WJC U20 2024 Sweden

[flyercanuck]

The always awesome WJCs will start Dec 26 in Gothenburg Sweden. Canada will be defending it's gold with only one returning player, Owen Beck. They'll be rolling with a pretty young squad this year with 7-18 year olds and 1-17 year old. Sarnia Sting Alan Letang will be HC of Team Canada. Looking forward to seeing some great hockey.

 

[Podein25]

Can't wait. I like that the Boxing Day game is a good team not Austria or whatever. 

 

Looking forward to seeing Bonk and some of my keeper league prospects: Luneau (he's amazing by the way), Ciernik, Hrabal

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Podein25

[Podein25]

Super bummed about Luneau being out (viral infection). 

[flyercanuck]

7 hours ago, Podein25 said:

Super bummed about Luneau being out (viral infection). 

 

Ya, it's a big loss. He may well have been captain and likely would lug huge minutes. Hopefully they can overcome it. Same for Molendyk. 

 

Merry Christmas Pods.

[Brewin Flames]

https://teamusa.usahockey.com/2024wjcroster

 

GO USA !

[flyercanuck]

Well that was one slopfest by both teams, but first game so they get a pass. Finland had zero going all game 5 on 5, expect better from them. Bonk looked like he was trying to mishandle the puck, though he certainly wasn't the only one. Canada will have to get a lot better than that to play with the big boys this year.

[Podein25]

1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

Well that was one slopfest by both teams, but first game so they get a pass. Finland had zero going all game 5 on 5, expect better from them. Bonk looked like he was trying to mishandle the puck, though he certainly wasn't the only one. Canada will have to get a lot better than that to play with the big boys this year.

 

Fair

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

World Junior Championship roundup: Kechter, Germany upset Finland in opener

Blackhawks goalie prospect Gajan makes 36 saves in win for Slovakia; Kulich, Sale hat tricks lift Czechia

© Björn Larsson Rosvall /TT News Agency via AP

ByMike G. Morreale

@mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer

12:13 PM

Wednesday is the second day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Day 2 games

Germany 4, Finland 3 -- Veit Oswald (2024 NHL Draft eligible) scored two goals for Germany in an upset victory during a Group A game at Scandinavium.

 

The victory by Germany was its first against Finland at the World Junior Championship in 26 tries (1-0-0-25). Seven players on Germany returned from the 2023 team that finished eighth.

 

Eric Hordler had two assists and Philipp Dietl made 40 saves for Germany (1-0-0-0).

 

Samu Bau (Arizona Coyotes) had a goal and an assist and Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 24 saves for Finland (0-0-0-2).

 

Germany scored three goals on 10 shots in the second period to take a 4-3 lead.

 

Roman Kechter (2024 draft eligible) scored on a rebound at the right post to pull Germany into a 3-3 tie at 13:07 of the second. Oswald, a 19-year-old forward representing his country for a second straight year, made it 4-3 1:31 later on a snap shot from low in the left face-off circle at 14:38.

 

Dietl (2024 draft eligible) made 33 consecutive saves after allowing a goal to Bau at 3:05 into the second that gave Finland a 3-2 lead. The 19-year-old made 17 saves in the third period.

 

Germany will play Sweden on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET). Finland, which lost 5-2 to Canada on Tuesday, will next play Latvia on Friday (8:30 a.m. ET).

 

Slovakia 3, Switzerland 0 -- Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) made 36 saves to earn his first shutout at World Juniors for Slovakia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg.

 

Slovakia opened the World Juniors with two straight wins for the first time since 2002 when it finished eighth. Slovakia last won a medal at the tournament in 2015 (bronze).

 

Peter Repcik (2024 NHL Draft eligible) had a goal and an assist for Slovakia (2-0-0-0).

 

Alessio Beglieri (2024 draft eligible) made 17 saves for Switzerland (0-0-0-1).

 

Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) scored from the slot on a backhand to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead at 8:33 into the first period. Repcik whiffed on an attempt at the right post but was able to back pass the puck to the front of the net from the end boards.

 

"I thought we played a really good game and showed character," Honzek said. "We had a couple of little mistakes, but we had an amazing goalie and he had our backs."

 

Honzek was denied on a penalty shot at 2:56 of the second period when Beglieri got his stick blade on a backhand attempt down the middle of the ice.

 

Repcik scored an empty-net goal for a 2-0 lead at 18:19 of the third period. Servac Petrovsky (Minnesota Wild) pushed it to 3-0 on a short-handed, empty-net goal, at 19:12.

 

Gajan, selected in the second round (No. 35) of the 2023 NHL Draft, was making his second straight start after making 27 saves in a 6-2 win against Czechia on Tuesday. He made 11 saves in the third period Wednesday, including a sprawling left-glove save against Gregory Weber (2024 draft eligible) at the right post.

