One of the great things about the World Junior Hockey Championship is that it provides us all with an opportunity to draw wild conclusions about a small sample size in an irregular environment. With that in mind, Ottawa Senators fans can sleep well tonight knowing that their team holds the rights to one of the best prospects of all time in Shane Pinto.

Joking aside, Pinto, Ottawa's 32nd overall pick in 2019, had a wonderful Boxing Day debut for the United States squad yesterday against Canada. While the Canadians ultimately won the game 6-4, led by an incredible four-point performance from future Senator Alexis Lafreniere, Pinto looked phenomenal for the losing side. He scored twice (three times, really) and added an assist, playing a large role in the USA team’s ability to stay in the game.

Both (all three) of Pinto’s goals on the evening came with him buzzing around the net. Able to take advantage of his positioning and less-than-stellar Canadian penalty killing coverage, he was able to convert with relative ease. The power play markers were well-earned, as Pinto played a wonderful game to lead the USA squad:

USA loses to CAN 4-6 in their first game of the 2020 WJC

Game Score:
(Formula and table from @domluszczyszyn)

Shane Pinto was player of the game, and his line played well. USA did not play well at 5v5, and the Caufield-Drury-Beecher line was just not working #USAWJC pic.twitter.com/nazyhQ1yJw

— Olivia Lin (@oliviaylin) December 26, 2019

Of course, Pinto was not the only future Senator to watch in that Boxing Day matchup between North American rivals. Jacob Bernard-Docker, Pinto’s teammate at North Dakota and Ottawa's 26th overall pick in 2018, suited up on the Canadian blue line. The results for him, though, were not nearly as inspiring as those from Pinto.

Canadian coach Dale Hunter wasn’t shy about giving Bernard-Docker plenty of ice, but that choice cost his team on a couple occasions. On Nicholas Robertson’s third period tally to make it a 4-3 game, JBD got caught backing into his own zone without any apparent desire to interrupt the USA zone entry. On Pinto’s 4-4 score, he offered an ill-fated effort to block a passing lane, which left the American forward wide open for the easy tap in. Had it not been for late heroics from Lafreniere, those mistakes could have easily overwhelmed the Canadian cause.

On the whole, it was an exciting first day of World Junior action. The Senators and their fans have plenty of reason to be watching this tournament with great intrigue, and a single Canada/USA game yesterday provided for a microcosm of that excitement. Pinto and the Americans are right back in action today against Germany, while both Bernard-Docker’s Canadians and Lassi Thomson’s Finns will have to wait until the 28th to get back into game action.

As always, thanks for reading.

Join the Discussion: » 13 Comments » Post New Comment

» Brown, Paul Combine for Canada's Golden Goal at World Championship

» Senators to Select 10th Overall; What Should They Do with the Pick?

» Finding the Right Centerpiece

» Senators Team Awards Ballot

» Melnyk Speaks