The 2013 World Junior Championship was one of the most unpredictable in history, as the United States won gold after their seventh place finish in 2012, Canada couldn't even manage bronze despite having a supercharged, lockout induced roster, Switzerland pushed everyone to the brink, and many other endlessly fun stories. All of the havoc mixed with the high level of competition made it worth waking up at 2:30 every morning. Now that the anthems have been sung and medals have been awarded, here's a little "what we learned" from the 2013 World Juniors.
ANAHEIM HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN NET AFTER HILLER
The runaway MVP of the 2013 World Juniors was the United States' golden goalie, John Gibson. In similar form to Petr Mrazek in 2012, Gibson stole the show at the tournament while setting a new record for save percentage in one World Juniors. Everyone watching the tournament couldn't help but be impressed, fans of the USA rejoiced after every incredible save, and the staff of the Anaheim Ducks had to be drooling on their television remotes.
Gibson was drafted in the second round by Anaheim in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, a draft that Gibson was touted as the top North American tendy available going in. With Jonas Hiller coming off of a spectacular 2010-11 season, many wondered why the Ducks went with a goalie with the ninth pick in the second round when they had other issues to address. The answer is proving to be an easy one. He's that good.
Sure, stats are impressive, but you can't truly evaluate a player's game based on his stats. Gibson not only put up MVP-caliber statistics, but he looked phenomenal while doing it. His angles were sharp, he put himself in position to make tough saves, battled to the end to make the highlight reel saves, and, most importantly, kept the puck out of the net when it mattered most. He was never making saves of luck, always saves of skill. Steve Spott, Gibson's Head Coach in Kitchener and bench boss of the rival Canadians at the World Juniors, has been saying for the past year and a half that Gibson is the real deal. He's proved it at the OHL level countless times, but now we all got to see him get the job done on the international stage in high-pressure situations.
Jonas Hiller's play declined in 2011-12 and injuries continued to be an issue. He'll be turning 31 this February, too. Maybe he'll bounce back and be great in the next few season for Anaheim, but no matter what happens when his contract expires at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, Ducks fans can rest easy knowing they will have John Gibson as a potential option to turn to between the pipes.
ANXIOUSLY AWAITING TROUBA'S TAKEOFF IN THE 'PEG
Another brilliant performer for the United States was Jacob Trouba, 9th overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 draft. Trouba, the freshman at the University of Michigan, is known more for his punishing hits than anything, but displayed a complete game at the World Juniors that earned him the honor of being named the best defenseman at the tournament. Now, Jets' fans eagerly await him joining the 'Peg's deep defense corps. The problem is, no one's sure how long that will take.
Trouba is very committed to Michigan and is very proud to be playing in the NCAA. He is not in Winnipeg's immediate plans for training camp now that the lockout has ended, but what happens after this year? Trouba will likely return for a second year for the Wolverines, too, but no matter how much he loves wearing the blue and maize, it would be hard to imagine a player as good as him staying in the NCAA for four years.
We don't know for sure when the Jets will see Jacob Trouba on their blue line, but after seeing him do it all at the 2013 World Juniors (defend, rush the puck, run the power play, and score,) hockey fans everywhere should be anxiously awaiting his arrival to the NHL.
DROUIN AMONG 2013 DRAFT ELITE
One of the big storylines coming into this year's World Juniors was the presence of the two big dogs of the 2013 draft, Seth Jones for USA and Nate MacKinnon for Canada. Based on this tournament alone, many people would claim Jones is the runaway favorite for #1 overall, but that's not really fair, considering MacKinnon had significantly less ice time on Team Canada since he was buried beneath several NHL-ready centers. What is fair though, is to say MacKinnon's linemate in Halifax, Jonathan Drouin, was able to use the World Juniors to further solidify his position among the elite in the 2013 draft.
Drouin, a winger, was able to work his way up Canada's depth chart and eventually found himself playing on the first line along NHL talents Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mark Scheifele. Boy, did he not disappoint. Drouin is an incredibly smart player with electric offensive skills, and there is no reason he should not be discussed among the top talent available in this summer's draft with MacKinnon, Jones, and Barkov.
