Sweden Rolls Austria, Czech Republic Stuns Canada
Monday was the first match day that counts in the Junior WC. The Blackhawks had five prospects in action on the first day of the tournament, so we had something to watch even with the NHL club off for a third straight day.
Sweden 11 โ Austria 0
Yeah, this one was pretty bad. It was only 2-0 after the first period, but the Swedes blew the lead with a six-goal second period. They finished with three in the third.
Sweden’s captain, Victor Stjernborg, a Blackhawks fourth-round pick in 2021, had one assist and two of his four faceoff opportunities in the game. The big producers for Sweden were Isak Rosen (Buffalo) and Filip Bystedt (San Jose), who each had two goals and one assist.
Czech Republic 5 โ Canada 2
Here’s the problem: Canada went full showboat early and completely forgot about the winning part of the transaction. Both Adam Fantilli and Connor Bedard scored a ‘Michigan’ goal in the first period; neither was successful. Colton Dach almost scored Canada’s first goal on a nice rush but was denied.
Benjamin Gaudreau got the start in net for Canada and wasn’t very good. The riders in front of him weren’t very disciplined either. Canada was down 2-1 after the first period. The Czech Republic extended its lead to 3-1 early in the second before Bedard got a break and ripped home what felt like a huge goal at the time. Kevin Korchinski had a takeaway that led to the goal and picked up an assist.
Unfortunately, the wheels came off quickly after the Bedard goal. Zach Dean received a match penalty for a hit to the head four minutes into the second period and the Czech Republic scored twice on the five-minute power play. Canada made a net change after the fifth goal, but the damage was done. Canada did everything they could to generate offense in the third period but couldn’t get a single count.
It’s worth noting that Tomas Suchanek, who started in net for the Czech Republic, is an undrafted 19-year-old who plays for Tri-City in the WHL.