Quarterfinals at #WorldJuniors: Hayton, Lafreniere power Canada to victory
Canada is one of four teams left standing at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship after downing Slovakia by a 6-1 margin on Thursday.
Leading Canada to victory was captain Barrett Hayton as the Soo Greyhounds graduate and Arizona Coyotes rookie opened the scoring at the 6:47 mark of the first period before adding his second tally in the final frame as part of a three-point effort to earn Player of the Game honours. Canada also saw the return of Rimouski Oceanic captain and projected 2020 first-overall selection Alexis Lafreniere who after missing the final two games of round robin play made an immediate impact as he tallied one goal and one assist Thursday.
Among the other goal scorers for Canada included a pair of London Knights in Liam Foudy (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals), while Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes/Pittsburgh Penguins), Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes/Buffalo Sabres), and Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters) all finished with two helpers. Between the pipes, Canada saw another solid effort from St. Louis Blues prospect Joel Hofer of the Portland Winterhawks who turned aside 17 shots, while in the opposing cage Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix) came away with 24 saves.
In all, it was a strong showing for members of the Lethbridge Hurricanes as forward Oliver Okuliar netted the lone goal for the Slovaks on a tally that drew an assist from Kristian Kovacik formerly of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
“It’s great to get through the quarterfinal game,” Canadian head coach Dale Hunter of the London Knights said following the victory. “The Slovaks played us hard and them having a five-minute power play right at the start of the game was tough. Hofer made a couple of big saves and it gave us a chance to get our game going.”
Canada now readies for Saturday’s semi-final versus Finland.
Russia 3 vs. Switzerland 1
For the second year running, Russia has advanced to the semi-final at the World Juniors after eliminating Switzerland by a 3-1 score Thursday.
Among the offensive contributors for Russia included Minnesota Wild prospect Alexander Khovanov of the Moncton Wildcats who finished with one goal and one assist, while Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders/St. Louis Blues) and Egor Zamula (Calgary Hitmen/Philadelphia Flyers) each recorded one assist. For the Swiss, the squad’s lone tally came courtesy of Gaetan Jobin of the Charlottetown Islanders.
Following the game, Arizona Coyotes prospect Valentin Nussbaumer of the Shawinigan Cataractes was recognized as one of Switzerland’s top three players of the tournament after leading his country in scoring with seven points in five games. Defenceman David Aebischer of the Gatineau Olympiques was also among the overall offensive leaders drawing six assists.
Russia now faces off against Sweden in semi-final action Saturday.
Finland 1 vs. United States 0
In a rematch of last year’s World Junior Final, the defending champions once again came away with victory as Finland prevailed 1-0 over the Americans on Thursday. Among those competing with Finland includes Lassi Thomson formerly of the Kelowna Rockets.
While the Americans come away empty handed, a pair of OHL forwards finished among the team’s leading offensive contributors including Los Angeles Kings prospect Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs who tallied four goals and six points, along with Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson of the Peterborough Petes who scored twice with five points in as many games.
Finland now battles Canada in Saturday’s semi-final.
Sweden vs. Czech Republic
Sweden continues to find the win column at the 2020 World Juniors with its latest victory coming in a 5-0 final versus Czech Republic on Thursday.
Contributing to the win was former Soo Greyhounds blue-liner and Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Rasmus Sandin, who wrapped up the night with a pair of assists.
Following the game, Simon Kubicek (Seattle Thunderbirds) who produced three points, Michal Teply (Winnipeg ICE) who registered five assists, and captain Libor Zabransky (Moose Jaw Warriors) who led the host nation with four goals were named the top three players of the tournament for the Czech Republic. Jaromir Pytlik of the Soo Greyhounds earned Player of the Game honours in the final.
Sweden returns to the ice Saturday for a semi-final showdown versus Russia.
Germany 4 vs. Kazakhstan 0
Germany has grabbed the early series lead in its best-of-three relegation set versus Kazakhstan after coming away with a 4-0 victory Thursday.
Among the offensive contributors for Germany included forward Yannik Valenti formerly of the Vancouver Giants as well as Tim Fleischer who previously suited up for the Hamilton Bulldogs as both players finished with one assist.
Germany now looks to close out the relegation series Saturday.
For more information on Hockey Canada, Canada’s National Junior Team and the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and #WorldJuniors.