WJC Scouting Report: Canada must quickly learn to start stronger

Team Canada did some good things Thursday versus an opponent that is yet to score a goal in the tournament. The 11-0 result over Austria was predictable. The real test(s) are on the horizon.

With that in mind here are some observations from the game in Halifax tonight:

Start on time

Canada took several minutes to get their legs under them tonight. Their first seven or eight shifts of the game were below standard. They didn’t register their third shot on goal until nearly the 10-minute mark of the opening period. What concerned me more was the lack of detail with the puck.

Connor Bedard is having himself an historic tournament offensively, but if he turns a puck over just inside the Sweden blue line - resulting in a potential odd-man rush against – the Swedes have players who could make it 1-0 early on Saturday night.

Bedard wasn’t the only one exposing pucks in the middle of the ice to start the game. Jack Matier, instead of taking the ice available in front of him and dumping it behind the Austrian defenders, tried to thread a pass through three bodies.

These are examples of in-game scenarios that sometimes get lost in the score of a lopsided game. Keep in mind it was 0-0 in those moments. Canada will need to be ready from the drop of the puck on Saturday. They can’t afford to start late against the Swedes.

D-Pairings

When scouting games, NHL personnel track line combinations, power-play units, penalty killers, players who are tasked with winning key face-offs, etc.

I was tracking the D-pairings tonight and Canada curiously mixed things up for much of the night. I’m not sure if the strategy was to see which players can play their off-side the most reliably, or maybe the staff just wanted to spread the ice time around, but Canada rolled out 10 different pairings in the first period alone.

It was a curious observation. I’m interested to see which strategy is employed against Sweden.

Face-Offs

Nathan Gaucher is playing to his identity. He’s involved physically and on the scene when an opponent tries to take liberties with a teammate. I like how he is evolving this week.

One area that concerns me, though, is defensive zone face-offs on his weak side. He struggled to get his stick in position to win draws to the half wall or behind him to his corner. He tried to work his body into position to bump the Austrian player off the draw and kick the puck back, with mixed results.

Conversely, Gaucher had more success on his strong side winning draws on his back hand. With Adam Fantilli being a left shot and natural centreman who’s playing the wing on Gaucher’s line, he might provide an option on his strong side to win draws on his back hand.

Keeping with the face-off observations (I’m hopefully not boring you!) Logan Stankoven is running set plays on his line with Bedard and Roy. Some of those set plays resulted in goals for Canada.

Stankoven is one of my favourite players on this team. He contributes the little details that lead to team success.

Goaltending

Ben Gaudreau got the start for Canada and stopped all 12 shots he faced. He wasn’t tested with much quality, but it still must have felt good for the kid to play tonight.

I’m expecting Thomas Milic back in the net for the Sweden game on Saturday.

Perspective!

I keep coming back to the reality that it’s important to take stock of each game and keep things in perspective.

We now know Team Czechia is a solid outfit and a contending team in this event.

We also know Canada needed to play with better detail against Germany, and answered with better structure and were ultimately rewarded with a lopsided victory.

Canada didn’t play as well against Austria, but their skill won out and they got the required result.

Things get very real starting Saturday against Team Sweden. Canada better be prepared to start on time.

Team Sweden (3), Team Czechia (2) OT

Thursday’s game between Sweden and Czechia was a battle for first place in Group A at the WJC. It was an entertaining game that could have gone either way. Here are some of my notes and observations from it.

1. When Team Czechia defeated Team Canada in the first game of the tournament it sent shockwaves across the Canadian landscape. It shouldn’t have. This team is a threat to win a medal. Maybe even a gold. They have balance throughout the lineup and arguably the top two defencemen so far in David Jiricek (sixth overall to Columbus in 2022) and Stanislav Svozil (69^th overall to Columbus in 2021).

2. Jiricek has averaged over a point per game playing in the AHL for Cleveland. Last year he played in the Czech Elite League for Plzen, and the World Hockey Championship with the men’s national team. He has benefited from the experience. He’s logging a ton of minutes for Czechia at the WJC and being deployed in all situations. He isn’t shy about shooting the puck from distance and has an absolute bomb. Sweden slept on him coming late off the rush in this game, and he made them pay when he chipped home the first goal of the game from the Swedish crease. He looks capable of NHL games right now.

3. Svozil is the captain of Team Czechia and is leading by example. His small area game has been outstanding. He’s escaping pressure in his zone, spinning off checks and launching the attack with accurate outlets, or attacking on his own. He continues to be especially dangerous in the offensive zone. He pinches down to keep pucks alive and works a high/low cycle that continues to lead to scoring chances for Czechia. I appreciate his compete and consistency. The way he’s playing it’s hard to find any holes in his game.

4. It’s only the preliminary round, but Swedish goaltender Carl Lindbom is the tournament MVP so far. He had his shutout streak end after just over seven periods. He robbed Jiricek in overtime twice today giving his group a chance to win the game. I’m extremely impressed with his tracking, crease composure, quick glove and excellent low net coverage. He’s one of the biggest stories of the tournament so far.

5. Matyas Sapovaliv (48^th overall to Vegas in 2022) always gets my attention. The big forward for Czechia plays for Saginaw in the OHL. He’s a detailed playmaker who has been more selfish with the puck this year, which is a good thing. At 6-foot-3 he’s difficult to defend and has a very long reach. He shields pucks and works off the cycle/boards and takes pucks to high danger areas. Last year he seemed to always look to pass first in open space.

6. Another Team Czechia D-man is providing solid minutes while flying under the radar. Jiri Tichacek is only 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, but he’s a determined player who defends with purpose. He rarely gets caught watching the puck. He closes on opponents and gives all he can physically. Sometimes players get rewarded for their hard work. Tichacek scored the game-tying goal against Sweden today when he came late and snapped a puck over Lindbom's left shoulder. The extra point Czechia earned could result in a first place finish in the group when all is said and done.

7. I’m keeping close tabs on what kept Sweden's Leo Carlsson out of the game today after taking warm-up. Ditto for Fabian Lysell who left after the first period. Both play top six forward roles for Team Sweden.

8. At the U18 World Championship last spring in Germany, the Swedes got a massive effort from Noah Ostlund (16^th overall to Buffalo in 2022). He hounded pucks, created scoring chances, and battled in the hard areas. He has more to offer in the hard areas than he has provided so far in this tournament.

9. If Carlsson and Lysell are injured or ill, and not 100 per cent by the time Sweden plays Canada on New Year's Eve, the Swedes are going to need more from Jonathan Lekkerimaki (15^th overall to Vancouver in 2022). He’s an elite shooter who’s having a down season playing for Djurgardens in the second division Hockey Allsvenskan (one goal, four assists). I’m having a hard time finding him at 5on5 and it’s frustrating me. I’ve seen him contribute in the past. I know what he is capable of.

10. Draft eligible Swedish defenceman Axel Sandin-Pellikka is logging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. He’s not taking a ton of risk on the offensive blue line, but I appreciate his ability to walk the line and direct pucks on net. He’s shooting more than he has in the past and isn’t backing down in his zone. His defending has been sound. The two-way/transitional defender’s draft stock is on the rise.