Team Canada can fill the net
Observations from preliminary round at world juniors
BUFFALO — After a week of hockey, the preliminary round of the world junior hockey championship is in the books.
We’ve seen a dominant display from the Canadians, who are getting scoring from just about everyone. And we’ve seen spectacular performances from draft-eligible prospects, such as Rasmus Dahlin and Brady Tkachuk. What we haven’t seen is many fans in the seats.
With the medal round coming up on Tuesday, here is what is making noise so far at the annual under-20 tournament.
Canada can score
There is no Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby on this year’s Team Canada. But you wouldn’t know it based on the team’s blowout wins over Slovakia and Denmark.
In fact, Canada led the preliminary round with 21 goals in four games. The most impressive part was that they have done it mostly by committee. While Sam Steel leads all Canadians with three goals, the team has received offence from every line and nearly every forward.
Funnily enough, Tyler Steenbergen is the only forward still searching for a goal. It’s a big surprise considering that the Swift Current Broncos winger entered the tournament as Canada’s highest scorer with 35 goals and 61 points in 27 games. Maybe he’s saving it up for the medal round.
Playing like a No. 1
He’s been compared to Erik Karlsson and been called the best defensive prospect — ever — but if there was any concern that Rasmus Dahlin was being unfairly hyped as the next Nicklas Lidstrom, the talented Swedish defenceman put them to rest. With a tournamentleading six assists in four games, he’s come as advertised. Dahlin has been a minute-munching game-changer for Sweden who is noticeable every time he steps on the ice.
“He’s a good skater, he can move the puck, he can shoot and he can work the blueline,” said head coach Tomas Monten.
It is another way of saying Dahlin has done it all.
Empty seats
Aside from the outdoor game at New Era Field, where a world junior hockey championship-record 44,592 fans withstood a blizzard to watch Canada against the U.S., the tournament has been a disappointment.
At best, KeyBank Center has been half full. At worst, the only people in the stands are scouts and family and friends of the players, with less than 10,000 fans attending the games featuring Canada or the United States.
Prices are obviously a big reason for the lack of turnout, with organizers charging NHL prices for a junior product. Exhaustion has also played a part, considering this is the third time in four years that the tournament has been held in an area where the same fans are targeted.
Maybe the turnout will pick up for the medal round, when the stakes are higher and the games are more competitive. But if there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s this: put junior hockey in junior-sized rinks with junior hockey fans buying tickets.
Canucks’ future looks bright
Two years after selecting Brock Boeser with the 23rd overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks appear to have found the 20-year-old sniper someone to play with him.
Elias Pettersson, who was Vancouver’s fifth overall pick in 2017, headed into the tournament as one of the top scorers in the SHL in Sweden with 35 points in 26 games. The 19-year-old has continued that offensive production at the world juniors, where he leads all Swedish players with four goals and six points in four games.
“I think he started off OK,” said Monten. “He feels a lot of excitement coming here. Maybe some pressure as well. I think he’s a player that can (score big goals). He also can create space for his teammates.”
Now, if Finnish defenceman Olli Juolevi can realize his potential, then the Canucks’ rebuild might be close to complete.
Stock rising
Heading into the tournament, Tkachuk was considered a top-five pick. But with two goals and six points in four games — not including a big shootout goal against Canada — has the agitating and skilled American forward pushed his way into a top-three spot? Maybe.
Tkachuk won’t get chosen ahead of Dahlin, who is far and away the consensus No. 1 overall pick. He could, however, be closing the gap on Russia’s Andrei Svechnikov (five assists in four games) and Czech Republic’s Filip Zadina (three goals and one assist).
All three players have performed well on the world stage. But in terms of swagger, Tkachuk has them beat. He was a beast in a 4-3 overtime shootout win against Canada, where he scored the tying goal and then beat goalie Carter Hart with a slick move in the shootout, celebrating the pivotal goal with a WWE-inspired celebration. And he showed up again in a big way against Finland, picking up a trio of assists in a 5-4 win on Sunday.
Shrink the seeds
Is it time to reduce the number of participating countries from 10 to eight — or perhaps six? I don’t personally think so, although there are rumblings that some of the weaker nations have no business being here after Denmark was outscored 26-2 in three games against Canada, the U.S. and Finland.
Having 9-0, 8-0 and 6-0 blowouts — there were five games with a fivegoal differential — does not make for compelling hockey. It could be why the crowds have been so sparse.
At the same time, the best part of tournaments like this is when David comes out of nowhere and topples Goliath, like Slovakia’s 3-2 win against the U.S. A year ago, we saw even more upsets, with Finland having to play in the relegation round after surprising losses to Czech Republic and Denmark. mtraikos@postmedia.com