[Metaldude's Power Chords] World Junior Shining Stars

[metaldude26]

Breaking with tradition here. Rather than focus on one particular star and give you a great statistical breakdown and a fantasy hockey lean I figured I'd give you a take on the World Juniors and who really pumped up their stock. Hell, maybe this post will help boost things. Figured I'd give you that forewarning in case this isn't your bag. But even if it's not I welcome you to ask any and all questions about omitted players or the potential on individual players, and I'll address those as best I can.


Edit: Also my apologies for the long read. Hopefully you guys have gotten used to my long winded approach.


This tournament is built for the best and brightest young stars to shine. Players can't so much hurt their stock with a poor tournament, as simply making their national team is a huge accomplishment but certainly a player can boost their stock with a standout performance. The latter group is the one I'm most concerned with when looking back on this tournament. Whether you're an undrafted prospect looking to boost your draft stock or are a drafted prospect looking to show your home team some dividends on their investment. So let's take a peak at the players who made me turn my head.

Canada

Brayden Schenn - Right off the bat this one is obvious. Any time you set records for most points in a tournament, your stock is going up. Win the MVP, boost it a little more. For Schenn this went a long way to confirming that he has offensive upside and can produce at the highest levels. He had great career numbers in Junior but you just wonder if it would translate to the next level. I'm fairly certain it will. LA has a great one on their hands and that Kopitar-Schenn duo is going to be something to contend with. Most of the best teams have that great one-two punch up the middle and LA has their's.

Sean Couturier - Wasn't exactly a standout, but making this team as an underager gives him a leg up on the competition. By seemingly proving himself better than other contenders for the top spot in Ryan Murphy and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, he has greater exposure and that's going to put more public pressure on NHL teams to draft him. GM's are highly involved in the drafting of first round picks and they do answer to public demand at least to some degree. Certainly more than their amateur scouts do, so if the hype gets high enough they'll feel the heat. So for Couturier his profile has definitely been increased. As I said, just being there helps. His performance was not eye-opening by any means but any NHL team will value the two-way game he showed. They know if they draft him, at worst they'll have a big centerman who can play a defensive shutdown type game and there's a lot to be said for having that kind of ability to fall back on should he falter as an offensive player. I can honestly say I left this tournament with no better feel for where he stands as a future star in the league, but you know he'll be a player.

Ryan Johansen - This tournament was his coming out party. A lot of people wondered where the hell this kid came from to get drafted 4th overall in last summer's NHL entry draft, but now they don't really care so much about that but rather where he's headed. I don't doubt that he'll be on the fast track to the NHL after a performance like this. He has tremendous upside as that elusive top line center that does it all. He's big, he's quick, he can score and he can pass. He's got that right-handed shot that's rare in centermen and he can win big draws. Obviously he's still got maturing to do but his performance as an 18 year old was even more impressive than Schenn's in my opinion. 19 year olds are supposed to kick ass here. 18 years olds not so much. Johansen did and he's clearly cemented himself as a blue chip prospect. Looks like Columbus finally got one right.

Jared Cowen - In the eyes of a lot of people, perhaps myself included, he needed to have a big tournament. I'd say he succeeded. He and Ellis were the only two defensemen for Canada that I truly felt comfortable with on all ends of the ice. This was in stark contrast to his performance at this event last year where he was essentially a bench warmer and definitely a liability. I don't question his future as an NHL player any longer, although he did little to tell me he'll provide much offense at the next level.

Marcus Foligno/Zack Kassian - I lump these two together because I have virtually the same things to say about them. These two announced in a huge way that they are coming and nothing is going to get in their way. I think my favourite moment of the tournament was when these two combined for a hit on an American player, launching him into the Canadian bench. They showed all the tools you wanted to see from them. Big clean hitting (Kassians hit may have been deemed a headshot, but that wouldn't have been at the NHL level), tremendous work in the corners, and some scoring touch in front of the net. I can't imagine the erections the local fans must have been sporting knowing these two have a future playing for the Sabres. They project as third liners, but after this tournament I can easily see either one fitting in on a scoring line and providing a net presence.

Cody Eakin - He's a bonafide NHLer. No doubt about that. He works so hard and wins battles. I don't see much offensive upside but damn he's going to be a player for the Capitals some time soon.

