2016 World Juniors: Team USA Gold Medal Aspirations
By Ryan Ritchie
2016 World Juniors: Day One Yields Interesting Results
Four games were on the schedule for opening day of the 2016 World Juniors, and if the rest of the tournament is as exciting as day one, then strap yourselves in, and get ready for some excellent hockey.
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The Czech Republic played a strong game against the Russians, but eventually fell short 2-1 in a shootout. Sweden dominated Switzerland on the scoreboard with a decisive 8-3 victory. The story line of the game was a physical Swiss team taking runs at several players. Leafs prospect William Nylander was knocked out of the game with a head shot. In the third game, Finland went head-to-head with Belarus, winning 6-0. Believe it or not, Belarus played a decent game and kept it close for a while. Although full credit goes to Belarus’ goaltender, standing on his head holding Finland’s lead to just 1-0 going into the third period. They certainly didn’t play well enough to win, but didn’t look like the typical tournament bottom feeder either.
Perhaps the most anticipated game of the day came last with Canada and the United States squaring off. The Canadians came into the tournament as favorites to repeat, but face challenges in their first couple games with their top goaltender suspended for the opening two games (Mackenzie Blackwood).
The Americans went on to win 4-2 in a hard-fought game, managing to execute an all-around excellent team game. It was highlighted by a strong forecheck, and excellent gap control on defense. No one particular U.S. player stood out above the rest, as it was a collective effort by the whole. With questions surrounding the Americans selection process heading into the tournament, a lot of questions were answered in the first game vs. Canada.
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Tip of the Tower
2016 World Juniors: Odd Selection Process for U.S.
After bypassing some of the countries best pure offensive talent, it became clear that USA Hockey had a vision for this team. They had a specific style of player in mind, and give them credit, they stuck to the plan. Suspicions came to fruition when it quickly became clear the United States were built solid in all three zones. Their defense is highly responsible, and the forwards play an excellent two-way game.
Among notable cuts, Arizona’s Conor Garland, who currently leads the CHL in scoring with 80 points in 33 games. The list also includes Minnesota’s Alex Tuch, and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic. Even Columbus defensive prospect Ryan Collins was a final cut, bypassed for two 2016 draft eligible defenders (Chad Krys and Charlie McAvoy).
Alex Nedeljkovic
Taken 37th overall in the 2nd round at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Nedeljkovic is a product of being a good goalie on bad teams in the OHL. He spent three years with the now-defunct Plymouth Whalers (He took OHL goalie of the year honors in 2014-15). He began 2015-16 with expansion team Flint Firebirds, and was recently traded to Niagara. It’s only a three game sample with his new OHL team, but his stats are solid on a much better hockey team. [hockeydb]
Nedeljkovic is small by goalie standards at just 5’10, but plays like he’s much bigger. His mobility in the crease and overall athleticism are highly regarded as his top attribute. He’s got the skill/talent to one day battle for the starter role in the NHL with Carolina.
The Americans didn’t necessarily have a standout skater in Saturday’s game, but Alex Nedeljkovic was by far the best player on the ice. He stood on his head, making one particular highlight reel save getting a piece of the blocker on the puck after the Canadian forward fooled him with the backhand deke. Nedeljkovic did exactly what a team needs from their goaltender. He made saves at the right times, and had some excellent stops with a ton of traffic in front of the net. If the Americans go on to win Gold, expect that Alex Nedeljkovic could easily walk away with MVP honors.
Werenski Leads Blueline Attack
United States blueline played an excellent game versus Canada. Post-game interviews displayed a shot chart showing the difference in scoring chances. Much of the U.S. chances came from outside the “home plate”, whereas Canada generated many more chances up close. This is a scenario where statistics don’t tell the story of what actually happened.
The American defenders played a sound defensive game, rarely taking chances pinching, getting back quickly, helping limit odd-man rushes. Even though Canada generated several chances in close, the chances yielded relatively easy saves for Alex Nedeljkovic. The Americans have excellent gap-control. There wasn’t a lot of room for Canadian forwards to maneuver with the puck, and any scoring chances were met with sticks and bodies in the lanes. Blue Jackets prospect Zach Werenski was the Americans top defender on Saturday, and there’s reason for Columbus fans to get excited. It looks like he’ll be a quality NHL defender at some point.
Usual Suspects Produce Up-Front
To be fair, it was a group effort as a whole by all four lines to help produce Saturday’s 4-2 win. The U.S. found themselves short a player after one of the OHL’s scoring leaders, Alex DeBrincat, was ejected near the end of the first period for a spear. The United States best players up-front were as expected, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Christian Dvorak, and Colin White.
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Union and Blue
For anyone who doubted Auston Matthews as a lock for top pick at next year’s draft, perhaps the game against Canada helped his draft stock. It’s a long tournament, with many more games to go, meaning there’s still a lot of time for the doubters to be convinced that Matthews is 2016’s top talent. There’s a reason several scouts have said they’d have taken him over Jack Eichel.
Christian Dvorak picked up an assist on Colin White’s goal on a pre-set play in the offensive zone. It’s easy to forget about Dvorak in Arizona when you’ve got players like Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Dylan Strome, and Brendan Perlini in the system. Christian is a smart offensively gifted player who could be a productive top-six forward in the near future with Arizona.
Next: 2016 World Juniors: Predictions, Rosters, and Analysis
Keith Tkachuk‘s son Matthew, currently amongst the leaders in OHL scoring, is as scouts say, a chip off the old block. Playing an eerily similar style to that of his old man, Tkachuk showed us why he projects to be a top 10 talent at next summer’s draft. He’s a gritty skilled forward that is tough to play against.
Ottawa prospect Colin White was arguably the American’s top forward versus Canada. His skating ability was on full display Saturday. He’s got good acceleration, and an excellent top speed, with a beautiful stride. Once he’s developed his all-around game, the Senators should have a gem with this young man.