World Junior Summer Showcase: Top performers from Day 1

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – It was a hot, sunny day in Michigan, with families walking around and enjoying the Saturday off.

But the hockey-crazed were drawn to USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, for the start of the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase. Two American teams, as well as Sweden and Finland, battled it out to kick off a week of early preparation for the World Junior Championship this winter.

The opening game saw Sweden dominate with a 7-0 win over USA Blue, disappointing the local fans. The late afternoon contest saw USA White drop a 4-2 loss to Finland, an exciting game to a couple hundred fans in attendance.

Here are some of the top standouts from the first day of play:

USA Blue

#36, Seamus Casey, D (New Jersey Devils): Right off the hop, Casey looked engaged at both ends. He was shooting, calling for passes, making moves and skating well. I wanted to see him on this team a year ago, but there were enough veterans where he wasn’t needed. This time, with no Luke Hughes, I’d expect Casey to play heavy power-play minutes.

#2 Will Smith, C (San Jose Sharks): Smith had two Grade-A chances in the first period, and was one of the few Americans that looked fully engaged. With Logan Cooley expected to be full-time with Arizona this year, Smith has a chance to take that No. 1 center spot. He was split from his usual winger in Gabe Perreault today, but Smith still looked as good as you can in a lopsided loss. He came so close to scoring late in the game, but hit the post. Bad luck.

#14 Gabe Perreault, LW (New York Rangers): Perreault’s skating was average at best early on last year. Now? He’s so much quicker and his stride doesn’t look as awkward. I feel confident saying that’s his biggest improvement.

Sweden

#5 Mattias Havelid (San Jose Sharks), D: His brother might have been the one in the Swedish net, but it was Mattias that was doing a lot of the goal-saving out there. He was blocking shots, breaking up stretch passes and keeping the puck in scoring position at the blueline.

#35 Hugo Havelid, G (Undrafted): Havelid’s early play really helped set the tone for the Swedes. While the Americans were dominating the control in the first few minutes, Havelid tracked the puck well and made some big pad saves. If he wasn’t so small, teams would definitely have more interest in him. He’ll have the next game off, but he definitely has a solid shot at the starter’s job come December.

#3 Elias Salomonsson, D (Winnipeg Jets): Salomonsson might have been the best puck-mover on the Swedish blueline. He helped set up Anton Johanson’s opening goal by making a quick move in the offensive zone. He also played on the power play and helped set up a handful of other scoring chances. I don’t recall seeing him this active on the puck with Sweden before.

#26 Alexander Suzdalev, LW (Washington Capitals): Suzdalev is a creative playmaker, but he managed to score this afternoon. After playing with Connor Bedard in Regina, you can see a guy who continues to improve as a finisher. He came close to scoring again midway through the contest, but to no avail.

#23 Felix Unger Sorum, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Talk about a great U-20 national team debut. The freshly signed 2023 draft pick had a goal and two assists in an absolutely dominant showing. He was quick, aggressive on the puck and finding lanes through traffic. Those points were well deserved.

USA White

#20 Lane Hutson, D (Montreal Canadiens): I don’t want you to get too excited, Canadiens fans… but Hutson looked fantastic. His work to set up the first American goal was pretty, and then he followed that up by beating top 2024 draft prospect Aron Kiviharju with a great rush up the ice. If this is a sign of things to come over the next week, watch out.

#30 Tyler Muszelik, G (Florida Panthers): After witnessing some rough goaltending by the other American team, Muszelik started strong with a 10-save first period. He had a couple of five-bell stops in the opening period and was a big reason why the Americans found themselves in a good position heading into the goalie change at the halfway point. Trey Augustine should be USA’s No. 1, and Jacob Fowler will likely be the No. 2. Could Muszelik be the No. 3? This will be a good chance for him to seal that up.

#28 Charlie Stramel, C (Minnesota Wild): There are some games where you wonder, “is Stramel good because he’s big? Or is there something else there?” Today, Stramel showed a ton of skill, a strong work ethic, and physicality. Keep an eye on him over the next few days – this could be one of his better stretches of games.

Finland

#27 Jesse Kiiskinen, RW (Nashville Predators): Kiiskinen typically shows well in a Finnish jersey and he had a pair of points in exhibition games leading up to today. He didn’t score, but he had a couple of nice looks and a few steals, too. Even with some Liiga experience, it’s never easy to go from the U-18 to the U-20 level. Kiiskinen hasn’t looked out of place early.

#18 Tommi Mannisto, LW (Undrafted): In just a few months, Männistö and Augustine will be teammates with the Michigan State University Spartans. But today, Männistö wasn’t too interested in getting acquainted with his buddy, using a burst of speed to score the 2-2 goal. He was excellent in the first half, so the goal was the icing on the cake. Somebody has to pick him up if he has a strong year in college, right?

#1 Niklas Kokko, G (Seattle Kraken): Kokko had plenty of penalty kill practice, with an influx of scoring talent peppering him all day long. Kokko kept the game tight despite the late American onslaught,

2024 NHL Draft

#38 Cole Eiserman, LW (USA White): Did Eiserman add another gear to his game? He was already quick, but he was flying against Finland. He kicked his season off with his patented one-timer on the power play, something USNTDP followers will remember fondly from a year ago. Many believe he’ll have a solid chance at scoring 80 and breaking Cole Caufield’s USA Hockey NTDP record of 72.

#9 Aron Kiviharju, D (Finland): Kiviharju had a bit of a difficult start for the Finns, but it was still a big adjustment for the youngest defender on the team. Notably, he served on Finland’s top pairing with Otto Salin, and as the game wore on, he started to look more comfortable.

#14 Konsta Helenius, C (Finland): Some beautiful passing work between Helenius and Lenni Hameenaho led to the Finns scoring the tying goal for the Finns. With four points in three U-20 games so far in his career, it’s clear the top-10 prospect for 2024 has had no issue adjusting to older competition. After a year in Liiga, you’d expect that.

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