Casey Cizikas - He had a fairly dominant tournament and was often the spark for Canada with his tremendous work in the corners and on the penalty kill. The Islanders have a good one on their hands in this kid even if he never plays an offensive role. You win with kids like Cizikas and Eakin because they do all the dirty work.

Jaden Schwartz - I couldn't pass up the chance to plug Schwartz, a player profiled here some two months ago. Sure he only played two games, breaking his ankle early in that second game but he did show some things. He demonstrated that he does have some high end offensive talent by producing some points in his short time but he also showed off some great heart gritting it out and finishing that second game, playing the majority on that broken ankle. You know he's a gamer and you have to love that. He keeps climbing up my list of favourite young players. I'll say this, I'm excited to see him again next year, be it at this tournament or in the NHL.

[metaldude26]

Russia

Vladimir Tarasenko - For a lot of people this was the first time they ever got to see him play. He showed off his tremendous skill and proved he has the ability to lead a winner as Captain for the Gold Medal winning Russians. He's a gamebreaker for sure, this much we know. St. Louis clearly knew what they were doing when they traded former 1st round pick David Rundblad to Ottawa for the pick they used in selecting Tarasenko. He could come over next season and instantly add some punch to St. Louis' offense that they've been sorely lacking. It's worth noting, that I've come up with a short nickname for him, and that from now on I'll be calling him "Tary" (pronounced Terry). It's short, it's easy, and it's kinda fun. You'll see why with this next standout prospect.

Evgeny Kuznetsov - This kid announced himself to the hockey world with some huge clutch performances. Maybe his impact wasn't quite as prolific as the comparison I'm about to make but Kuznetsov (whom I've nicknamed "Kuzy", yeah so it's Tary and Kuzy)really jumped out at me like Jordan Eberle did. This kid is a clutch gamebreaker. Whenever Russia needed to get something going, he stepped up big. Washington has to be so excited about this kid. Forget the breathtaking skill he displayed. The way he showed he can step up in the clutch and perform in big games is huge for the Capitals. This is a team that has struggled in clutch moments. Kuzy will bring them instant credibility and a fearlessness of the moment. I suspect he'll be playing for the Caps sooner than later and maybe just maybe when the game is on the line and the Caps best players are gripping that stick way too tight, Kuzy will be loose. He'll be ready. And he'll do something big, something game changing. Right now he jumps out at me and screams IT FACTOR. Some players have IT and some players don't. He looks like he has IT. It's hard to explain IT but to me it's an unconsciousness of losing, you just don't think about it, even when all seems lost to others. All you have is this drive for winning that propels you above all else. IT's irrational but ever so powerful. Needless to say, I'm smitten, so just think about how I feel about Eberle, a player many times more accomplished than Kuzy.

Maxim Kitsyn - The list continues to read as it should for the Russians. All the pre-tournament favourites on this team stood up and played as big as expected. Sometimes just living up to the hype is half the battle. In the case of Kitsyn this was definitely true. Once hyped as a future Malkin, he was thrust to a level well out of his league. What he is, is a big man, with some good hands and a nose for the net. He's not a dynamic gamebreaker, but he has some decent upside if paired with some skill players. I think they have some of those in LA, where the Kings own his rights, and they may have some of those in Mississauga as well where he is set to suit up for the Memorial Cup favourites. The NHL will never grow tired of big men with soft hands so my feeling is he's got some strong NHL prospects although the fact that he intends to return to Russia to play in the KHL is a turn off. I guess he aptly recognizes he still has a good deal of growth before he's NHL ready.

Dmitri Orlov - Another Russian who lived up to the billing, or did he surpass it? As a leading scorer for Russia at this tournament last year, Orlov was obviously going to be counted on for big things as one of the few returning players. Big things he did achieve. Finishing second to Ryan Ellis (who is basically a god at this tournament as the all time leader in points by a defenseman) is a damn good showing, and helping to lead the team to a Gold Medal is an even better one. Yes Orlov displayed all his tools. His big point shot, slick passing, and ability to quarterback a lethal powerplay were all demonstrated with great success. Washington has another good prospect on their hands, and you really have to drool at the possibility of him feeding pucks to the wealth of talent Washington has up front. Points will be scored by him at the NHL level, this much I promise you.

