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One NHL scout’s take on McTavish, Knies, Mysak, Bedard and others at the WJC – Sportsnet.ca

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2022

Team Canada defeated Team Finland 3-2 in overtime Saturday to win the rescheduled World Junior Hockey Championship.

The atmosphere inside Rogers Place in Edmonton finally reached a level organizers had wished for as more than 13,000 (mostly Canadian) fans witnessed an exciting gold-medal game that ended the event on a high note.

Here are some observations from the tournament:

Game-saving stop

Mason McTavish was a force the entire tournament. The captain for Team Canada led the event in scoring (8G-9A-7GP), was used in all situations, brought a combination of power and finesses to the dance, showed off a back door one-timer on the power play and … showed off his hand/eye coordination when he knocked down a chipped puck by Finland that was destined for the open net in overtime. The ”save” is arguably one of the most remarkable highlights in the history of this event. McTavish is destined for full-time duty in Anaheim this fall. He’s NHL ready.

Sustaining Momentum

The Buffalo Sabres have to be pleased with the play of their first-round pick, Jiri Kulich. Kulich was the MVP at the U18 World Championship in Germany in the spring and carried his momentum into this event. He contributed two goals and six assists in Edmonton, with his three-point effort in eliminating Team USA standing out. Kulich is showing he is more than just a shooter. He pursued the play with more tenacity and worked much more consistently in all three zones. He’s definitely trending up for the Sabres.

Future No. 1 for the Wild

The Minnesota Wild have an outstanding goalie prospect in their pipeline. Their first-round pick in 2021 (20^th overall) Jesper Wallstedt, from Sweden, has the potential to be an elite No. 1 NHL goalie. He was the MVG in the tournament. He posted a goals-against average of 1.62 and save percentage of .940. Wallstedt is 6-foot-3, 214 pounds. He takes up a ton of net but he’s also plenty athletic. He tracks laterally very well and rarely gets outside his posts. Team Sweden lacked offensive punch at this event. Otherwise they might have had a chance to play for gold. Their bronze medal was won on the back of Wallstedt.

Ridly Greig, Canada (Ottawa Senators, 28^th overall, 2020)

WJC Stats: 5GP – 3G-3A-6PTS

There is always risk in loaning top prospects to events like the World Juniors. In the case of Ridly Greig, the Ottawa Senators must be excited about his tournament. He played with his usual grease and determination AND contributed offence. However, Greig suffered what appears to be a should injury and missed the back end of the tournament. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious. He looks like a prospect who is on the verge of opening eyes at NHL camp.

Logan Stankoven, Canada (Dallas Stars, 47^th overall, 2021)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 4G-6A-10PTS

I couldn’t help but notice Stankoven every time he hit the ice. He’s an electric, highly skilled, uber competitive forward who is very difficult to defend. Logan has the ability and ice awareness to exploit seams and get pucks to the net quickly in traffic. I’m not the least bit concerned about his size (5-foo-8, 170 pounds). In my opinion, he has the potential to bring a bit of Johnny Gaudreau and Brayden Point to the Dallas Stars organization.

Olen Zellweger, Canada (Anaheim Ducks, 34^th overall, 2021)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 2G-9A-11PTS

Time will tell, but Zellweger looks like a player who should have been selected higher than he was in 2021. I had undervalued him in the past. His element is clearly his mobility and vision in the offensive zone. Zellweger sees the ice. He makes plays. I was more concerned about his play off the puck and in the defensive zone. He’s not big (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) but he’s quick to take away space and out-think opponents in the defensive zone. He’s a transitional defender that has the potential to run an NHL power play in the future as more of a distributor than a shooter.

Joshua Roy, Canada (Montreal Canadiens, 150^th overall, 2021)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 3G-5A-8PTS

Every player has his own development path. It takes some longer than others to reach their pro potential. Roy scored 51 goals and had 68 assists for 119 points for Sherbrooke in the QMJHL last season. His offence has gone to another level. What impressed me most at this event was his “hard area” game. As the first forward on the scene he did a nice job of bumping opponents off the puck along the boards. He also showed more willingness to get to the crease and look for tips and second chances. He will never be described as a power forward but the Canadiens have to be excited about the potential Roy displayed.

Jan Mysak, Czechia (Montreal Canadiens, 48^th overall, 2020)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 5G-4A-9PTS

Mysak was voted an All-Star at this event and certainly earned the recognition. When he first arrived in North America, I saw a player that was more of an opportunist than a play driver. His stats at the OHL level playing for Hamilton last season (61 GP – 34G-30A-64PTS) are those of a goal-scorer more than a playmaker. He showed more willingness to get his nose dirty in Edmonton and seemed to be involved from shift to shift. If his detail and drive continue to trend positively he has a chance, in time, to provide the Habs with some secondary NHL scoring.

