Pre-Game Talk: 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship

[snowkiddin]

I really hope you are wrong. He’s good enough to get a shot this year, and if we go with a couple of “veteran” pylons for our 3rd defence pairing, I will lose interest in this season very very quickly...

Yep. He was the best defenseman this tournament. How much worse can he be than guys like Sbisa and Beaulieu?

 

[ps241]

I really hope you are wrong. He’s good enough to get a shot this year, and if we go with a couple of “veteran” pylons for our 3rd defence pairing, I will lose interest in this season very very quickly...

Now I am only 95% sure of this. Maybe the plan is to drop Heinola in now and they are saving a spot for him but 95% of me says not a chance.

It’s just the way the veteran NHL coaches role. Paul is not alone this season is a sprint. Without a training camp and preseason it’s not going to happen even if it’s the right thing.

 

[JetsFan815]

The hockey gods punishing Team Canada for running up the score in the Germany game.

 

[surixon]

Heinola was really fun to watch.

I think that the Jets will be a terrible spot for development for any non tenured vet in this shortened season. Paul isn’t sugar coating it he isn’t going to play rookies. Ville has clearly been developing nicely in Finland I would let him play out the string and try to win a championship there. Keep him an ocean away from the mess that is these North American hockey leagues.

No matter how good Ville is he’s not getting a chance here this season. I wouldn’t want to waist his time.

Yeah based on everything he's said it looks like he's going with the vets.

Also from a contract perspective it makes sense to defer the start of his ELC one more year.

 

[irunthepeg]

I'm at a loss for what I witnessed last night. Where was the Canada that absolutely smothered and destroyed Finland/Russia??? Was USA just plain better? It looked like they were the Team Canada from those games.

 

[cbcwpg]

The U.S. outplayed Canada and deserved the win, but what really amazes me , is getting shutout.

Times Canada has been shutout

Preliminary games
1979 - Sweden 1-0
1998 - Sweden 4-0
1999 - Slovakia 0-0
2020 - Russia 6-0

Medal Games

2021 - USA 2-0

 

[tbcwpg]

I'm at a loss for what I witnessed last night. Where was the Canada that absolutely smothered and destroyed Finland/Russia??? Was USA just plain better? It looked like they were the Team Canada from those games.

I'm not sure the US would take a best of 5, but they were almost perfect last night. Also, it seemed like Canada missed as many shots as they got on net.

 

[Huffer]

Tough loss when you've had a very good tournament, but the US earned the victory. Excellent game played by them (and Canada really).

Not saying he was the best player, but for a player in his draft year and just turned 18, I really found myself seeing a lot in Matt Beniers.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Is the NTDP approach something that Hockey Canada needs to consider? It sure does seem to be working out nicely for the Americans...

 

[tbcwpg]

Is the NTDP approach something that Hockey Canada needs to consider? It sure does seem to be working out nicely for the Americans...

CHL says never.

 

[Jets 31]

I thought Perfetti had a good tournament, just make Scheifele your best bud and he can help him with his skating. If Bambi can fix his skating Perfetti can too. Perfetti can pass the puck though and has good vision on the ice and i really hope we put him as a center right from the get go.

 

[jetsmooseice]

CHL says never.

I love junior hockey but the CHL model is broken... at what point does the hockey community come to terms with it?

We could accept teenagers being plucked out of their family homes and shipped hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometres away to endure a hellscape of endless bus rides, tyrannical coaches and psychotic hazing rituals for a few hundred bucks a month if it meant Canada got to be the king of the hockey world at international tournaments, but now even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

I love junior hockey but the CHL model is broken... at what point does the hockey community come to terms with it?

We could accept teenagers being plucked out of their family homes and shipped hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometres away to endure a hellscape of endless bus rides, tyrannical coaches and psychotic hazing rituals for a few hundred bucks a month if it meant Canada got to be the king of the hockey world at international tournaments, but now even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Like not playing at all has nothing to do with it

 

[jetsmooseice]

Like not playing at all has nothing to do with it

If that's all it was then why didn't a European team make it to the gold medal game?

 

[tbcwpg]

I love junior hockey but the CHL model is broken... at what point does the hockey community come to terms with it?