Czech Republic

Martin Frk - Call it charity but I had to throw this team some sort of bone. The reigning World Champions have almost nothing to look forward to coming up through the junior ranks but for Frk to make it as a 17 year old, he's obviously boosting his draft stock for next year. Even if most of his production came against the weak teams in the relegation round his point per game effort is still notable.

Sweden

Adam Larsson - People have been giving this kid a hard time for failing to live up to the hype so far in the Swedish Elite League season. I disagree with this assessment. Just because he isn't blowing up with huge numbers does not mean he's not playing well. So while his stock was dropping as we headed into the tournament, you could certainly argue that no one had as much to lose as Larsson from a poor tournament. I really felt like he stepped up. He didn't have a perfect tournament, realistically no Swedish player did, but I thought he was their best defenseman most nights, and that's damned impressive when playing for a country known for pumping out quality defensemen. Even if he doesn't live up to all the hype and outrageous comparisons, we know he's still a legit contender for number one overall and projects to be a very good player at the next level. Just looking over all the teams with a strong shot at first overall pick, there's not a one who couldn't immediately use Larsson's services. I like his upside because he makes really strong decisions and great outlet passes.

Patrick Cehlin/Jesper Fasth - These two really popped up on my radar, and not just because they tied for the team lead in scoring for Sweden. No it was that dynamic speed and skill with which they played. Really showed a lot of potential, especially considering I had no idea who either of these players were coming in. As late round picks in the 2010 draft both doing damage in the Swedish Elite League this year I'd say both qualify as late round steals. Whether or not they ever become NHLers or better yet scoring stars remains to be seen but they've shown a hell of a lot more than many others with their draft pedigree. Consider them on the radar, even if they are just blips in the distance.

Calle Jarnkrok - I liked him. I thought he was as dynamic as the afformentioned Cehlin and Fasth and was definitely more consistent even if the boxscores would indicate different. Obviously you pay attention any time Detroit picks a player and Jarnkrok proved to be good. I'm still unsure where to place him but you know now that he's for real so I'm sure Detroit will find some way to use him, even if it takes 6 years.

Finland

Joni Ortio - Next great Finnish goalie prospect? Yes I think so! He really impressed me as with most of the Finnish team bringing a very consistent and even-keeled approach to every game. I really think he proved himself to be a legitimate pro prospect and that's certainly something the Calgary Flames could use with Kiprusoff nearing the end of his career and a rebuild on the horizon. As with all goaltenders, it's a total crap shoot whether or not he pans out, but you know he's got potential and he's Finnish so he's worth some hype.

Teemu Pulkkinen - Much was expected of Pulkkinen heading into this tournament. He's having a standout season in the SM Liiga and with Mikael Granlund out with a concussion Pulkkine was going to be relied upon for offense. He came through for his country leading them in scoring. I actually wasn't overly impressed with his individual performance but obviously you can't argue with the results. You can see that he's shifty and knows how to score but I felt he struggled when players really leaned on him. I'll bet he fits in much better playing on the big ice back in Finland. Still much like Jarnkrok, as a Detroit draft pick you must pay attention to Pulkkinen. It's also worth noting that sometimes putting up points even when you don't look great is a good thing. I'm not sold on him but there's no denying the potential.

Joel Armia - Much like other 2011 draft eligibles, Armia did himself some huge favours just being at this tournament. Not looking out of place pushes his draft stock up further. He didn't produce a lot, but I liked his game. He uses his size fairly well. Obviously you wonder if he has the offensive game for the next level but at only 17 I think it will come for him. He certainly has solid numbers in the SM Liiga to show for his talents.

[metaldude26]

Switzerland

Benjamin Conz - If NHL teams continue to stay ignorant to this kid then there are a bunch of stupid people out there. Conz has proven one thing over the last two World Junior tournaments, he can stop the puck. I don't care how he projects. Against the best in the world at his age group, he stops the shit out of the puck. If there's one things we've learned in the past few years is to throw technique, size and upside out the window. When it comes to goalies only one thing truly matters, stopping the puck. I don't care if you have to whip it out and stop it with your schlong. You stop the the puck as much as he has and you deserve a shot as an NHL prospect. I imagine he gets that shot, whether he's drafted or signed as a free agent. Whether or not he develops as a pro, well that's a crap shoot, but someone needs to get him in their system to see what they can get out of him. Might I make a suggestion Edmonton? (Your "top" goalie prospect was perhaps one of the few players to really hurt his stock as Olivier Roy's tournament was so laughably bad that I've all but written him off. As I said it's a crap shoot.)

