Top standouts from Canada, Switzerland in World Junior Championship pretournament game
After a few days off for both teams, Canada and Switzerland returned to the ice in pretournament action, with the Canadians skating out to a 6-3 victory.
It wasn’t a smooth one by any means, with Switzerland erasing a 2-0 deficit to make it 2-2 before the first intermission. But Canada took control with four goals in the second, helping to put the game out of reach for the Swiss.
The biggest story, however, is who Canada lost. Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk left the game early in the second period with an upper-body injury, unrelated from his lower-body injury he suffered before selection camp.
Then, later in the same frame, top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Macklin Celebrini was ejected for a check from behind on Leo Braillard. We’ll have to see if Celebrini will be suspended for the game against the United States on Saturday – or perhaps during the tournament itself.
Here’s a look at some of the top performers from Friday afternoon’s game in Sweden:
Canada
#3 Jake Furlong, D (San Jose Sharks): One of the things that stood out the most about Furlong in camp earlier this month was how he made smart moves look so simple. Whether it be his play-reads, defensive-zone coverage or even the odd physical play, Furlong has impressed in my recent viewings of his.
#8 Owen Beck, C (Montreal Canadiens): Beck made the most of his fourth-line ice time, scoring twice, including a shorthanded breakway. His defensive reads were good, he blocked shots and fought for every puck in his vicinity. Basically, everything we’ve become accustomed to seeing from the Habs prospect.
#5 Oliver Bonk, D (Philadelphia Flyers): Bonk was one of Canada’s best defensemen in training camp and the reviews during pretournament action have been glowing. He had a pair of assists in the first 40 minutes and did an excellent job of shutting attackers down in his zone.
#15 Matthew Poitras, C (Boston Bruins): Fresh off of arriving in Sweden from the NHL, Poitras scored in the second period off of a nice pass from Conor Geekie. Poitras had a slow start, but that goal seemed to spark him as he got more used to the bigger ice.
#25 Matthew Savoie, RW (Buffalo Sabres): Savoie scored Canada’s opening goal and was close to snagging another two later in the game. His speed is going to kill at this tournament, especially when he gets more comfortable with the extra ice. In open space, few have the talent that Savoie posesses at this tournament.
Switzerland
#17 Miles Mueller, LW (Undrafted): Between his slick moves to evade three Canadians on the first goal, to then scoring shorthanded off of a Poitras giveaway to make it 2-2, Mueller was noticeable today. He was always moving, catching some Canadian defenders off guard with the puck. He
#23 Leon Muggli, D (2024 NHL Draft): I thought the potential top-75 pick played a solid, all-around game. His defense partner, Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio, played a more freewheeling, high-paced game, while Muggli kept things simple in his own zone. So despite the score, I thought Muggli held his own.
#10 Jonas Taibel, C (Undrafted): Taibel scored the first Swiss goal, but then he played a good workman-like game the rest of the way. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him the past few years – he’s not flashy, but he’ll grind away to put himself in scoring position and it pays off from time to time.
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