We could accept teenagers being plucked out of their family homes and shipped hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometres away to endure a hellscape of endless bus rides, tyrannical coaches and psychotic hazing rituals for a few hundred bucks a month if it meant Canada got to be the king of the hockey world at international tournaments, but now even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.

The NTDP also travels around and plays games too - its not just one long hockey camp.

The goal of the CHL isn't just to develop players for the national program - I understand your point but it will never happen. Ask any CHL team what their primary goal is and it's to win a Memorial Cup, not to make sure the junior team is good.

Not playing for 9 months also didn't help this time, but that's this season and not long term.

 

[irunthepeg]

Too much individualism right now, Cozens is never going to beat 4 players on his own.

We need to get more people to the net.

Some time in the 3rd he had that play where he takes the puck into the O-zone alone, loses the puck, Canada gets it back, tries to get back in but cause he went in so deep they were still offside. What a terrible attempt at heropuck.

 

[surixon]

I love junior hockey but the CHL model is broken... at what point does the hockey community come to terms with it?

We could accept teenagers being plucked out of their family homes and shipped hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometres away to endure a hellscape of endless bus rides, tyrannical coaches and psychotic hazing rituals for a few hundred bucks a month if it meant Canada got to be the king of the hockey world at international tournaments, but now even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Canada has 3 gold medals in the last 7 years. I get being unhappy about loosing this year but its incredibly competitive among the top teams now.

 

[Channelcat]

I'm not sure the US would take a best of 5, but they were almost perfect last night. Also, it seemed like Canada missed as many shots as they got on net.

Ya this is the way it is in one and out. Americans played way above themselves and full value for the win. Way she goes

 

[snowkiddin]

Is the NTDP approach something that Hockey Canada needs to consider? It sure does seem to be working out nicely for the Americans...

It won't happen because of the junior leagues, but it certainly gives the States an advantage.

 

[Jets 31]

I love junior hockey but the CHL model is broken... at what point does the hockey community come to terms with it?

We could accept teenagers being plucked out of their family homes and shipped hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometres away to endure a hellscape of endless bus rides, tyrannical coaches and psychotic hazing rituals for a few hundred bucks a month if it meant Canada got to be the king of the hockey world at international tournaments, but now even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Silver is still pretty damn good in my book.

 

[snowkiddin]

Canada has 3 gold medals in the last 7 years. I get being unhappy about loosing this year but its incredibly competitive among the top teams now.

Yep, and it's a one game final. Anything can happen. Imagine this team with Dach and Laf, as well as a competent coach.

 

[Heldig]

While I worry about Perfettis speed (he is slow) everything else seems top notch:
Vision
Composure
Passing
Shot
Stick handling

He was even pretty physical, throwing some good body checks.

 

[Edgar Halliwax]

While I worry about Perfettis speed (he is slow) everything else seems top notch:
Vision
Composure
Passing
Shot
Stick handling

He was even pretty physical, throwing some good body checks.

Not worried about his skating - he isn't "slow". I remember a guy who used to wear #10 - one of the criticisms against him was his skating... (and no, I'm not making a direct comparison, just saying...)

 

[BigZ65]

Is the NTDP approach something that Hockey Canada needs to consider? It sure does seem to be working out nicely for the Americans...

Hockey Canada does the same thing all the way through the age groups with national and international tourneys. USA Hockey is moving away from the residency program as they have more and more elite players by the year. That idea works fine for developing hockey countries, most of them run U-17 and U-18 residencies and most of them lose by 10 goals to Canada.

 

[NorCalhockey]

The hockey gods punishing Team Canada for running up the score in the Germany game.

Yet the Hockey Gods didn't punish USA for running up the score against Austria.

I'm at a loss for what I witnessed last night. Where was the Canada that absolutely smothered and destroyed Finland/Russia??? Was USA just plain better? It looked like they were the Team Canada from those games.

USA out-Canada'd Canada.

Is the NTDP approach something that Hockey Canada needs to consider? It sure does seem to be working out nicely for the Americans...

It cannot be overstated how much USA success at the U-20 (also U-18) has to do with the NTDP. These guys play with each other for years - they develop chemistry/cohesion, and are molded into a "team". This bodes well when playing a tournament format.