Slovakia

Richard Panik - The Slovakia led the team in scoring by a good margin as he should have. I wasn't so much impressed with the point totals as a good deal of his scoring came in relegation games but I think he made an impression. I'm getting the vibe Panik has been written off as a legit prospect over the last year or so. I think he showed enough to get himself back into the conversation of being a future NHLer. He's been having a very good season in the OHL for both Belleville and Guelph and definitely carried that momentum into a solid tournament for his country. Don't right him off just yet, he's got offensive skills and could fit in well with the Lightning in a few years.

USA

Chris Kreider - It took him a while but he finally showed off that goal scoring ability he has in helping the US win the Bronze medal. He is huge and has great speed. I wonder a little about the hockey sense but obviously he has a solid nose for the net and anyone with his combination of physical skills is going to be nightmare no matter how poorly he thinks the game. My guess is he just needs more time to figure things out and that would help explain his underwhelming college numbers. You have to drool over the physical skills though.

Charlie Coyle - Big coming out party for this kid. He announced himself as a late first round steal by the Sharks with a very strong performance leading the US in scoring for much of the tournament until the big guns stepped up in the Bronze medal match.

John Merrill - Showed off his abilities as a strong puck mover and looks like he'll have a strong future as an NHLer, particularly with New Jersey looking so deplete on the back end. I could see him getting fast-tracked a bit, the situation is that dire, and he looked that impressive.

Justin Faulk - I really thought he might have a big tournament for the US. He's putting up very strong numbers as a freshman this season and then stepped up as the powerplay quarterback for the US at this tournament. He made a big statement towards his future as an offensive defenseman in the NHL. Could take him a few years to make the jump, what with the mini logjam in Carolina, but I figure he'll get there eventually. He plays with smarts and excellent vision and has a pretty decent shot that will only improve. Beyond Coyle, no other player left a bigger impression on me off the US team.

Nick Bjugstad - Great size and skill up the middle. That's what immediately stands out to me. I think he's got a long way to go before he's ready to make the leap to the NHL but the raw tools are there. Florida did well picking a kid with so much upside.

Jack Campbell - By the time he was drafted 11th overall in last year's entry draft by Dallas he was absolutely on top of the World. He had nowhere to go but down, and down he sank. Making the jump across the border to play for the perennial powerhouse Windsor Spitfires hasn't proved to be much of a success. Campbell struggled monumentously in the early going for Windsor, and his overall statistics from this season are still abysmal looking. So for Campbell winning the top goaltender award will be a huge boost to his stock as well to his confidence. Campbell re-asserted his dominance as the best junior-aged goaltender on the planet, and don't you forget it.

Some of these names should already have been on your radar, and maybe they get a little boost, others may have really come out of nowhere and now deserve some attention. It's also worth noting that these were not THE top prospects at this tournament but rather the ones who did the most to boost their profile. Other top prospects like Ryan Ellis and Robin Lehner may actually be among the best top prospects in the game today but did they do enough to boost their profile? Probably not, so if you had some guys on your radar prior to the tournament then they should stay stagnant or maybe take a little bit of a hit but as I said in the opening, playing in this tournament is never a bad thing.

This article was originally posted on my sports blog http://stevelaidlawsports.blogspot.c...ing-stars.html so check that out if that's something you're into.

[Dean Youngblood]

Haha. Good stuff MD. I haven't read them all yet but from looking at the names I had every single one of these guys as my WJC Risers thread post

[mapletreemarty]

Awesome read.

Question about Tyson Barrie... he seemed to move around the ice effortlessly and was able to showcase some of his offensive skillset but what really surprised me was his intelligence and ability in his own defensive end. The fact he hadn't been on the ice for an even strength goal against until the final period vs. Russia should also speak volumes. I know a lot of people have compared him to JM Liles, however with the defensive abilities he's shown at the WJC will he project better than Liles at the NHL level... you know, less prone to defensive breakdwons and costly giveaways?? What are your thoughts??