Emil Andrae, Sweden (Philadelphia Flyers, 54^th overall, 2020)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 4G-4A-8PTS

Andrae was the Captain for Sweden. He displayed the highest level of compete and overall involvement that I have witnessed from him over several years of viewings. In the past he took risks offensively but didn’t play with enough detail in all three zones. He’s a transitional defender that has matured. Andrae still contributes offensively. He’s mostly a distributor on the power play but he did get more pucks to the net at this tournament and actually scored from range through traffic. His tenacity down low in his zone didn’t go unnoticed. If he ends up being an average NHL defender for the Flyers, the rest of his game brings more value.

Simon Edvinsson, Sweden (Detroit Red Wings, sixth overall, 2021)

WJC Stats: 6GP-1G-1A-2PTS

Edvinsson is a hulking 6-foot-6, 207-pound defender. He projects to be a two-way “D” at the NHL level. He skates very well for his stature and can lead the rush on occasion. He sees his options and makes sound puck plays. I thought he could have been used more at this tournament. This kid is going to have a long career in Detroit. He compliments a partner who is more of a risk taker. There’s also some growl to his game. He takes away space effectively and gaps up physically.

Matthew Knies, USA (Toronto Maple Leafs, 57^th overall, 2021)

WJC Stats: 5GP – 0G-3A-3PTS

I’m on record describing Knies as exactly the kind of player the Maple Leafs need in their lineup. His power game is an important element. He has the ability to disrupt opponents along the wall in their zone and he’s a load to handle around the crease. Having said that, I felt his tournament was average plus by his standard. He did extend some plays and station himself around the crease on the power play, but overall he struggled to get quality looks and get enough pucks to the net.

Joel Maata, Finland (Edmonton Oilers, 222^nd overall, 2022)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 3G-1A-4PTS

Sometimes at these events a player catches my eye and elevates his play compared to past viewings. Maata was one of those players. He’s a big-body forward who plays a power style game, but doesn’t have a history of producing much offensively. He plays for NCAA Vermont in Hockey East and had only three goals and three assists last season. In this tournament he was consistently involved and played a power game. His skating and agility are not NHL standard at this stage, but he has time. At best he is likely a depth pro who might wear down opponents but gets credit for the way he played in Edmonton.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Sweden (Vancouver Canucks, 15^th overall, 2022)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 0G-3A-3PTS

The journey to the NHL will be interesting to watch for Lekkerimaki. At the U18 Worlds in the spring he scored five goals in five games. He was a bit of an opportunist on the power play but there was no denying he has an elite release and nose for the net. At this tournament, Sweden needed more from him — and he didn’t produce. The team looked like they lost trust in his game. His three-zone effort and detail needs to improve significantly. He’s a goal-scorer with some cheat in his game. This wasn’t his best tournament. I expect he will be much improved when we see him next in Halifax and Moncton in December.

Brad Lambert, Finland (Winnipeg Jets, 30^th overall, 2022)

WJC Stats: 5Gp – 1G-0A-1PT

Lambert’s goal vs Latvia early in the tournament came on the power play. Not only did he not score again, he ended up in the press box for the last two games Finland played. The player needs a reset. He needs to regain his confidence. This event did nothing to help with his process. It sounds like Lambert is heading to Seattle of the WHL. The Thunderbirds have a solid team returning in 2022-2023. The opportunity to play an important role in Seattle provides a chance for Lambert to re-establish his game and find his element, offensively.

Topi Niemela, Finland (Toronto Maple Leafs, 64^th overall, 2020)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 0G-6A-6PTS

Niemela was nothing short of a work horse for the Finns. He was used in all situations. On the power play he distributed very well. His ability to see the ice and make seam plays speaks to his hockey IQ and vision. Defensively he battled and came up with some key shot-blocks along the way. In the Finns’ 1-0 win versus Sweden in the semi-finals, Niemela blocked a shot in the dying seconds to preserve the victory. It should be noted that it has taken time for his offence to arrive. Several years back he looked like an undersized defender who was satisfied with getting to pucks first and moving them up ice without taking any risk. Fast forward to today and Niemela looks capable of taking up a spot on one of the power- play units for the Leafs, given time.

