The 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase opened up today in Plymouth, Michigan, the home of the United States National Team Development Program. The tournament runs from July 29 to August 4 and features four teams Sweden, Finland, and two USA teams split into USA Blue and USA White. Each team will play four games through the week-long event.

The Canucks have three prospects playing in the tournament:

Jackson Dorrington (USA White)

Hunter Brzustewicz (USA Blue)

Elias Pettersson (Sweden)

The USA started game one on the right foot, they looked faster and more controlled than Sweden, but that was until Swedish defenceman Mattias Havelid (San Jose Sharks) started to shut the offence down and get the puck moving in the right direction. I should note immediately that Elias Pettersson was scratched for today’s game but should be in the lineup for the following game.

It was the Swedes’ who found the back of the net first; Brzustewicz attempted to block Anton Johansson’s (Detroit Red Wings) shot, but he beat USA goalie Andrew Oke to make it 1-0, with Jakob Noren setting him up. Not long after, Felix Nilsson (Nashville Predators) ripped a shot off the bar and into the net, making it 2-0 off of just five shots.

It didn’t take long for the Swedes to find the scoresheet again in the second period, with Alexander Suzdalev (Washington Capitals) making no mistake on the breakaway and giving Sweden a 3-0 lead. Halfway through the second period, USA pulled Oke, and Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) took his place.

After a wild scramble in front of the net, Swedens’ Otto Stenberg (St. Louis Blues) made it 4-0. The onslaught continued as Zeb Forsfjall (Seattle Kraken) would add his name to the goal column, making it 5-0. Oskar Pettersson (Ottawa Senators) and Anton Wahlberg (Buffalo Sabres) each picked up goals late in the game to seal the deal, 7-0.

In the second game of action today, USA White was able to start strong, and it was Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) who opened up the scoring to make it 1-0 for USA White. USA goaltender Tyler Muszelik (Florida Panthers) was solid between the pipes in the first period, making 10 saves.

During the second period, Finland’s Leeni Hameenaho (New Jersey Devils) and Konsta Helenius would combine for the 1-1 goal to tie the game up. Otto Salin (L.A. Kings) fired a shot into the back of the net on the power-play to make it 2-1 Finland. Not long after that, 2024 top prospect Cole Eiserman tied the game up with a lethal shot.

However, before the period could officially come to an end, it was the Finns answering back with 1:16 left in the second as Tommi Mannisto came flying down the ice and found the net. He would score his second of the night in the third period to seal the deal for the Finns with a final score of 4-2.