[metaldude26]

Awesome read.

Question about Tyson Barrie... he seemed to move around the ice effortlessly and was able to showcase some of his offensive skillset but what really surprised me was his intelligence and ability in his own defensive end. The fact he hadn't been on the ice for an even strength goal against until the final period vs. Russia should also speak volumes. I know a lot of people have compared him to JM Liles, however with the defensive abilities he's shown at the WJC will he project better than Liles at the NHL level... you know, less prone to defensive breakdwons and costly giveaways?? What are your thoughts??

Damn, some good questions here. Barrie was a really puzzling one for me. I grew to rue his presence on the ice after the pre-tournament games and like the first couple matches. He made quite a few mistakes with the puck and didn't look particularly stong in his own zone. It's very interesting that he wasn't on the ice for an even strength goal against cuz I was often concerned when seeing him on the ice. One thing I did notice was he steadily improved as the tournament went on, and I'd say part of that was confidence in his own abilities but also confidence from the coaching staff.

One thing that obviously impressed me was his skating. He definitely has a strong ability to rush the puck. I actually wouldn't have minded seeing more of that from him, particularly in the Sweden game where we had serious issues gaining the zone. With Schwartz out, I think Ellis/Barrie were like the only two who could consistently skate the puck into the offensive zone without relying on the dump. I'm sure his tendency to do so was hindered by the coaching staff and their team strategy. The play was always dump it in and bang. It worked for the most part but in that Sweden game especially I would have liked to see them deviate a little since it wasn't really working.

One thing I liked from Barrie was his motor. Whether it be pinching or hustling to get back after pinching he seemed to have a relentless motor. He really picked his spots well when pinching too. He clearly has some strong offensive instincts.

Didn't really get to see much of his shot, I honestly don't remember him having a shot that hit the net but then again he did score a goal so clearly something has slipped my mind.

This may also be nit-picking but I definitely didn't feel he was tremendous on the powerplay. Now it's hard to feel too strongly here but there was definitely a noticeable difference in skill running the powerplay between he and Ellis. But Ellis is the absolute elite at this level so as I said you don't want to be too hard on Barrie.

He's mobile and fairly efficient with the puck, although you didn't really see that elite vision from him. He really needs those skills to be effective at the next level because I felt his size was an issue in his own end. Not that he doesn't try, he's pretty feisty, but he got overwhelmed at times, especially early on. Not sure how he deals with the strength/size issues either. Seemed to me he was already pretty stocky (if you watched him in interviews he has no neck, NO NECK!) so can he fill out any more before losing speed?

He did win the WHL top defenseman award last season, as well as scoring over a point per game. Those are both very good signs, so he's obviously a pro prospect. Still, I wasn't impressed enough over the full tournament to say he boosted his profile. As I said before, just being there is a boost so his ahead of where he was just a short month ago, but with the state of the Avs pipeline he would really have had to jump out and impress to climb really high. What I was looking for was for him to make me think, "Damn, Colorado is gonna have some decisions to make very soon cuz this kid will force his way in." Now I'm thinking that he better fits Colorado's needs because they can afford to sit and wait for him to fully develop, which is probably a good 2-3 years away.

[mapletreemarty]

Thanks for the awesome reply Always good to get a non-Avs persepctive on a prospect. I was actually surprised he got the call over Elliott to the team. I know that Elliott has a wicked shot, I think he's already got 17 this year in the W, however with Ellis on the team already he wasn't neccessary, especially since it seemed that Canada ran the PP thru Schenn on the side boards.

[PrairieDog]

Top end stuff, md - thanks for the great read.

[metaldude26]

Thanks for the awesome reply Always good to get a non-Avs persepctive on a prospect. I was actually surprised he got the call over Elliott to the team. I know that Elliott has a wicked shot, I think he's already got 17 this year in the W, however with Ellis on the team already he wasn't neccessary, especially since it seemed that Canada ran the PP thru Schenn on the side boards.

Can't say I'm totally surprised. It's clear Dave Cameron and company wanted two-way players. Barrie might get overwhelmed physically but he can play in his own end. Not sure that's entirely in line with how Elliott plays the game. Plus with Ellis there was no need for that high end pure offense guy.