Going through the first game of the tournament, and the pre-tournament exhibitions; it took all of a minute and a half for the Germans, the Swiss a minute and twenty seconds and Finland just over eight minutes and just over twelve to double. Early goals have become a very bad habit of the Canadian world junior team, and one that they would like to remove before it causes them any real side effects. It goes without saying, and is definitely a cliché at this point, but it is a requirement that they shed this ugly trait before they meet the elite of the tournament. Confidence is everything at this level and an early blow to its fragile composition can completely alter the outlook of a game, especially against unforgiving opposition.
Then comes special teams, an equally important aspect of any short hockey tournament. Canada’s powerplay has been decent so far this tournament, a byproduct of having talent like Jonathan Drouin. But it has in no way looked like an asset that could get the team out of a tight jam should it arise. Meanwhile, the penalty kill has been one of the many problems for the Canadian team since they set foot in Malmo. Canada has already allowed four powerplay goals in combining the pretournament and the game against Germany. For a team who seems destined to take a ton of penalties at this tournament they really need an upgrade in this department should they hope to obtain a coveted gold medal.
Then comes the defensive effort, which has been a bit disappointing for a squad regarded as having many players who can play the full length of the ice. Especially early in games, the Canadian defence has been sloppy and has allowed clearly inferior opposition unnecessary scoring chances. Canada let the Germans come from behind twice in the first period of their tournament opener on two goals that were incredibly preventable. The second was especially poor; after a generally bad defensive effort had allowed Germany to stay alive in a game in which they had no business doing so, an Adam Pelech giveaway would tie the game 2-2. Pelech has probably been the best defensive defenceman on the Canadian team so far this tournament, but his fanned pass caused a German two on one that Matt Dumba couldn’t deal with.
These are all problems that have to be addressed before Canada meets up with any elite opposition, the first of which will come against the United States on New Year’s Eve. Sloppy defense, early goals and poor special teams have all been prerequisites for early Canadian exit in the past four tournaments. One positive for Canada has been the solid goaltending both Zach Fucale and Jake Paterson have provided thus far. Paterson will be the anointed starter until something goes wrong, and for good reason after his impressive display against Sweden. But it has been a long time since goaltending alone has solved anything for Canada, they need a backup plan.
Luckily, with the exception of the Swedish game the Canadian offense appears to be doing just fine. This was a major concern before the tournament, as Canada just doesn’t have the sort of offensive names present in last year’s tournament. The Bo Horvat, Sam Reinhart and Connor McDavid trio continues to be the pleasant surprise of the early tournament. There is a clear sense that Drouin has yet to hit his stride in this tournament, and when he does he could be the best player in it. Meanwhile, Anthony Mantha has become a sort of minor Canadian hero after his inspired performance against the German team. What was most impressive about Mantha’s display is where the goals came from: genuine goalscoring positions, the kind of places where goals will come all tournament long.
While Canada works on ironing out the obvious wrinkles in their team during the games against Slovakia and the Czech Republic, they will need offensive output to compensate. While Slovakia and the Czech Republic are decent as always, and provide the potential for an upset, they are no world beaters. These are the perfect teams for Canada to perfect their team play against. They will also be far better indicators than the pre-tournament as to what this Canadian team really has to offer going forward.
If Canada is able to limit themselves of their potentially lethal faults than this will be a difficult team to play against. If they are able to eradicate them while maintaining a similar level of offense and goaltending than the infamous Canadian drought is breathing its final breaths.
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Main Photo Credit, Lapresse.ca
