Official WJC Discussion Thread - now featuring 3 Leafs (Lily; Woll; Rasanen)

[Mess]

I'd be more upset about the lack of Leafs in the WJC this year if the Marlies weren't doing so well with the prospects there being such big contributors.

Watching Lily should be fun though.

All eyes will be on sensation Swedish Dman Rasmus Dahlin this tournament, #1 overall pick in 2018 and franchise Dman.

Going to interesting to see what kind of role Liljegren has and how he plays for the Swedes.

 

[67Cup]

From the last two drafts, the years in which drafted prospects are eligible for this year’s WJC, the Leafs drafted few Canadians in the higher rounds. Of course there won’t be many or indeed any Leaf prospects on Team Canada. But in those two years, the Leafs drafted:
Matthews, who played and starred for the USA and, more importantly, has excelled at levels far higher than the WJC
Korshkov as an overager who had excelled for Russia
Grundstrom who played on Sweden’s top line but who is a late 97 and thus no longer eligible
Woll, who beat Team Canada while in goal for the USA
Liljegren who looks like a potential star for Sweden
Rasanen who may or may not make a Team Finland which has by far the deepest blueline in the history of Finnish junior hockey

Complaining about this level of performance positively screams Agenda. There are very few, if any, groups of NHL prospects for whom I would trade these guys.

Getting players from later rounds, either to the WJC or the NHL, is a bit of a lottery, as you actually know but probably won’t admit.

Greenway is an interesting case. Obviously there is some kind of problem there, possibly non hockey related. He was a gamble that may well not come off. But do feel free to whinge about a third round pick if you like.

 

[saltming]

All eyes will be on sensation Swedish Dman Rasmus Dahlin this tournament, #1 overall pick in 2018 and franchise Dman.

Going to interesting to see what kind of role Liljegren has and how he plays for the Swedes.

I will go out on a limb and say Lilly outplayed Dahlin.
Age experience and skill will all be a factor

 

[Raging Bull]

Wouldn’t Dahlin have the experience in his favor.

 

[Mess]

I will go out on a limb and say Lilly outplayed Dahlin.
Age experience and skill will all be a factor

That would be something if Lily outperforms wunderkid Dahlin.

Dahlin .. "He defends like Lidström, skates like Karlsson, Ray Ferraro (TSN) 2017".

This Dahlin kid is something very special and likely could be playing in the NHL right now even at 17.

Team Sweden should be really strong and fun to watch.. Hopefully its Canada vs Sweden for the gold medal.

 

[saltming]

That would be something if Lily outperforms wunderkid Dahlin.

Dahlin .. "He defends like Lidström, skates like Karlsson, Ray Ferraro (TSN) 2017".

This Dahlin kid is something very special and likely could be playing in the NHL right now even at 17.

Team Sweden should be really strong and fun to watch.. Hopefully its Canada vs Sweden for the gold medal.

I like Dahlin too and I'm hoping he gets mono really soon so we can add him to the bank. I don't know if he could be an NHL player at 17 though. So hard to evaluate something like that as he's not even on NA ice.
It should be fun to watch them both play I just think the experience Tim has in the ahl this year will give him an edge.

 

[Jeypic]

That would be something if Lily outperforms wunderkid Dahlin.

Dahlin .. "He defends like Lidström, skates like Karlsson, Ray Ferraro (TSN) 2017".

This Dahlin kid is something very special and likely could be playing in the NHL right now even at 17.

Team Sweden should be really strong and fun to watch.. Hopefully its Canada vs Sweden for the gold medal.

I think it could happen. Liljegren has been playing great this year. He looked better then dahlin on the summer team to me too. No reason why he couldn’t play better.

 

[Mess]

I think it could happen. Liljegren has been playing great this year. He looked better then dahlin on the summer team to me too. No reason why he couldn’t play better.

You're going to need to tune in and watch Dahlin in this tournament.

Dahlin is an Auston Matthews level prospect only on D.

 

[Jeypic]

You're going to need to tune in and watch Dahlin in this tournament.

Dahlin is an Auston Matthews level prospect only on D.

Matthews would go first if they were in the same draft year.