MIRCO MÜLLER CONTINUES TO THRIVE
Another player at the World Juniors who will be entering the 2013 draft is Switzerland's Mirco Müller. Though he's far from being a high-end talent like others at the tournament such as Seth Jones, Nate MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jonathan Drouin, and Elias Lindholm, he exceeded many individual expectations as the Swiss exceeded expectations as a team.
Müller came into the tournament listed as both a forward and a defenseman by Switzerland, but quickly established himself as the top d-man the Swiss had. Müller was exceptional at rushing the puck out of his own zone and had a crisp first pass to start the breakout. He was strong in his own zone and created opportunities at the other end of the ice, too.
After making the move to North America this year to join the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, many wondered how his would adjust to the Canadian game at that level. He did just fine, and was second among all WHL rookie defensemen in scoring before leaving for the World Junior Championship. Then, people questioned how the 17-year old would be on the international stage. Once again, he did just fine.
Müller's performance at the tournament not only proved his own abilities, but is also showing that the 2013 draft will be one of the deepest in league history.
ALL SWEDISH, NO FINNISH
Another WJC has come, and another year has gone by with Sweden remaining a perennial powerhouse, and Finland being an annual disappointment. This year, though, these two teams lived up to those labels in an even more dramatic fashion than usual.
The Swedes were without their three best defensemen because of injury for the entire tournament, and the hero of the 2012 World Juniors, Mika Zibanejad, was not able to participate because his AHL team wouldn't release him. Yet, they were able to go undefeated in pool play and earn their way all the way back to the gold medal game. They fell short of back-to-back golds, but if Sweden can lose as much talent as they did before the tournament even begins, have no returning goaltenders, and still be good enough for silver, they have proven (in case you were a doubter) that they have more than enough players to dominate the hockey world year-in and year-out.
Finland, on the other hand, did nothing but disappoint. A lot of people, myself included, thought that this was a legitimate contender for gold. They were big, fast, and super skilled. They beat both Canada and the United States in pre-tournament play. What was not to like? Ultimately, the Finnish could only finish fourth in their group and went without a medal for the seventh consecutive World Juniors. Sure, they lost Miro Aaltonen to injury before their first game was even over, no one can deny that was a big hit to their offense, but when you have players like Markus Granlund, Teuvo Terevainen, and 2013 draft stud Aleksander Barkov on your roster, you should have more than enough offense to spare. One Aaltonen was lost, Finland struggled to finish on prime offensive opportunities, as evidenced by their loss to the Czech Republic. In addition to that, goalie Joonas Korpisalo started slowly in several of Finland's contests, putting them even further behind the eight ball.
Another World Juniors has passed, and Sweden has impressed and Finland disappointed like never before.
ANAHEIM HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN NET AFTER HILLER
The runaway MVP of the 2013 World Juniors was the United States' golden goalie, John Gibson. In similar form to Petr Mrazek in 2012, Gibson stole the show at the tournament while setting a new record for save percentage in one World Juniors. Everyone watching the tournament couldn't help but be impressed, fans of the USA rejoiced after every incredible save, and the staff of the Anaheim Ducks had to be drooling on their television remotes.
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| Gibson robs Ryan-Nugent Hopkins of Canada and the Edmonton Oilers. |
Sure, stats are impressive, but you can't truly evaluate a player's game based on his stats. Gibson not only put up MVP-caliber statistics, but he looked phenomenal while doing it. His angles were sharp, he put himself in position to make tough saves, battled to the end to make the highlight reel saves, and, most importantly, kept the puck out of the net when it mattered most. He was never making saves of luck, always saves of skill. Steve Spott, Gibson's Head Coach in Kitchener and bench boss of the rival Canadians at the World Juniors, has been saying for the past year and a half that Gibson is the real deal. He's proved it at the OHL level countless times, but now we all got to see him get the job done on the international stage in high-pressure situations.
Jonas Hiller's play declined in 2011-12 and injuries continued to be an issue. He'll be turning 31 this February, too. Maybe he'll bounce back and be great in the next few season for Anaheim, but no matter what happens when his contract expires at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, Ducks fans can rest easy knowing they will have John Gibson as a potential option to turn to between the pipes.