Roby Jarventie, Finland (Ottawa Senators, 33^rd overall, 2020)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 4G-5A-9PTS

The Senators pipeline is flush with several talented players who are tracking positively and Jarventie is definitely one of those prospects. There was a time he relied only on his skill and ability to create off the rush. His overall game has improved without taking away from his offence. Jarventie will never been described as a “match up” or “shut down” forward but he is showing he is willing to make the effort required in all three zones. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he also brings size with his skill.

Joakim Kemell, Finland (Nashville Predators, 17^th overall, 2022)

WJC Stats: 7GP-4G-8A-12PTS

Kemell was voted to the tournament All-Star team. Like Jiri Kulich from Czechia, he carried over his play from the U18 Worlds in May. Kemell played with his usual enthusiasm and showed off his lethal one-timer from his weak side on the power play. I especially appreciated his willingness to work in the trenches and track back more responsibly. The Preds have a solid prospect on there hands in Kemell.

Connor Bedard, Canada (Regina Pats WHL – 2023 Draft Eligible)

WJC Stats: 7GP – 4G-4A-8PTS

Bedard’s journey towards being the potential No. 1 pick in Nashville next June began nicely at this tournament. The World Juniors is not an easy event for young players like Bedard to play to their identity. There were times he tried to do too much and exposed some pucks in the middle of the ice. He also lost his man in coverage on occasion in the defensive zone. Overall, however, there is no denying his impact offensively. He wasn’t the most dynamic player on Team Canada but he did see time on the power play and showed off his deceptive release. Averaging over a PPG at this event is a nice way to start the year.

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NHL roundup: Hurricanes beat Flyers 6-4 for seventh straight win

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1 hour ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Martin Necas scored a go-ahead goal with 29 seconds left and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-4 on Tuesday night.

It was the seventh straight win for the Hurricanes, who also got goals from Jack Roslovic, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson and Jackson Blake. Seth Jarvis added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.

Necas typically saves his game-winners for overtime, with nine in his career, but he was able to take care of business in regulation with his team-best seventh goal of the season.

Travis Konecny scored two goals and had two assists for the Flyers. Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia.

Aleksei Kolosov made 28 saves for the Flyers, who trailed 2-1, 3-1 and 4-3 but kept coming back. Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov struggled in net allowing four goals on just 16 shots.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Tuesday:

—

SABRES 5 SENATORS 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Bowen Byram and Tage Thompson scored 16 seconds apart to open the third period, and Buffalo snapped a three-game skid with a win over Ottawa.

Byram scored twice, JJ Peterka had two goals and an assist and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 37 saves.

Ridly Greig converted his own rebound in cutting Buffalo’s lead to 2-1 with 7:31 left in the second period. Linus Ullmark made 29 saves in dropping to 1-4 in his past five starts.

Buffalo went up 3-1 on Byram’s second goal 21 seconds into the third period. The defenceman’s shot from inside the blue line sneaked through Ullmark, with the puck rolling down the goalie’s pad, dropping into the crease and trickling across the line. Thompson scored when he crashed the net, was knocked over by defender Jake Sanderson and was lying in the crease when Alex Tuch’s shot went in off his shoulder.

—

MAPLE LEAFS 4 BRUINS 0

TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Stolarz made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season in Toronto’s 4-0 victory over Boston.

Morgan Rielly had a goal and two assists as Toronto connected three times on the power play. William Nylander and Matthew Knies added a goal and an assist each. Mitch Marner had two assists of his own. Steven Lorentz rounded out the scoring into the empty net.

The Leafs played without captain Auston Matthews, who is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Jeremy Swayman made 23 stops for Boston, which was coming off consecutive weekend shutouts of the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken.

Toronto’s porous 31st-ranked power play scored for the second time in as many games at 8:44 of the second period when Rielly fired through a screen. Nylander banked in his team-leading 10th goal of the season on another man advantage 1:14 later for a 2-0 lead.

The Bruins entered the game 8-0-0 in the regular season against their Atlantic Division rival dating back to Jan. 14, 2023.

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FLAMES 3 CANADIENS 2 (OT)

MONTREAL (AP) — Matt Coronato scored twice as Calgary came back to defeat Montreal in overtime.

Coronato tied the game with 2:46 remaining in regulation when he cruised into the slot and went off the post and in. He then buried the winning goal seven seconds into the extra period.

Connor Zary also scored for Calgary, which won its second game in seven outings. Dustin Wolf stopped 21 shots.

Joel Armia — with a short-handed goal — and Brendan Gallagher scored for Montreal (4-7-2). Armia also provided an assist, while Sam Montembeault made 32 saves as the Canadiens’ losing streak extended to four games.

Zary opened the scoring with his third 4:20 into the second period when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot past Montembeault.

