The World Junior Summer Showcase wrapped up on Saturday with a barn-burning 6-5 overtime win for Sweden over Finland and a 7-5 Canadian loss to the U.S.
Elias Pettersson returned to right wing for Sweden's game, playing on the second line with New York Rangers prospect Lias Andersson as his centre. Again, I was impressed with Pettersson's hustle and defensive awareness. Once again, he was held off the score sheet—this was his best chance of the game.
Nice speed, here, to get behind all the Finnish defenders!
In the late game, Jonah Gadjovich suited up as Canada's 13th forward, while Kole Lind and Michael DiPietro didn't dress. The Canadian coaching staff rotated all players through the lineup, so each would get two games out of the final three in the tournament.
Gadjovich finished the game with two shots on goal, and scored this third-period beauty to pull Team Canada within one at 6-5.
Now, we wait to see who gets invited back to their countries' selection camps in December ahead of the 2018 World Junior tournament, which takes place in Buffalo this year.
Here's Craig Button's projection for Team Canada:
Of the Canucks' three Canadian prospects, Button pegs only DiPietro as a member of the final team. But, he suggests that after returning goaltender Carter Hart struggled with only 10 saves on 14 shots against the U.S. on Saturday, the younger first-timer DiPietro could have the inside track on Canada's starting job in net.
Button's projections on left wing, Gadjovich's position, include 2016 returnees Pierre-Luc Dubois (better known as a centre) and Dillon Dube, as well as a pair of Detroit Red Wings prospects—hulking Michael Rasmussen, who was chosen ninth overall this year, and big Givani Smith, chosen 46th in 2016.
It's not a great sign for Gadjovich that he didn't get to play a regular shift on Saturday but when he was on the ice, he made things happen. If he gets off to another good start back in Owen Sound this fall, he might be able to supplant one of Button's other picks.
Though Elias Pettersson didn't make an impact on the stat sheet this week, I'll assume that he's a lock for the Swedish team. He'll turn 19 in November.
Interestingly, Corey Pronman of ESPN includes injured Canucks' prospect Will Lockwood on his roster for the defending champions from the U.S.
That's a deep group of forwards, which includes returnees Patrick Harper, Joey Anderson and Kieffer Bellows and summer showcase standouts Casey Mittelstadt, Kailer Yamamoto, Logan Brown and Brady Tkachuk.
Though Lockwood didn't play in the tournament, he was on the ice with the Americans for practice, skating in a non-contact jersey.
Michael Caples caught up with Lockwood at the beginning of the tournament for the MI Hockey Now website (University of Michigan hockey).
Though he didn't get to play, he was still happy to be at the summer camp.
“It’s something I’ve watched my entire life, so just to have the honor of making the camp is huge for me,” Lockwood told Caples. “At this point, it’s just, for me, giving my best effort.”
"I’m coming around the corner with (the shoulder injury), so I’ll be ready to go full contact by the beginning of the season."
Lockwood also talked about his experience at the Canucks' development camp, where he stayed completely off the ice.
“I actually didn’t even bring my gear or anything,” Lockwood said. “I just kind of went and showed my face, met some of the new prospects, us and the old guys. We were up in Whistler, B.C., so it was a good spot. I had fun up there just being around the guys and the staff.”
After 33 years behind the bench at Michigan, Red Berenson retired from coaching at the end of last season. He'll be replaced by Mel Pearson this fall. Pearson was born in Vancouver—his father George "Mel" Pearson was a center for the WHL's Vancouver Canucks during the 1958-59 season, when Mel the younger was born.
Pearson served under Berenson as an assistant/associate coach at Michigan between 1988 and 2011, then spent six years as head coach of his alma mater, Michigan Tech before making the jump back to Michigan this fall.
The Michigan roster will be boosted this fall by San Jose's 2017 first-round draft pick Josh Norris and draft-eligible defenseman Quinn Hughes, who both skated for Team USA this week.
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