ANXIOUSLY AWAITING TROUBA'S TAKEOFF IN THE 'PEG
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| (The Canadian Press) |
Trouba is very committed to Michigan and is very proud to be playing in the NCAA. He is not in Winnipeg's immediate plans for training camp now that the lockout has ended, but what happens after this year? Trouba will likely return for a second year for the Wolverines, too, but no matter how much he loves wearing the blue and maize, it would be hard to imagine a player as good as him staying in the NCAA for four years.
We don't know for sure when the Jets will see Jacob Trouba on their blue line, but after seeing him do it all at the 2013 World Juniors (defend, rush the puck, run the power play, and score,) hockey fans everywhere should be anxiously awaiting his arrival to the NHL.
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| Drouin celebrates his goal against Russia with teammate Morgan Rielly. (Nathan Dennette/The Canadian Press) |
One of the big storylines coming into this year's World Juniors was the presence of the two big dogs of the 2013 draft, Seth Jones for USA and Nate MacKinnon for Canada. Based on this tournament alone, many people would claim Jones is the runaway favorite for #1 overall, but that's not really fair, considering MacKinnon had significantly less ice time on Team Canada since he was buried beneath several NHL-ready centers. What is fair though, is to say MacKinnon's linemate in Halifax, Jonathan Drouin, was able to use the World Juniors to further solidify his position among the elite in the 2013 draft.
Drouin, a winger, was able to work his way up Canada's depth chart and eventually found himself playing on the first line along NHL talents Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mark Scheifele. Boy, did he not disappoint. Drouin is an incredibly smart player with electric offensive skills, and there is no reason he should not be discussed among the top talent available in this summer's draft with MacKinnon, Jones, and Barkov.
MIRCO MÜLLER CONTINUES TO THRIVE
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| (Mark Blinch/REUTERS) |
Müller came into the tournament listed as both a forward and a defenseman by Switzerland, but quickly established himself as the top d-man the Swiss had. Müller was exceptional at rushing the puck out of his own zone and had a crisp first pass to start the breakout. He was strong in his own zone and created opportunities at the other end of the ice, too.
After making the move to North America this year to join the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, many wondered how his would adjust to the Canadian game at that level. He did just fine, and was second among all WHL rookie defensemen in scoring before leaving for the World Junior Championship. Then, people questioned how the 17-year old would be on the international stage. Once again, he did just fine.
Müller's performance at the tournament not only proved his own abilities, but is also showing that the 2013 draft will be one of the deepest in league history.
ALL SWEDISH, NO FINNISH
Another WJC has come, and another year has gone by with Sweden remaining a perennial powerhouse, and Finland being an annual disappointment. This year, though, these two teams lived up to those labels in an even more dramatic fashion than usual.
The Swedes were without their three best defensemen because of injury for the entire tournament, and the hero of the 2012 World Juniors, Mika Zibanejad, was not able to participate because his AHL team wouldn't release him. Yet, they were able to go undefeated in pool play and earn their way all the way back to the gold medal game. They fell short of back-to-back golds, but if Sweden can lose as much talent as they did before the tournament even begins, have no returning goaltenders, and still be good enough for silver, they have proven (in case you were a doubter) that they have more than enough players to dominate the hockey world year-in and year-out.
Finland, on the other hand, did nothing but disappoint. A lot of people, myself included, thought that this was a legitimate contender for gold. They were big, fast, and super skilled. They beat both Canada and the United States in pre-tournament play. What was not to like? Ultimately, the Finnish could only finish fourth in their group and went without a medal for the seventh consecutive World Juniors. Sure, they lost Miro Aaltonen to injury before their first game was even over, no one can deny that was a big hit to their offense, but when you have players like Markus Granlund, Teuvo Terevainen, and 2013 draft stud Aleksander Barkov on your roster, you should have more than enough offense to spare. One Aaltonen was lost, Finland struggled to finish on prime offensive opportunities, as evidenced by their loss to the Czech Republic. In addition to that, goalie Joonas Korpisalo started slowly in several of Finland's contests, putting them even further behind the eight ball.
Another World Juniors has passed, and Sweden has impressed and Finland disappointed like never before.
