Team Canada – Page 6 – CanucksBanter

Wednesday, August 10 | 4 p.m. MT | Edmonton, Alberta | Preliminary Round

TV: TSN | Radio: TSN Radio | Stream: TSN Direct

Let the games begin in Edmonton! Canada’s National Junior Team opens preliminary-round play at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship against Latvia, getting Group A action started with just the third meeting ever between the countries.

LAST GAME

The Canadians looked good early in their 4-3 pre-tournament win over Sweden on Monday night, getting goals 34 seconds apart from Nathan Gaucher and Mason McTavish midway through the first period and a power-play marker from Kent Johnson before the end of the opening frame for a 3-0 lead. Joshua Roy made it 4-1 early in the third before the Swedes made things interesting. Dylan Garand got the start between the pipes for Canada, stopping all 15 shots he faced before Sebastian Cossa turned aside eight of 11.

Latvia opened its Group A schedule on Tuesday afternoon, falling 6-1 to Finland. Bruno Bruveris was the standout between the pipes for the Baltic nation, finishing with 33 saves. Klavs Weinbergs provided the lone goal for the Latvians, converting on a power play early in the third period.

LAST MEETING

It has been almost six years since Canada and Latvia met at the World Juniors. Taylor Raddysh was the offensive star on Dec. 29, 2016, registering just the fourth four-goal game by a Canadian and adding an assist for good measure in a 10-2 win. Dylan Strome recorded four assists, Kale Clague had three and Matthew Barzal scored twice for Canada, which netted its 10 goals on just 35 shots.

WHAT TO WATCH

How about the season Kent Johnson had in 2021-22? The 19-year-old played in the IIHF World Junior Championship, the Olympic Winter Games, the IIHF World Championship and the NCAA Frozen Four, and made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And all of that happened between December and May. So the product of Port Moody, B.C. – an alternate captain with Team Canada – is going to leaned upon for his experience … and his offence. Johnson had 37 points in 32 games with a star-studded University of Michigan team.

Latvia is back at the World Juniors for the first time since 2017, and its roster includes a number of players who are no stranger to North American hockey. Five ply their trade in the USHL, another five have CHL experience (three in the QMJHL, one in the OHL and one in the WHL) and three are enrolled at U.S. colleges. So there won’t be a fear factor when it comes to playing the physical brand of hockey Canadian entries are typically known for at the tournament.

A LOOK BACK

Other than the game mentioned above from the 2017 World Juniors, Canada and Latvia have only met one other time.

That game, a Boxing Day matchup at the 2010 tournament in Saskatchewan, featured plenty of offence from the Canadians. Gabriel Bourque tied the single-game record with seven points (3-4—7) and Jordan Eberle, Brandon Kozun, Patrice Cormier, Nazem Kadri and Luke Adam each scored a pair of goals in a 16-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 2-0-0
Canada goals: 26
Latvia goals: 2

Source: Hockey Canada 🇨🇦

Three Canucks prospects to watch at the 2022 World Juniors: Jurmo, Lekkerimäki, and Truscott get the call

by Brett Lee @brett1ee

After a seven month wait, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship resumes this week in Edmonton, after the initial tournament was postponed in December.

Player eligibility for the rosters remained the same meaning that while there will be some 20-year-old players participating in an under-20 tournament, they were not yet 20 when the tournament was originally scheduled to take place.

With the extra seven months and some original players becoming unavailable, roster opportunities materialized for new players to grab hold of. For the Vancouver Canucks, these openings mean that Joni Jurmo, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Jacob Truscott will represent their respective countries.

Joni Jurmo

This will be Jurmo’s first chance to represent Finland at a major tournament.

Although 20 years old, he benefits from the age cut-off remaining unchanged from the original tournament. He will be one of eight defencemen on the Finnish blue line after having played himself onto a spot over Finland’s summer camp.

Selected in the third round of the 2020 draft, Jurmo made his first trip to Vancouver last month to participate in the Canucks development camp. And he left an impression.

“Joni is a strong, powerful skater with size,” Canucks assistant director of player development Chris Higgins said of the 6-foot-4 defender. “He has the ability to individually transport the puck from zone to zone, impressing his peers at this year’s development camp.”

Jurmo will look to have a strong tournament and carry momentum into the upcoming season with Jukurit of the Finish Liiga.

Finland Preliminary Round Schedule:

August 9 vs Latvia (3 p.m.)
August 11 vs Czechia (11 a.m.)
August 14 vs Slovakia (11 a.m.)
August 15 vs Canada (3 p.m.)

Jonathan Lekkerimäki

Having just turned 18 last month, Vancouver’s most recent first-round pick is the youngest player on Sweden’s squad. More likely to have a bigger role in the 2023 tournament, this will be a competitive training ground for him to go up against some of the best players outside of the NHL, most of whom will be a year or two older.

Being one of the youngest players on his team is nothing new for the Swedish sniper, who plied his trade as a 17-year-old in the SHL this past season. Higgins points to Lekkerimäki’s “hunger to score goals” as a trait that stands out.

“When he anticipates offensive opportunities, Jonathan has the intelligence, skill, and shot to finish scoring sequences,” Higgins said.

Lekkerimäki has found success internationally with Sweden in the past, most recently competing against his own age group at the Under-18 World Championship this past April. He led the tournament in scoring with five goals and 10 assists in six games, including a four-point effort in Sweden’s gold medal clinching game against the United States.

Sweden Preliminary Round Schedule:

August 10 vs Switzerland (11 a.m.)
August 12 vs Austria (11 a.m.)
August 14 vs United States (7 p.m.)
August 15 vs Germany (7 p.m.)

Jacob Truscott

Truscott, 20, played his way onto this edition of USA’s U-20 squad at their summer camp. The 2020 fifth rounder largely played on a pairing with top prospect Luke Hughes this past season at the University of Michigan and the pair could reunite in Edmonton for the tournament.

“Jacob plays a reliable, effective defensive game,” Higgins said. “He is dedicated to the game’s details and has the skillset to be a valuable penalty killer at the next level.”

Truscott is well known to the American program, as he was drafted out of the US National Development program. He will be heading back to Michigan next season where he will look to build upon his 17-point campaign from last year.

United States Preliminary Round Schedule:

August 9 vs Germany (7 p.m.)
August 11 vs Switzerland (7 p.m)
August 14 vs Austria (11 a.m.)
August 15 vs Sweden (7 p.m.)

Source: https://www.nhl.com/canucks/