USA should win gold at WJC | News, Sports, Jobs

In another year with the Russians barred from the tournament, a Canadian team missing key eligible players and Scandinavian squads lacking depth, it’s the Americans tournament to lose.

The last time the United States brought a forward group this talented it captured the gold medal and Trevor Zegras went home with the Tournament MVP award. The 2021 squad boasted several first round selections who are now successful NHL players, but this year’s crop is even better.

The top three lines for the United States could all be the top line in any given game, so if one group goes cold there’s no problem as two more groups are completely capable of stepping up. Against Canada in the pre-tournament game last Saturday, the top line was the trio of Oliver Moore (2023 No. 19 by Chicago), Cutter Gauthier (2022 No. 5 by Philadelphia) and Jimmy Snuggerud (2022 No. 23 by St. Louis). There are about three Americans perfectly capable of being the best player at this year’s tournament and Gauthier is my pick for this year, the 6-foot, 2-inch center is an elite goalscorer who had a strong tournament last year and then went on to play at the men’s tournament in the summer where he scored seven goals for 2nd best at the event.

The second line featured Isaac Howard (2022 No. 31 by Tampa Bay), Frank Nazar (2022 No. 13 by Chicago) and Gavin Brindley (2023 No. 34 by Columbus); then the third line was the record-breaking group from the USA National Team Development Program in Gabriel Perreault (No. 23 by New York Rangers), William Smith (2023 No. 4 by San Jose) and Ryan Leonard (2023 No. 8 by Washington).

Buffalo prospect Jiri Kulich is the captain of Czechia at the World Junior Championships.
OBSERVER photo by Christian Storms

The third line will quickly become the second line as the trio have done nothing but great things since putting the stars and stripes on together, then that chemistry led them to committing to Boston College together where Perreault currently No. 6 in the NCAA in scoring with 25 points. Smith and Perreault work off each other more, while Leonard does a lot of the physical parts of the game and possesses the best shot on the line.

If the goalscoring goes stale or the defense doesn’t do its part, the United States will fall back on the best goaltending duo of the tournament having the choice of Boston College’s Jacob Fowler (2023 No. 69 by Montreal) and Michigan State’s Trey Augustine (2023 No. 41 by Detroit) to put between the pipes. Fowler already has established himself as one of the best goaltender in Hockey East, taking home the conference’s Goaltender of the Month honors as a freshman in November. Then Augustine, a member of last year’s Bronze medal winning squad, has picked up several honors for Michigan State in the Big Ten as a freshman this season.

In front of either Augustine or Fowler the Americans will have the best offensive defenseman at the tournament in Lane Hutson (2022 No. 62 by Montreal), then expect Seamus Casey (2022 No. 46 by New Jersey) and Zeev Buium (2024 Draft Eligible) to join the scoresheet from the blue line. The only weakness of the Americans might be how it plays in its own end defensively, but with how the squad is built the United States will be focused on outscoring opponents and having goaltending that can bailout defensive errors.

After the Americans, there are several countries that are worthy of conversation for gold in Sweden and Finland, Canada should never be counted out and Slovakia could be the dark horse team to win it all. While there are no Sabres or Penguins prospects on the United States squad, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Slovakia have several who could take home gold.

Buffalo has seven players going to the World Juniors in Canadians Matthew Savoie (No. 9, forward, 2022) and Scott Ratzlaff (No. 141, goaltender, 2023); Swedes Noah Ostlund (No. 16, center, 2022) and Anton Wahlberg (No. 39, forward, 2023); Slovak, Maxim Strbak (No. 45, defense, 2023); Czech, Jiri Kulich (No. 28, forward, 2022) and German, Norwin Panocha (No. 205, defense, 2023).

Kulich is currently Buffalo’s brightest prospect as he continues to dominate in the American Hockey League at a 19 year old scoring 16 goals through 23 games, but the Czech squad that shocked everyone for silver a year ago is not going to be there. Plenty of pressure will be on Kulich’s shoulders as captain and he is more than up for the task of scoring, but it likely won’t be enough to keep his group from an early exit.