Gallagher then slipped the puck between Wolf’s pads at 16:23 to level the score with his fifth of the season.

—

BLUES 3 LIGHTNING 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou, Alexey Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist scored to help St. Louis beat Tampa Bay 3-2.

Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for his 149th career win moving him past Jake Allen for second place in franchise history, just two wins behind Mike Liut’s 151.

Nick Perbix and Victor Hedman scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves for the Lightning who have lost three straight games.

Kyrou scored his fourth goal of the season 8:51 into the third period to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead.

Toropchenko scored his first goal of the season with 1:35 remaining in the second period to put St. Louis ahead 2-1 after Sundqvist tied the game with his first of the season 7:47 into the period.

—

ISLANDERS 4 PENGUINS 3 (SO)

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored the only goal in a shootout and New York rallied past Pittsburgh 4-3.

New York goalie Ilya Sorokin denied Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang in the shootout and finished with 32 saves. Kyle Palmieri had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who trailed 3-1 midway through the third period.

Simon Holmstrom and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored in the third for New York. Horvat had two assists.

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist to lead Pittsburgh. Crosby got his 598th career goal, and Michael Bunting also scored. Rakell added two assists.

Alex Nedeljkovich stopped 23 shots for the Penguins, who have lost seven of nine. They won their previous two following a six-game skid.

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KINGS 5 WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Trevor Lewis scored twice, Kevin Fiala added another on the power play and Los Angeles beat Minnesota 5-1.

Warren Foegele and Quinton Byfield also scored for Los Angeles, which was playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 3-0 win in Nashville a night earlier. David Rittich made 23 saves for the Kings.

Fiala, who was traded to Los Angeles in 2022 by Minnesota for a first-round pick draft pick and defenceman Brock Faber, scored his seventh goal of the season. He now has three goals and six assists in his last seven games against the Wild.

Minnesota, which had won three in a row, opened the scoring in the second period on Zach Bogosian’s first goal of the season. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots for the Wild.

—

JETS 3 UTAH 0

WINNIPEG, Man. (AP) — Nino Niederreiter scored twice in his 900th NHL career game and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to help Winnipeg defeat Utah 3-0.

It was Hellebuyck’s second shutout of the season and 39th of this career.

Gabriel Vilardi also scored for the Jets. Adam Lowry assisted on both goals by Niederreiter.

Utah ended a run of picking up points in three consecutive games (1-0-2).

Karel Vejmelka stopped 25 shots for Utah in its second stop on a four-game road trip.

Jets winger Kyle Connor had his franchise-record, season-opening points streak end at 12 games.

—

AVALANCHE 6 KRAKEN 3

DENVER (AP) — Arturri Lehkonen scored the go-ahead goal on a power play in his season debut and Nathan MacKinnon had five assists as Colorado beat Seattle 6-3.

Mikko Rantanen added two goals for the Avalanche, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko and Chris Wagner also scored for Colorado.

Cale Makar had two assists but the star defenceman barely played in the second half of the game and appeared to be slowed by an apparent injury during a brief shift.

MacKinnon and Makar extended their season-opening point streaks to 13 games.

Lehkonen played for the first time since off-season shoulder surgery.

Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Montour scored for the Kraken.

—

CANUCKS 5 DUCKS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brock Boeser, Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood had a goal and an assist apiece, and Quinn Hughes recorded his 300th career assist in Vancouver’s victory over Anaheim.

Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson also scored and Hughes had three assists for the Canucks, who have won six of eight. Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves in Vancouver’s sixth consecutive win over the Ducks.

Olen Zellweger scored a power-play goal early in the first period for Anaheim, which has lost seven of nine. Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots.

Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko took shots from teammates again after the morning skate, and he could return to practice this week. The Southern California native and 2023-24 Vezina Trophy finalist hasn’t played this season due to a knee injury incurred late last season.

—

SHARKS 2 BLUE JACKETS 1 (OT)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Wennberg scored 3:11 into overtime and San Jose celebrated the return of No. 1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini with a win over Columbus.

Defenceman Jack Thompson scored his first career goal for the Sharks (4-8-2), who entered the night with the worst record in the NHL. San Jose has won four of five.

Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 NHL draft, missed 12 games with a hip injury he sustained in the season opener Oct. 10 — an injury first incurred during the pre-season. Celebrini didn’t score and missed a shot early in overtime.

San Jose goalie Vitek Vanacek was fantastic in net, making 49 saves.

Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko scored for the second consecutive game. Columbus (5-6-1) has lost three straight.

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Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

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1 day ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

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1 day ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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