A rare occurrence will take place tomorrow at an international tournament: A semifinals not featuring a North American component.
The United States’ loss yesterday in its quarterfinal matchup with Latvia clearly was the upset of the day, as well as the tournament. This most unexpected result catapulted the Latvians to their first-ever semifinals appearance at this event. The Americans threw everything they had at Latvia in this matchup, but goaltender Patriks Plumins (#18 International goalie) was equal to the task, stopping 43 of 45 shots (.955 save percentage). However, the United States’ loss did nothing to detract from the performance of forward Wyatt Cullen (#13 North American skater) in Slovakia. Cullen’s assist on forward Victor Plante’s (#42) goal kept him in a tie for second place in the tournament scoring race. Cullen also was named one of the United States’ top three players in the game, along with forwards Mikey Berchild (#77) and Sammy Nelson (2027 draft-eligible).
Canada’s 4-2 loss to Sweden was not nearly as dramatic, as the Swedes were a medal favorite heading into this event. Akin to the US, the fact that Canada did not advance did not diminish the stock of top draft prospects such as d-man Keaton Verhoeff (#4 North American skater) and forward Tynan Lawrence (#7). Verhoeff is without question a first-pairing NHL d-man in the making, and uses his considerable size and reach to steer opponents where he wants them to go prior to killing one play after another. Lawrence is a dynamic playmaker with elite vision to match his puck skills, and both were fully displayed in this game with his jaw-dropping back-door pass to d-man Callum Croskery (#110) for Canada’s second goal against the Swedes.
Canada’s formidable draft-eligible d-men also included Ryan Lin (#16). Lin also had an exceptional tournament, registering 6 points (1G 5A) and displaying a physical presence not often seen from a player thought to focus solely on the offensive part of the game. Lin further bolstered his commitment to his own zone by having a player rating of +7 in this event, equaling Verhoeff’s mark.
On the other side of the rink, the defensive prowess shown by Lin also has been the hallmark of Swedish d-man Malte Gustafsson (#7 International skater). Gustafsson’s +6 player rating has complemented his offensive contributions to Sweden’s cause (4 points on 1 goal and 3 assists). Notably, Gustafsson’s most recent assist came on forward Nils Bartholdsson’s (#33 International skater) game-winning quarterfinals goal, sending them to tomorrow’s semis. The second assist on this goal came from forward Elton Hermansson (#5 International skater), who is tied for second in the tournament with nine points. With Gustafsson, Bartholdsson (tied for 3rd in the tournament with 4 goals), and Hermansson in the mix, Sweden will be a tough team to beat.
Much more will follow regarding other top prospects in this tournament.