Buffalo’s best odds of taking home gold will be with its host country Swedish players in Ostlund and Wahlberg. Sweden is equally balanced on both offense and defense, but it lacks the goaltending which the Americans have. Ostlund and Wahlberg have been grouped together on the top line along with Jonathan Lekkerimaki (2022 No. 14 by Vancouver).

The Swedish trio could be one of the best lines at the tournament with Ostlund as the shifty, highly skilled center, Lekkerimaki has the elite shot and puck skills, while Wahlberg has the size to do the dirty work to get his talented linemates the puck.

Sweden’s defense will be led by Axel Sandin Pellikka (2023 No. 17 by Detroit) and Tom Willander (2023 No. 11 by Vancouver), but there is not much of a drop off after them, they just will not have a strong presence between the pipes.

It is a down year for the Canadians with several great players not available like Zach Benson (2023 No. 13 by Buffalo) currently carving out a nice role in the NHL, Shane Wright (2022 No. 4 by Seattle) remaining in the AHL and two key defenders in Tristan Luneau (2022 No. 53 by Anaheim) and Tanner Molendyk (2023 No. 24 by Nashville) not fit to compete this upcoming two weeks.

However, you can never count out the Canadians and if they do manage to take home the gold the Sabres prospects will be a big reason why. Not bringing the best roster, Ratzlaff or whoever wins the starting job will likely be relied upon much more than usual and the Buffalo draft pick has the most pedigree among the goalies listed on the roster.

I expect Savoie to be excellent offensively at the tournament, all he has done against his age group is score at and Canada will need him to do it for any success. What will help Canada is if the consensus top selection for the upcoming 2024 NHL draft, Macklin Celebrini, carries his momentum over from his great start at Boston University this year with 25 points in 15 games as a 17 year old in the NCAA.

Strbak will be one of the top defenders on a Slovak squad that has the talent to upset even the best teams in the tournament. When I watch Strbak play in junior hockey and then at Michigan State he does not impress me, but when he puts on his nation’s sweater he takes it to another level.

Strbak will be a big part offensively on the blue line and then a physical force in his own end, but Slovakia’s strong suit is its talented crop of forwards starting with Dalibor Dvorsky (2023 No. 10 by St. Louis). Dvorsky didn’t turn heads in his first two World Juniors, but this year he is going to fill the net like he has all season with Sudbury in the OHL. Then in net Slovakia will have Adam Gajan (2023 No. 35 by Chicago) and the case with the smaller countries, is the true key to Slovakian success.

Panocha is Buffalo’s weakest prospect competing at the tournament and the goal for him is to just help the Germans avoid relegation.

Pittsburgh has three prospects competing and two are on Finland’s defense in Kalle Kangas (No. 223, defense, 2023) and Emil Pieniniemi (No. 91, defense, 2023). Finland doesn’t have the flash and flare with its prospects like rival Sweden, but it always puts together a team that is tough to play against with at least one highly skilled player at forward.

However, in the years the Finns have several highly skilled players they seem to land on the podium and it starts with Konsta Helenius who should be a top-five selection in this upcoming draft. Around Helenius will be Jani Nyman (2022 No. 49 by Seattle), Lenni Hameenaho (2023 No. 58 by New Jersey), Kasper Halttunen (2023 No. 36 by San Jose) and Emil Hemming (2024 Draft Eligible).

The third Pittsburgh prospect is Brayden Yager (No. 14, forward, 2023) playing for Canada, he’s a younger player on the squad who could add depth scoring, but not a demanding role.

The United States will play its first game today at 11 a.m. against Norway.

My prediction for the tournament is USA taking gold, Sweden claiming silver and Canada settling for Bronze over Slovakia. My pick for MVP is Cutter Gauthier and top forward, top defender Lane Hutson and top goalie is Adam Gajan again. The all-tournament team would then round out as Gauthier, Lekkerimaki, Celebrini at forward; Hutson and Canada’s Denton Mateychuk on defense; and Gajan in net.