WJC Three Stars Day 6: McGroarty displays leadership with hat trick for USA

New Year’s Eve marked the final day of 2023 and the final day of preliminary round action at the World Junior Championship. So, fittingly, from both angles, it’s a time for reflection, anticipation and celebration as we close one chapter and open the next. 

With all 10 teams in the tournament having completed four games now, the seeding for the knockout round has been finalized. In Group A, Sweden sits on top with 10 points, trailed closely by Canada with 9, Finland with 5 and Latvia with 3. In Group B, USA claimed the No. 1 spot with 11 points, followed by Slovakia with 9, Czechia with 7 and Switzerland with 3. We’ll see these eight teams in action on Jan. 2 when all four quarterfinal matchups take place. 

Meanwhile, having finished in fifth place in their respective groups, Germany and Norway find themselves excluded from the playoffs. Instead, they will meet Jan. 4 to play one relegation round game. The winner of that game secures a return for the 2025 World Juniors, while the loser will be relegated to the 2025 U20 World Championship Division I, Group A.

But before we get too ahead of ourselves on what happens next, let’s take a look back at how Day 6 played out. 

Sunday’s opening game, a 10-2 blowout, saw USA deliver Slovakia their first loss of the tournament. Holding a 5-2 lead after the second period, the Americans punctuated their fourth consecutive win with an explosive five-goal surge to bury the Slovaks in the third period. 

Next up was a much closer match between perennial rivals Sweden and Finland. Tied at four goals apiece by the end of regulation, the game extended into overtime and eventually culminated in a five-round shootout, with the Finns emerging victorious. Handed their first loss, Sweden earned a point while Finland earned two. 

The third game of the day was another close one, but ultimately it was Czechia who emerged victorious with a 4-2 win over Switzerland. Knotted up at 2-2 after two periods, the Czechs scored twice in the final 20 minutes to hand the Swiss their third loss of the tournament. 

And last, but certainly not least, there was the surprise of the day. While Canada beating Germany probably stunned few, the back-and-forth nature of the game did. The Canadians ended up pulling off a 6-3 win, but the Germans were essentially in it from start to finish. Another unexpected twist was that Canada lost Conor Geekie just 11 seconds into the game, when he received a five-minute major and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head.

3^rd Star: Macklin Celebrini, Canada

The 17-year-old, who is widely considered the top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft, helped his team hold off Germany with two goals on Sunday – one in the first period and one in the third. 

After the Germans scored on their extended power play, Celebrini leveled the score at 1-1 with a wrister off the rush that eluded German netminder Matthias Bittner. Then, a breakaway for Celebrini in the third period compelled Bittner out of his net, which proved to be a pivotal error. With the net wide open, the forward capitalized on the opportunity, delivering a shot from a challenging angle and producing a goal more than worthy of the highlight reel. 

Earning Player of the Game honours, the Vancouver native tallied a total of nine shots against Germany. Across Canada’s four games, he has four goals and four assists to lead his team in scoring and sit third in the tournament overall. 

2^nd Star: Jani Nyman, Finland 

Although a win is the result of a collective team effort, Nyman undeniably played a significant role in Finland’s comeback against Sweden. 

With the Swedes holding a one-goal lead with the end of the game in sight, the Finns opted to pull their goaltender for the extra skater. And in a heroic move, the 19-year-old Nyman seized the moment, knocking in a loose puck to tie it up with only 1:32 remaining. Then, after shootout goals from Sweden’s Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Finland’s Konsta Helenius, it was Nyman who scored the deciding goal, securing his team’s 5-4 victory. 

Nyman is a prospect of the Seattle Kraken, drafted by the club in 2022 as the 49^th overall pick. He signed his three-year, entry-level deal (worth $2.85 million) in June of this summer. But presently, the forward plays for the Tampereen Illves in Finland’s Liiga, recording 14 goals and eight assists in 28 games this season. 

1^st Star: Rutger McGroarty, USA 

The 19-year-old captain scored his first goal of the tournament against Slovakia – and then followed it with two more for a hat trick. 

Netting one goal in each period, his first opened the game’s scoring. Seizing the puck off the rebound and executing a wraparound move, he slipped the puck past Slovakian goaltender Samuel Urban just 6:41 into the game. His second goal came off the rush with a little over a minute remaining in the second period, and he completed the hat trick 4:06 into the third period, capitalizing on a back pass from teammate Cutter Gauthier. 

Prior to Sunday, McGroarty had only contributed two assists over USA’s previous three games. Drafted as the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round pick (14^th overall) in 2022, the forward plays in the NCAA for the University of Michigan. In 13 games with the Wolverines, McGroarty has six goals and 12 assists. Just over a month ago it was unclear whether McGroarty would even attend the tournament following a scary injury in Michigan’s game against Penn State, where he was stretchered off the ice and hospitalized. 

Honourable mention: Trey Augustine, USA

While his team generated more than enough offence to keep him feeling comfortable all game long, the 18-year-old goaltender turned away 38 of Slovakia’s 40 shots on net. After missing USA’s game against Czechia due to illness, he looked perfectly fresh in this one, recording a .950 save percentage. Chosen 41^st overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2023 draft, Augustine is in his first season with Michigan State University.