WORLD JUNIORS: Canada earns second win with shutout of Slovaks
BUFFALO — When he left Sweden earlier this month,
Elias Pettersson was leading the SHL with 35 points in 26 games. He had been scoring at a rate unseen since the days of Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund.
And yet, Team Sweden head coach Tomas Monten still wasn’t sure if the Vancouver Canucks prospect would be able to replicate his offensive production at the world juniors.
“It’s going to be tougher,” Monten said of Pettersson. “He’s not going to put up points like that because it’s a different ice surface and different game, for sure. You have less time with the puck. But, for sure, he has a lot of confidence. He’ll put in a puck or two.”
On Tuesday, Pettersson did just that by scoring a goal and picking up an assist in a 6-1 win over Belarus. It was an impressive game for 2017’s fifth-overall pick. For anyone who has watched him play this year, though, it was also fairly ordinary.
“He’s sick,” said Swedish defenceman Rasmus
Dahlin, who had two assists. “He can score, he can make plays. Give him the puck and he can do great things.”
Sweden has a lot of players like that. While Belarus is not a great litmus test in terms of competition, it’s difficult to imagine that many teams will be able to keep the Swedes off the scoresheet.
From Alex Nylander, who last year tied for first in tournament scoring, to
Lias Andersson (seventh overall in 2017) and Erik
Brannstrom (15th overall in 2017), Sweden is overflowing with highly skilled players who have no trouble finding the back of the net.
“Dangerous,” said Dahlin, the projected No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NHL draft. “We have so many talented forwards. Give them the puck and I will protect the goalie.”
Perhaps therein lies the challenge for a team like Sweden. While the team has the offensive firepower to score its way out of trouble, playing a balanced game will determine whether the country — which lost 5-2 to Canada in last year’s semifinal round and lost to the Russians in the bronze medal game — can win its first gold medal since 2012.
NATURAL FIT
Unlike several of his teammates, Dillon Dube has not worn the ‘C’ during his four years with the Kelowna Rockets. However, he was still an easy choice to be named Team Canada’s captain.
For one, the 19-year-old has the experience of playing in last year’s tournament. And more importantly, the speedy and versatile Dube, who was a second-round pick of the Calgary Flames, embodies the type of game head coach Dominique
Ducharme wants the entire team to play.
“Being the captain, one part of it is the way he plays and his personality,” Ducharme said. “His speed, he can be bringing a lot of energy, he can be playing in many different situations. Yeah, he defines our team.”
Dube, who is playing on one of Canada’s top lines alongside Sam Steel and
Jordan Kyrou, said the team’s main strength is the unselfishness of the players.
“Every guy is worried about winning,” Dube said. “If you put your egos aside, you can accomplish great things. That’s the biggest thing for us. You know every single guy’s a leader. So you know they can accept that and move on.“
FEELIN’ COMFY
Adam Ruzicka, who is tied for fifth this season in the Ontario Hockey League with 20 goals, is five away from tying his total as a rookie. A big reason for the jump has to do with his comfort level.
“It’s my second year,” said the Slovakian-born Ruzicka, a fourth-round pick of the Flames. “My English is getting better. The North American style is different from Europe, right? The first year was a little difficult for me, so I had to catch up. It’s hard. It’s not easy.”
With 39 points in 34 games, the 6-foot-4 Ruzicka is looking like he might be a steal. The Flames, who have kept in constant contact with the late-blooming star, certainly think so.
“We were communicating almost after every game. They were checking in with me and communicating with me,” Ruzicka said. “They’re a great organization and they wish me luck. I’m feeling pretty good.”
THE RIGHT CALL
The Toronto Maple Leafs allowed William Nylander to return to Sweden after selecting him with the eighth-overall pick in 2014. Three years later, the team decided to keep Timothy
Liljegren, this past draft’s 17th overall pick, in the American Hockey League.
It was a decision Monten said has benefited the defenceman’s defensive game.
“I think he’s developed a lot and made the right call to stay here and play for the Marlies,” Monten said. “He could always play with the puck and had his offensive skills, but I think he’s developed the other 80% of his game, which is the defensive part. He plays with a better gap, has a better stick and commits to the physical part of the game. That’s helped him a lot.”