This article is part of our The Kids' Table series.
If you were fortunate enough to catch the Canada-Switzerland matchup that took place Tuesday afternoon, you already know that this year's tournament is off to a fast start. Canada got MacKenzie Blackwood back in net after he served the final two games of his suspension, but his return didn't start the way many would have thought. The Swiss came out very physical and set the tone early with a couple of big hits. This led to a Brendan Perlini penalty that resulted in a Swiss power-play goal by Damien Riat. Almost 12 minutes later, the Canadians found themselves in a 2-0 first-period hole in a game that they couldn't afford to lose. But just when you thought Canada was heading to the locker room at intermission down 2-0, some puck luck off the stick of Dylan Strome gave the team life and cut the lead in half.
Canada would eventually go on to win 3-2 after a shootout, but had it not been for that goal by Strome, there's a good chance they drop the game 2-1. If you were to tell me that Canada would have lost two preliminary games before the first week of the tournament was over, I would have sent you some GIF of Oprah rolling her eyes or something. But it only took a split second for everything to change, and now Canada has a shot at winning Group A with a win over Sweden on Thursday. Gotta love the World Junior Championship, am I
If you were fortunate enough to catch the Canada-Switzerland matchup that took place Tuesday afternoon, you already know that this year's tournament is off to a fast start. Canada got MacKenzie Blackwood back in net after he served the final two games of his suspension, but his return didn't start the way many would have thought. The Swiss came out very physical and set the tone early with a couple of big hits. This led to a Brendan Perlini penalty that resulted in a Swiss power-play goal by Damien Riat. Almost 12 minutes later, the Canadians found themselves in a 2-0 first-period hole in a game that they couldn't afford to lose. But just when you thought Canada was heading to the locker room at intermission down 2-0, some puck luck off the stick of Dylan Strome gave the team life and cut the lead in half.
Canada would eventually go on to win 3-2 after a shootout, but had it not been for that goal by Strome, there's a good chance they drop the game 2-1. If you were to tell me that Canada would have lost two preliminary games before the first week of the tournament was over, I would have sent you some GIF of Oprah rolling her eyes or something. But it only took a split second for everything to change, and now Canada has a shot at winning Group A with a win over Sweden on Thursday. Gotta love the World Junior Championship, am I right?
The way the Swiss came out early and punished the Canadians was one of the more surprising efforts I've seen through the first four days. Here are a few other surprising efforts if you haven't had time to catch some of the action.
Joe Hicketts, Defenseman, Canada
Wait, wait, before I start, another surprise! Hicketts went undrafted but was signed to an entry-level contract with the....wait for it....Red Wings! I start off with Hicketts because if you did catch the Canada-Switzerland game, you saw what kind of potential this young blueliner has. Two plays stood out for me: Hicketts laid a text-book check in the first period, which showed that his 5-foot-8 frame should be no concern. Then, all he does is make a heads-up play to move up into the slot before scoring the game-tying goal in the second period. I know it's a cookie-cutter comparison, but Hicketts looks like Kris Letang, except he hits people.
Pretty Much Everyone on Team Russia
Many figured there would be a drop off from Russia's team after making it all the way to the finals last tournament, but nope, same potent offense. It's weird, though, because the two players you would think would be leading Russia in scoring -- Evgeni Svechnikov (DET) and Alexander Dergachyov (DAL) -- have actually failed to score a goal through the first three games. Instead, Alexander Polunin and Maxim Lazarev had powered the Russian machine, combining for five goals and eight points. Polunin is 2016-eligible, while Lazarev is a free agent who has played with Svechnikov on Cape Breton in the QMJHL. Both have helped their stock, whether it's in getting drafted in 2016 or getting signed this offseason.
Vladislav Kamenev (NSH) and Ivan Provorov (PHI) have also played extremely well, but that should come as less of a surprise, which isn't what we're going for this week.
Linus Soderstrom, Goaltender, Sweden
Soderstrom was definitely a name to watch heading into this tournament, but now he's got the audience binge-watching episodes of him playing goal. After allowing three goals on 18 shots in the opener against Switzerland, Soderstrom pitched a 46-save shutout against the United States to give Sweden a 1-0 victory. It's easy to point out that Sweden's defense is very impressive, but to face that many shots against a quality opponent without a flinch was enough to convince me.
The 6-4 backstop is property of the Islanders, who will be looking for a new goalie as soon as the 2017-18 season given the way Jaroslav Halak is always on injured reserve, so taking a flyer on Soderstrom in a very, very deep dynasty league could pay dividends.
Finland Has the Best Line in the Entire Tournament
Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho (CAR) and Jesse Puljujarvi have been electric through their first two games of the tournament. It's hard to pick this trio over some of the lines on Canada, USA and even Russia, but the game-breaking ability of Laine, Aho and Puljujarvi is through the roof right now. Through just two games, they've combined for an impressive five goals and 14 points.
Aho was selected in the second round of this past NHL draft by the Hurricanes, who everybody knows are very thin at forward, particularly center, where captain Eric Staal seems to be all but gone. If Staal decides to stay, Aho also projects as a decent winger considering his style of play. Aho likely isn't owned in many deep dynasty/keeper leagues, and while I wouldn't recommend scooping him up right away, keep him on your radar.
Laine and Puljujarvi should be top-five picks in the 2016 draft, without question. Both are only 17 and are absolutely killing it in a tournament filled with 19 year olds. Both have tons of size -- Laine measures in at 6-4 while Puljujarvi is 6-3 -- a trait that makes them ideal "lottery picks" (I'm allowed to say that in the NHL now, right?). If your dynasty team is struggling and you're looking at a high pick for next season, you may hit gold with either of these very promising prospects.
