Takeaways from day one the World Juniors
The World Juniors have become a Boxing Day tradition and a staple of the holiday season for hockey fans around the world. We learn a lot about different prospects throughout the tournament and on this Boxing Day it was no different as there are many takeaways from Today's games.
FINLAND vs GERMANY
Team Finland is arguably the most intriguing team to watch for Leafs fans because prospects Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela are playing key roles for the Fins. Finland kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 win against Germany. The biggest takeaway that I had from watching Finland today was that Samuel Helenius (DAL) and Brad Lambert (2022) are going to be key roleplayers for this team in this tournament. The pair connected for two goals and did a great job at generating chances for Finland in their opener.
Meanwhile, Team Germany was expected to take a step back this year after young stars like J.J. Peterka and Tim Stutzle were not loaned out to the tournament. Germany showed today that they will not be a pushover in Group B. Although they do not have the same firepower that teams like Finland and Canada have, they won't be walked all over like a team such as Austria. They even outshot Finland today and proved that they could make some noise during the World Juniors.
SWEDEN vs RUSSIA
The Swedes were the most disappointing team at the World Juniors last year after having their 54-game preliminary round winning streak come to an end and getting bounced by Finland in the quarter finals. The Swedes opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Russia. The biggest takeaway that I had for Team Sweden was how good Simon Edvinsson (DET) was. Edvinsson stood out today, making many great defensive plays and scoring his first goal of the tournament in the 2nd period.
Sweden's defence looked great whereas the Russian blueline looked like it really could've used Yan Kuznetsov and Daniil Chayka. When the Russians decided to take only players playing in Russia, I mentioned on my podcast that Yaroslav Askarov (NSH) would need to stand in his head like Hasek in '98 in order for Russia to succeed. Askarov struggled this afternoon. He gave up 3 goals on 16 shots and was pulled after two periods. He once again was having issues holding onto his stick. If Askarov doesn't play to the level that is expected, it will be a short (but long) tournament for Russia.
CANADA vs CZECHIA
Canada faced adversity early today going down 3-1 against the Czech's. Head coach Dave Cameron recognized a need to calm things down and called a timeout in the first period, shifting the momentum. Owen Power (the 2021 1st-overall pick, BUF) was phenomenal for Canada today as he became the first ever defenceman to score a hat trick for Canada at the World Juniors. Power showed that he can dominate this tournament both at 5-on-5 and on special teams. It was the first chance for many to watch the Sabres' top prospect and he did not disappoint. Hopefully Power can spice up the Leafs/Sabres rivalry for years to come.
Meanwhile Czechia got off to a great start early. The problem was after that timeout the Czech's were dominated and let the game slip away. The Czech's are a younger team and they will likely be better next year in the tournament but could surprise this year. Losing David Jiricek (2022) will hurt. He hit his knee awkwardly in a collision with Kaden Guhle (MTL). Ciricek is one of the best defenders at the World Juniors and losing him is a significant blow for the Czech's.
USA vs SLOVAKIA
The Americans began their title defence as they took on Team Slovakia in preliminary action. My biggest takeaway from this game is that Leafs fans should be excited about Matthew Knies. He opened the scoring for the Americans tonight and was generating chances all game long. Likely would've had even more points had it not been for Slovak goalie, Simon Latkoczy.
My biggest takeaway from Team Slovakia was that with Latkoczy's goaltending and the offensive firepower of Martin Chromiak (LAK), the Slovaks will likely pull off an upset in this tournament. They lost 3-2 to Team USA but if they play like they did tonight, Team Slovakia has the potential to pull off an upset against one of Sweden or Russia in Group A.
It was a great first day of the 2022 World Juniors and there is more preliminary action tomorrow. Kicking off at 2pm ET when Leafs prospects Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela suit up as Finland takes on Austria.