 

The 19-year-old goalie was named the best goalie of the 2023 WJC after winning four straight starts, finishing with a 2.40 GAA, .936 save percentage and one shutout in four games.

 

He made 33 saves in a 6-3 victory against the United States in the preliminary round and 53 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to eventual champion Canada in the quarterfinals.

Switzerland will next play the United States on Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Slovakia will face Norway on Friday (6 a.m. ET).

 

Czechia 8, Norway 1 -- Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) and Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken) each had a hat trick for Czechia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg.

 

Kulich had four points (one assist), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) had two assists and Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) made 20 saves for Czechia (1-0-0-1).

 

Matyas Melovsky, a right-shot center who is a C rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a possible fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, had three assists.

 

Markus Stensrud (2024 draft eligible) made 32 saves for Norway (0-0-0-2), which lost 4-1 to the United States on Tuesday.

 

Kulich scored two goals in the first period for Czechia. His first came from the top of the left face-off circle for a 1-0 lead at 10:30. The 19-year-old forward scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle for a 2-0 lead at 17:46.

 

Johannes Lokkeberg scored on a shot from the left point to pull Norway within 2-1 1:15 into the second period.

 

Sale scored two goals in the second. His first gave Czechia a 4-1 lead at 12:52 off a turnover in front of Norway's net 37 seconds after teammate Ales Cech scored on a shot from the right point. Sale pushed the lead to 5-1 on a wrist shot from the right hashmark at 18:46.

 

Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights) had a shot from the right point deflect off his leg into the net for a power-play goal at 8:49 of the third period for a 6-1 lead. Sale scored a power-play goal for a 7-1 lead at 13:16, and Kulich scored his third goal at 15:15 for the 8-1 final.

 

Norway is playing in the top division at the World Juniors for the first time since 2014.

 

Each country will next play on Friday with Norway facing Slovakia (6 a.m. ET) and Czechia playing the United States (11 a.m. ET).

[Brewin Flames]

World Junior Championship roundup: Snuggerud hat trick leads United States

Brindley adds 2 goals, Nazak 4 assists in victory against Switzerland

 

@mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer

2:58 PM

Thursday is the third day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Day 3 games

United States 11, Switzerland 3 -- Jimmy Snuggerud, selected No. 23 by the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 NHL Draft, had three goals and an assist for the United States in a Group B preliminary-round match at Frolundaborg.

 

Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets) had two goals and an assist, Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning), Quinn Finley (New York Islanders) and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) each had a goal and an assist, and Frank Nazar III (Chicago Blackhawks) had four assists for the United States (2-0-0-0).

 

"I think I was just kind of shooting anything that I could on [Switzerland goalie Lorin Gruter]," Snuggerud said. "He's obviously on his off-hand, too, so it's a little different from normal, but I think just getting pucks to the net. [linemates] Rutger McGroarty and Cutter Gauthier] were there for me."

 

The United States has won 24 times and tied twice in 26 games against Switzerland at the World Junior Championship.

 

Gregory Weber (2024 eligible) had a goal and an assist for Switzerland (0-0-0-2).

 

The U.S. scored five goals on 14 shots in the first period.

 

"I think we were just making plays early," Snuggerud said. "Obviously, we didn't have a great start [in a 4-1 win against Norway on Tuesday] and we talked as a line. We wanted to come on strong tonight so Cutter and Rutger were making strong plays, and luckily a few went in."

 

Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) opened the scoring from the bottom of the left face-off circle at 1:20 of the first. Snuggerud then scored on a shot at the left post at 3:21, and then again from the slot at 8:11 for a 3-0 lead.

 

Weber pulled Switzerland within 3-1 on a snap shot just inside the right post from the slot at 9:17 before Snuggerud responded with his third goal on a wrist shot from the high slot at 12:36 for a 4-1 advantage.

 

Gruter (four goals allowed on 10 shots) was replaced by Ewan Huet (2024 NHL Draft eligible) after Snuggerud's third goal. Huet, the son of former NHL goalie Cristobal Huet, finished with 23 saves.

 

Buium, an A rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, pushed it to 5-1 when his attempt to pass the puck from low in the right circle deflected off the skate of a Switzerland defenseman and into the net at 18:29.

 

The United States extended the lead to 9-1 with four goals on 15 shots in the second period.

 

Brindley made it 6-1 on a snap shot from the slot at 5:06. Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored a power-play goal at 9:33 to make it 7-1 and Brindley pushed it to 8-1 at 10:04 before Howard scored his second of the tournament at 14:55.

 

Finley and Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks) each scored in the third period for the United States. Gael Christe and Thierry Schild each scored in the third for Switzerland.

