Five Observations From The 2023 World Juniors

As the World Juniors rolls on, it’s become very apparent that all of the other countries are catching up to the big boys. Not in a sense they will win a gold medal but making the path much harder than it’s been in the past. Without the Russian team, which is always a threat. Here are my five observations.

Can Czechia Medal? 

Well, with Tomas Suchanek (2023 draft eligible) getting assists like he is. He has three career assists. The World Junior record was two, Joni Ortio John Gibson, and Henrik Lundqvist achieved that. He hasn’t been stellar with the Tri-City Americans but in this tournament, the 19-year-old, 2023 draft-eligible goalie has a .957 save percentage and a win against Canada so far. Let’s see how he does against Sweden, but they can medal. Jiri Kulich (Sabres) and Stanislav Svozil (Blue Jackets) have been clutch as well.

Switzerland is Very Dangerous

Swiss forward Liekit Reichle got a shootout goal to keep Switzerland undefeated. But they don’t have a regulation win which is odd as well. So far, that leads their pool that includes the U.S. but that could change. Who thought they would be in that position? Goaltender Kevin Pasche has been just good enough to keep his team above water. 

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Canada is Back to Business

Now that the silly conversation about when to try a “Michigan” to get a goal is ever ok has died down. In my estimation, it’s an offensive move and a shot on goal with a chance to score. Do it if you have the time. Sucking the offensive creativity out of players isn’t the way to advance the game of hockey into the future. The combination of Connor Bedard and Dylan Guenther (Coyotes) had six goals between them in an 11-2 rout against Germany. Bedard had four assists too. When they are on the power play, it’s essentially the best in this tournament. Defenseman Olen Zellweger (Ducks, tied second-all-time Canadian defenseman points) proving to be one of the best all-around defensemen too.

Slovakia Stuns Team USA

This team played big, especially in the offensive zone against the smaller U.S. blueline. They saw the weakness and with physical play exploited it. In that game, Dalibor Dvorsky got a goal and is now a point-per-game, so far. He has shown his flair and a great shot, especially on the power play. A top 10 pick for sure in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft. Filip Mesar (Canadiens) is a player I liked in the draft. He got a goal in the 6-3 win. Captain, Simon Nemec (Devils), picked up a cool three assists showing why he is a future star in the NHL. This team has just enough talent to be dangerous.

That’s all for now.