S72 WJC Update #1

[Mr_Hatter 1,603]

 

 

Welcome back to another season of the World Junior Championship; as such, it is time for another Daily Review!. These series are about best players, surprises, and let downs from the most recent games. Stick around and follow us as VSN is here to be the media outlet for you and your entertainment!
 
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So far we have two teams still perfect after the first day of games, with Team Asia taking the number one spot thanks to their regular/overtime wins, closely followed by Team Europe whose two shootout victories are enough to take the second position. The United States comes next, having won one and lost one in overtime, while Team Canada is all over the place, going 1-1-1 through their three games.  Rounding out the standings is Team World, whose performance leaves a little to be desired, as they have lost three times, once in overtime. All in all, the standings are neck and neck, with three teams tied on points heading into Day 2 of games. Let’s take a look at all the action from our first day of games, right here on your WJC Daily Update!
 
Team Asia
 
Despite not having a single skater in the top ten for points (you have to go all the way down to Jungkok at number 12, though he is tied for tenth with four, all goals, in fact, more on that later), Team Asia is off to a great start this WJC. Both their games have been nailbiters, with their first victory coming in a 4-3 victory against the Canadians. Despite being outshot 45-24, Team Asia held strong, with a particularly impressive third-period display of defensive grit. Bacon’s 42 saves may not have earned a star, but he certainly showed what it means to put the team on his back in this one. Our first star of the game went to a well-deserving Kazimir Komarov, whose two goals (including the game-winner) were vital in securing the victory for the Asians. Going back to Jungkok however, take a look at his performance in Game 5 against the United States. Take a good hard look at the stat’s line. Yes, you are reading that right; four goals in just the one game from the Korean. Speaking of putting the team on his back, this was almost single-handed; but not quite. Arthur Dayne assisted three times, and the aforementioned Komarov was the one to put the icing on the cake four minutes into the overtime period. It’s been a good showing from Team Asia so far; let’s see if they can keep it up!
 
Team Europe
 
The Europeans have started off the tournament with two wins, but it could have just as soon been two losses. Finding themselves in two back-to-back shootouts, if their luck was just a little worse you could potentially have seen them much farther down in the standings. Regardless, lady luck smiled on them indeed, and they walked away with both the wins. Similar to Team Asia, their only skater near the top-ten in points is Valtteri Vaakanainen, who is coincidentally also tied for tenth with four points. Does this mean balanced scoring, or do our top teams have some hidden issues they need to sort out? Their first game against Team Canada was neck and neck, with four separate equalizers being scored. Gabriel Gutzweiler’s brace was key in keeping the Europeans in the game, while Chris Hylands was the man to score the winning shot in the shootout. The second game was a little different. Despite trailing early on in the first to Team World, they quickly came back with three unanswered goals, absolutely blitzing them. Despite eventually conceding the equalizer, they did enough to take it to the shootout where their goalie Zamboni Driver came up big, stopping one and psyching out the second shot to end it after just four shots. 
 
Team United States of America
 
The United States has been an interesting team thus far; they certainly know how to put on a show. Jack Feriancek and Mickey Dickson are both electrifying players, whose five points apiece land them solidly in the top 10 for points. Each had three in their first game against Team World that seemed to be trying to answer the question “how many different periods of domination can we have?” Despite a strong start in the first period, the United States conceded four in a row in the second, before then scoring another four in a row to take the victory a thrilling 7 goals to 5. Robin Winter came up big, kicking off the comeback with a shorthanded goal twelve and a half minutes into the second period, before scoring the equalizer just a minute and a half later. Game two was a heartbreaking overtime loss to Team Asia, but showed great signs of promise, as the Americans were never really out of reach of victory; it just didn’t go their way. Lucas Brandt and Jack Feriancek each had a goal and assist to their name, but despite their best efforts were unable to take the victory. 
 
Team Canada
 
Despite sitting fourth in the standings, Team Canada has been on fire to start the WJC. They have four players inside the top ten four points, including three of the top four centres in the tournament: SS Hornet,  JaredN, and Andrew Su. Alex Letang is the lynchpin defenceman holding the group together and is tied for most points from a defenceman, while Timothy Brown is holding strong. The Canadians have the top three slots for +/-, a factor helped out by their third game against Team World that saw them win by a blowout score of 6-1; five goals scored in the first period. Andrew Su’s four-point game was particularly impressive, though it was goaltender Jacob Tonn’s 49 save performance that deserves significant praise, considering he wasn’t even named one of the stars.  Their first two games were very tight, and although it didn’t quite go their way, losing in a shootout to Team Europe and losing by just a single goal to Team Asia isn’t the worst way Day One could have gone. Looking ahead, Canada needs to stay the course; they have the firepower and they have the grit to take this tournament for themselves. 
 
 
Team World
 
While Team Canada’s fourth-place position might be a little disingenuous considering their +3 goal differential, Team World’s -8 is just about right for their performances thus far; but even with that being said, I wouldn’t count them out just yet. Yes, they lost big to Canada, but they only fell to the United States by 2 goals, and only lost to Team Europe in a shootout. What Team World needs is more consistency. Their goaltender, Hex Valentine, has been about as hot and cold as you can get. His games against Team USA and Team Canada left a lot to be desired, conceding a total of 13 goals across 71 shots, but a strong 40 save performance against the Europeans showcased what he can do. With all that being said, how can Team World dig themselves out of this? They are in an interesting position: they have one of the greatest disparities in talent between their lines of any team. Left-winger Gary Neal leads the tournament in points with eight, on two goals and six assists, and is shooting at an impressive 16.67% rate. Considering Aleelee Kiak’s and Latrell Mitchell’s strong performances as well (with Mitchell’s three goals ranking best amongst defencemen), you would think they would be a stronger competitor. But with a lack of depth scoring, they have struggled. We will see if they can turn this around.
 

But for now, that will be all from us. Do you agree with our assessment? Tune in next time for your WJC Update! See you there!

 

 

Players Mentioned: @tfong, @Bacon, @Gooningitup, @Infernal, @Jubo07, @DaftRaincloud, @Hylands33, @Tape-to-Tape, @Jackie4967, @Brewins15, @Sonnet, @twists, @McWolf, @jared, @Da_Berr, @Spartan, @a_Ferk, @MexicanCow123, @DrHexDex, @LittleRiDog, @Grant, @dasboot

 
  
VSN Writer Mr_Hatter

Edited June 9, 2020 by Mr_Hatter

[Mr_Hatter 1,603]

Other VSN Content here:

Future Watch - Under 250 - S72 WJC Team Rankings - VHL Weekly Review - Ringless

[a_Ferk 760]

This is the first time I've ever been mentioned in a VSN article. My player has always been good, but not good enough to be mentioned. 

[jared 66]

[LittleRiDog 17]

I lead the tournament in points? Am I like actually good or something lmao