The McGroarty-Gauthier-Snuggerud line combined for eight points (three goals, five assists) in the victory.

 

“I just thought they were on it," U.S. coach David Carle said of the trio. "They were moving their feet. I thought Rutger looked better, much more comfortable, had more timing than the first night and to me that was a big difference.”

 

Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) made 21 saves for the U.S. in his WJC debut.

 

“He made some big saves," Carle said. "I thought he was very good throughout the night; had to make some big ones in the second period. I thought he was good when he needed to be for us.”

 

The United States next plays Czechia on Friday (11 a.m. ET). Switzerland will face Norway on Saturday (11 a.m. ET).

On Tap

All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN in Canada

 

Germany vs. Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET) -- Germany (1-0-0-0) will look for its second straight victory at Scandinavium after earning the first major upset of the tournament with a 4-3 win against Finland on Wednesday.

 

It marked the first World Juniors win by Germany against Finland in 26 games (1-0-0-25). Look for goalie Philipp Dietl to make his second straight start after making 40 saves against Finland, including 17 in the third period.

 

Sweden (1-0-0-0) will be without Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg Jets) after the defenseman received a one-game suspension for boarding Latvia forward Emils Veckaktins 25 seconds into a 6-0 win against Latvia on Tuesday. Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) each have two goals in the tournament for Sweden.

[OccamsRazor]

Sweden blew out Canada twice – 8-0 in the group stage and 7-2 in the semifinal – at the under-18 World championship earlier this year. Nine Swedes from the tournament are now at the World Juniors, as are two Canadians, including centre Macklin Celebrini.

 

"They weren't very close games," Celebrini said. "Obviously [want] a little bit of redemption. We have a great team here so I'm excited for tomorrow."

 

Canada will face host Sweden on Friday in a game that will likely determine who tops Group A. 

[Math]

Canada-Latvia, 10-0

USA-Switzerland 11-3

Czech Rep.-Norway 8-1

Sweden-Latvia 6-0

 

...and it's not over.

 

Maybe change the formula, go with only six teams and start directly with 2 wild card games and the following semi-finals.

[flyercanuck]

6 hours ago, Math said:

Canada-Latvia, 10-0

USA-Switzerland 11-3

Czech Rep.-Norway 8-1

Sweden-Latvia 6-0

 

...and it's not over.

 

Maybe change the formula, go with only six teams and start directly with 2 wild card games and the following semi-finals.

 

There used to be much worse blowouts than that. The US used to be on the receiving end of some of those. They got better.

 

It's a short enough tournament as it is, why make it shorter?

[Math]

6 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

There used to be much worse blowouts than that. The US used to be on the receiving end of some of those. They got better.

 

It's a short enough tournament as it is, why make it shorter?

 

Of course, I was kidding -- just a bit

 

Still, it's really not fun for these bottom teams to get demolished every year against the North Americans. They know that they will get crushed and that what usually happens.

 

Former Swiss coach Christian Wohlwend (a guy that I love. he speaks truly on a very colored way) perfectly summarizes it when Switzerland learned that they will face Canada in the quarters:

 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

That guy would be awesome in the NHL....

[Brewin Flames]

Team USA still unbeaten at world junior hockey championship

• ESPN News Services

Dec 31, 2023, 08:17 PM ET

 

GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Michigan forward Rutger McGroarty had a hat trick, Michigan State's Trey Augustine made 38 saves and the United States defeated Slovakia 10-2 on Sunday in the world junior hockey championship to complete Group B play undefeated.

Michigan's Gavin Brindley and Michigan State's Isaac Howard each scored twice and Denver's Zeev Buium and Boston College teammates Ryan Leonard and Cutter Gauthier added goals.

"I thought we played extremely well overall," U.S. coach David Carle said. "We're continuing to build and now we're on to the next phase with the quarterfinals."

McGroarty, who was selected 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft and has six goals and 18 points for the Wolverines this season, will lead the Americans into a matchup vs. Latvia on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Latvia was fourth in Group A.

 

Marian Mosko and Filip Mesar scored for Slovakia. It will face Finland in the quarterfinals.

 

In the other group B finale, the Czech Republic beat Switzerland 4-2. In Group A, Finland beat Sweden 5-4 in a shootout and Canada topped Germany 6-3. Sweden -- which shut out its first three group opponents -- was first in the group, followed by Canada and Finland.

 

In the quarterfinals, Sweden will face Switzerland, and Canada will play the Czech Republic.

 

Jani Nyman tied it for Finland late in regulation and scored the deciding goal in the shootout.

 

"I don't know what happened, but we weren't ready at the start," Swedish forward Noah Ostlund said. "We don't make to make excuses. We have to be better next time."

 

Boston University star Macklin Celebrini scored twice for Canada.

