World Junior Summer Showcase: Canada vs USA
6 years ago
In the final game of the World Junior Summer Showcase saw Canada take on the Americans.
**Please note that this game does not air in Canada until 8PM PT on August 5th. So if you are not wanting to have it spoiled, stop now. If it’s after that time, keep reading**
Earlier this week, Team Canada Red had played USA White, losing 8-2 and Team Canada White played USA Blue, winning by a 2-1 score. But this was a matchup of consolidated rosters loaded with talent. The Canadian roster was full of veteran players and others who had shown well this week. The full roster can be found below:
Image: Adam Kimelman / Twitter
The USA countered with the following squad:
Image: Adam Kimelman / Twitter
Needless to say, both teams were stacked and it was setting up to be a great game to close out the week long tournament.
First Period
Second Period
Third Period
Notes
- Adam Fox just continues to shine. All of his goals at the Summer Showcase have been him looking up and picking his spot. His pass to Yamamoto in the second period was another example of his skill set. The pass was accurate, but not too hard that Yamamoto couldn’t use his foot to kick it up. He had one goal and four assists in today’s game. It’s amazing to think that he fell to the third round but his impressive ascension is part of the reason why the Flames were willing to move Brendan Hickey to acquire Mike Smith.
- Jordan Kyrou was all over the place in the first period. In a previous game, I mentioned his willingness to attack the net. It causes fits for his opponents and opens lanes for his teammates.
- Canucks prospect Jonah Gadjovich was used very sparingly today but jumps off the bench and scores the goal above. He also had a great defensive play on Yamamoto late in the third period. He was able to stop the puck from getting to the American without taking a penalty. Both of those plays happened late in the third.
- Prior to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, I had expressed some concern about Brady Tkachuk from an underlying numbers perspective. His game is fun to watch though, like his older brother Matthew, he is involved in everything. Relentless on the forecheck, a pain in the neck, and responsible in all three zones. Players like Tkachuk are why combing the ‘eye-test’ and the numbers analysis is so important. It’s easy to see why scouts have Brady so highly rated for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. My concern about Brady was just a minor ‘note’ to keep an eye on for the upcoming season and so far Tkachuk has showed well.
- 2016 3rd overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois had a rough first period taking two minor penalities, one of which led to a goal. It felt at times like he was trying to do too much. But his goal in the middle frame was a good sign as he was just planted in front, got a lucky bounce and put it away. The general sense is that he has regressed since being drafted, but it’s fair to say that he just flatlined. He played well in the second half of his QMJHL season after he was traded to Blainville-Boisbriand.
- Early next week, I will have a couple of posts looking at the numbers and some thoughts with the old ‘eye test’ from the week that was.
Full stats for this game can be found here.
