsvenskan.
Ridly Greig, C, Ottawa
Up up until he obtained harmed in the quarterfinals, Greig was just one of the very best gamers in the competition. He revealed his normal two-way perseverance, being fantastic defensively while additionally assaulting the web continually with rate as well as ability. He appears like a gamer on the fast lane to coming to be a top-nine facility in the organization.
Roby Jarventie, LW, Ottawa
Jarventie had a significant competition for Finland as a large component of their infraction. He’s not an ideal gamer as he does not have footspeed as well as physicality, however inside the offending area Jarventie can make a great deal take place. He’s really competent, can strike joints as a passer as well as has an excellent shot, making him an actual hazard on the power play. The distinction in between him at this competition as well as the variation of him we saw in 2021 was all the time.
Kent Johnson takes on versus Finnish goalkeeper Juha Jatkola in overtime throughout the gold medal video game at the 2022 Globe Juniors (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press by means of AP)
The Kent Johnson (Columbus)-Logan Stankoven (Dallas)-Tyson Foerster (Philly) Line
In the difficult video games, it was this team that tipped up for Canada as well as was their most constant line. Johnson’s ability is elite as well as his creative imagination with the puck was over the plant at this degree. Stankoven brought a lots of power as well as ability also, in addition to being trustworthy down the center for this line, as well as by the end of the competition Canada’s power play was moving via him. Foerster didn’t have the very best year in junior however he was rather excellent in this competition. He made a great deal of plays, he strove as well as he was associated with the infraction continually. His skating is mosting likely to be a problem as a pro up until he verifies it’s not a problem, however at the fast lane of this competition he revealed it wasn’t.
Finland’s Top Line
The leading triad of Roni Hirvonen (Toronto), Aatu Raty (New York City Islanders) as well as Joakim Kemell (Nashville) were the clear chauffeurs for Finland at also stamina. Raty as well as Kemell were amongst the leading markers in the competition, Kemell doing so simply a couple of months after being composed after a mediocre proving in the December Globe Juniors. The 3 of them all revealed fantastic complete degrees to opt for their ability as well as Kemell had the ability to have fun with a professional speed.
Jiri Kulich, LW, Buffalo
Just Like Kemell, Kulich was ordinary at this competition prior to it was terminated in December, however he was suddenly a best gamer in this occasion as well as an analytical leader for Czechia. Kulich revealed the rate, ability as well as racking up capacity that made him a current first-round choice however was additionally solid on pucks as well as wasn’t literally bewildered by taking on older gamers.
Joel Maatta, C, Edmonton
Maatta’s looking record has actually constantly been concentrated on his job values, however he’s never ever been that remarkable from a skating or ability viewpoint. That’s why it was so intriguing to see the current seventh-round choice of the Oilers rise right into a famous racking up duty for Finland with power play time. I still wouldn’t call him an all-natural marker or playmaker, however he might have extra ability than I assumed.
Saying Strbak, RHD, Slovakia, 2023 eligible
I don’t assume Strbak stuck out, however, for a 2005-born gamer in a 2002 competition I assumed he held his very own, which goes over in its very own right. Strbak is rather toolsy, he’s a 6-foot-2 defenseman that can skate well, as well as he revealed flashes of remarkable ability at the competition — consisting of running a power play device. I commented in my previous items concerning the absence of leading protection potential customers in the 2023 NHL Draft, however it appears like Strbak has a possibility to enhance that team.
Group Latvia
For a team of gamers that wouldn’t have actually gone to the competition without Russia being eliminated, they sure resemble they belonged. The Latvian U20 group was extremely affordable in almost every video game they remained in. Both NHL draftees at ahead in Sandis Vilmanis (Florida) as well as Dans Locmelis (Boston) both appeared like strong potential customers. I such as Vilmanis one of the most because of his excellent rate as well as ability, however Locemlis made a great deal of plays also. The draft-eligible defenseman Niks Fenenko is a solid skater that can relocate the puck all right also, possibly have some draft intrigue in 2023 too.
Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota
There weren’t a lots of fantastic goaltending screens in this competition, however minority of them typically originated from Wallstedt. He was just one of the unusual goalkeepers placed under stress from his group to bring them, as well as he came via when asked. He’s so wise as well as practically improved that he made a great deal of difficult quits look simple. He will certainly still require time to discover just how to make the fast conserves versus males in The United States and Canada however there was no question he’s a leading goalkeeper possibility.
Frustrations
Dalibor Dvorsky, C, Slovakia, 2023 qualified
Dvorsky was excellent on the power play, however I assumed he battled to create much infraction at even-strength, mainly because of an absence of footspeed as well as being literally underdeveloped as an ’05 in an ’02 competition. He’s a leading possibility still for the following draft because of just how skilled offensively he is, however the absence of speed in his video game is a little bit of a flag as he prepares to play professional hockey in his draft period in the Allsvenskan.
Ville Koivunen, RW, Carolina
For a gamer that was so effective versus males this previous period, I anticipated extra from the 2021 second-round choice. Koivunen is an experienced, imaginative ahead, however his skating has actually never ever been a strength, particularly for his dimension. I’ve traditionally liked his job values on the ice, however he wasn’t contending that well or producing sufficient infraction to make up for what brought about his ice time being reduced.
Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto
Normally I assumed the leading United States line of Knies, Logan Cooley as well as Matthew Coronato played well, at the very least up until they required to in the quarterfinals, where that team didn’t obtain it done. Knies particularly was a frustration for me. While via the competition he revealed fantastic physicality as well as flashes of ability, he finished the occasion without objectives as well as 3 factors. He racked up extra objectives at the Olympics than he did at the Globe Juniors. I really felt that his video game did not have speed as well as imagination sometimes.
Sweden’s Forwards
This is difficult due to the fact that we understood can be found in that Sweden was mosting likely to remain in difficult to rack up minus Alexander Holtz as well as William Eklund (don’t bother Lucas Raymond). Keeping that in mind they still had numerous older first-round choices in Fabian Lysell (Boston), Isak Rosen (Buffalo) as well as Oskar Olausson (Colorado) to opt for some young 2022 first-rounders in Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver) as well as Liam Ohgren (Minnesota). None stuck out. Particularly, the initiatives from Lysell, Rosen as well as Olausson were rather frustrating as versus the excellent groups they can obtain really little going continually. Lysell most likely was the very best of the 3 because of his fantastic rate as well as ability, however he stayed with the boundary a great deal when developing his infraction, as did Rosen as well as Olausson.
Brad Lambert, RW, Winnipeg
Lambert was a celebrity of the December competition, however battled at this occasion, seeing his ice time reduced as the occasion proceeded to being a healthy and balanced scrape. He had flashes of revealing his fantastic rate as well as ability, however he battled to make a great deal of dip into the fast lane of the competition, as well as a great deal of his infraction originated from the exterior. Following year will certainly be his year to have a larger duty at this occasion.
Simon Edvinsson, LHD, Detroit
Edvinsson was just one of the standouts of the December competition, however it’s reasonable to claim he didn’t have the week he anticipated. Component of that resulted from being harmed in the pre-tournament video game as well as obtaining gastrointestinal disorder mid-week, however despite having that in mind he didn’t do a lot to aid Sweden win video games. He’s an excellent gamer coming off an excellent period, as well as there aren’t much gamers in hockey with his mix of dimension, skating as well as ability, however he divulged a great deal of pucks today when the video games obtained quicker as well as it was tough to claim he looked NHL-ready.
(Image of Mason McTavish: Andy Devlin / Getty Images)