 

"One of those games where you just got to keep going," said the 17-year-old Celebrini, expected to be the top pick in the NHL draft. "We just had to push through ... it's never going to be perfect."

 

Jiri Kulich scored the deciding goals for the Czech Republic.

[Brewin Flames]

World Junior Championship roundup: U.S. tops Sweden for gold

Lightning prospect Howard scores twice in win; Czechia rallies in 3rd period against Finland for bronze

 

© (Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/TT via AP)/TT News Agency via AP)

ByNHL.com

@NHLdotcom

4:27 PM

Friday was the final day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

 

United States 6, Sweden 2 -- Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lighting) scored two goals in the second period to lead the United States to the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

 

Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. to its first tournament championship since 2021. Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) had a goal and two assists, and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored. Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) had two assists, and Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) made 24 saves.

 

It was the sixth championship in for the U.S. in the past 20 years (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). In the first 27 years of the WJC, dating to 1977, the U.S. had won three medals: silver in 1997 and bronze in 1986 and 1992.

 

Howard also was one of 11 U.S. players that skated Friday that had lost to Sweden in the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship gold-medal game.

 

Also playing in that game were forwards McGroarty, Leonard, Smith, Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks) and Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets), and defensemen Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens), Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) and Seamus Casey (New Jersey Devils).

 

Otto Stenberg (St. Louis Blues) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) scored for Sweden, which was trying to win its first WJC gold since 2012. Hugo Havelid (2024 draft eligible) made 20 saves.

 

Howard gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the second period when he raced past Sweden defenseman Tom Willander (Vancouver Canucks) to reach a long pass up the wall by Drew Fortescue (New York Rangers), cut to the net and beat Havelid with a backhander from the crease.

 

Howard made it 3-1 at 14:19 when his sharp-angle shot went off Havelid's right skate and into the net. It was his seventh goal, tied with Lekkerimaki for the tournament lead.

 

Czechia 8, Finland 5: Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) scored at 18:19 of the third period and Czechia rallied against Finland in the bronze-medal game at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden on Friday.

 

Ondrej Becher (2024 draft eligible) had a hat trick and two assists for Czechia, which scored six straight goals after trailing 5-2 late in the second period.

 

Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) had two goals and two assists for Czechia, which lost 5-2 to Sweden in the semifinals Thursday. Hamara also had two assists, Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) had a goal and an assist, and Matyas Melovsky (2024 draft eligible) had three assists.

 

Jakub Vondras (Carolina Hurricanes) made 17 saves on 20 shots after replacing Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes), who allowed two goals on three shots and was replaced 7:43 into the first period.

 

Becher started the turnaround when he scored a short-handed goal at 19:05 of the second period to make it 5-3.

 

"It was really good for us that we scored that goal," Hamara said. "It's better to go to the third period just two goals [down] rather than three."

 

Kulich's second power-play goal of the game made it 5-4 at 4:41 of the third, and Becher scored on the rebound of a Kulich shot to tie the game 5-5 at 18:04.

 

Hamara scored the winner on a shot from the left point after a face-off win on the left side of the Finland zone.

 

"We had a face-off play that didn't work out," Hamara said. "Jiri just passed it to me and the only thing I saw was net so I just tried to shoot it there and it went through."

Dominik Rymon (18:52) and Becher (18:54) added empty-net goals two seconds apart for Czechia to set a tournament record for fastest two goals.

 

Czechia, which won the silver medal at the 2023 WJC, has finished in the top three at the WJC in consecutive years for the first time since it won consecutive tournaments in 2000 and 2001.

 

Lenni Hameenaho (New Jersey Devils) scored two goals for Finland, which lost 3-2 to the United States in the semifinals Thursday. Jani Nyman (Seattle Kraken) had a goal and an assist, and Konsta Helenius (2024 draft eligible) and Rasmus Kumpulainen (Minnesota Wild) also scored.

 

Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 23 saves.

 

Finland finished in fourth after a fifth-place finish at the 2023 WJC.

[OccamsRazor]

I hate the Rangers ended up with Perrault when the Flyers could have snagged him...

 

Gauthier/Michkov/Perrault would have been down right young and lethal for the next 10 years!!!

[IllaZilla]

4 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

I hate the Rangers ended up with Perrault when the Flyers could have snagged him...

 

Gauthier/Michkov/Perrault would have been down right young and lethal for the next 10 years!!!

The Wild could have had Perrault too. But they decided that slab of meat Charlie Stramel was a better pick…

[OccamsRazor]

13 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

The Wild could have had Perrault too. But they decided that slab of meat Charlie Stramel was a better pick…

 

I hope we don't regret passing on him the Flyers took right hand defense Oliver Bonk which i really really like the pick however if he doesn't at least become the #2 D man on the defense well then in my eyes they failed.

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Locker room celebration.