I will tune in.. as I did during the summer showcase, where dahlin showed flashes of greatness, but a slightly less mature and effective game in comparison to liljegren.

 

[Black hat blue eyes]

To be honest. I would love for liljegren to star in this tourney. Dahlin might take the spotlight. But don't sleep on another swedish defence man on the team. They still have Eric Branström, just as talented and known for his offence.

 

[4thline]

Tampa Bay is the class of the East and has 4 players alone on Team Canada final roster Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Brett Howden and Cal Foote and all are having excellent junior seasons.

If you want to be a strong NHL team a consistent contender than keeping the feeder system filled and constantly supplying NHL talent is the way to go.

Yup. I'm 100% sure that Tampa being tops in the Atlantic is causally linked to them having 4 players on the 2017 U20 team Canada.

That's what it tells us, and it's certainly not at all tied to the fact that Tampa used their 17 1st, 16 1st, and two 16 2nds on 98 born Canadians. Those poor Tampa fans, what a sad state of affairs their prospect pool will be in when those 4 prospects aren't on next years team Canada

 

[Mr Hockey]

Should be fun once Leafs fan start snapping on the Swedish coach, because Lily isn't used like the #1 dman on the team lol

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Should be fun once Leafs fan start snapping on the Swedish coach, because Lily isn't used like the #1 dman on the team lol

Should be fun once you finally get a good look at a player you said had no real impact on the Marlies

 

[stickty111]

Cant wait for a certain poster to discredit Lilly's performance in the world juniors, and if soneone calls him out, expect responses like "Lol, what are you going on about, blabbering"

Lets hope Lilly plays a very important role just like he did with the Marlies. It looks like Marlies are really missing him.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Canada/Swiss game on ... last exb game.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Cant wait for a certain poster to discredit Lilly's performance in the world juniors, and if soneone calls him out, expect responses like "Lol, what are you going on about, blabbering"

Lets hope Lilly plays a very important role just like he did with the Marlies. It looks like Marlies are really missing him.

A very good source assured us that Liljegren was of no importance to the Marlies whatsoever, you must be mistaken

 

[PromisedLand]

Its the cost of doing business, and a result of previous poor drafting and trades that forces a GM to deal high picks for instant help.

Freddy is doing his part and helping the Leafs, but it did cost the Leafs a prospect that scores at the level of Marner in junior and a reason Leafs lack high-end young prospects in junior hockey and WJC participants in part.

Sam Steel - C - 6-0/180 lbs (draft year +1)
2016-17 Regina Pats - WHL .. 66 games 50 goals 81 assists 131 points
vs.
Mitch Marner - C/RW - 6-0/175lbs (draft year +1)
2015-16 London Knights - OHL 57 games 39 goals 77 assists 116 points

Sam Steel is likely going be among the scoring leaders of the WJC, but the Leafs would be dead in the water without Freddy right now.

However if you trade away 1st and 2nd round picks it will impact your prospect pool and future and helps explain Leafs lack of prospects in this tournament. Which was my initial point.

It’s a good thing then that leafs are holding onto their pending UFAs

 

[realgoodleafs]

Its the cost of doing business, and a result of previous poor drafting and trades that forces a GM to deal high picks for instant help.

Freddy is doing his part and helping the Leafs, but it did cost the Leafs a prospect that scores at the level of Marner in junior and a reason Leafs lack high-end young prospects in junior hockey and WJC participants in part.

Sam Steel - C - 6-0/180 lbs (draft year +1)
2016-17 Regina Pats - WHL .. 66 games 50 goals 81 assists 131 points
vs.
Mitch Marner - C/RW - 6-0/175lbs (draft year +1)
2015-16 London Knights - OHL 57 games 39 goals 77 assists 116 points

Sam Steel is likely going be among the scoring leaders of the WJC, but the Leafs would be dead in the water without Freddy right now.

However if you trade away 1st and 2nd round picks it will impact your prospect pool and future and helps explain Leafs lack of prospects in this tournament. Which was my initial point.

Now that Steel doesn't have Brooks on his team he has 35 points in 27 games in the WHL and he's turning 20 in a couple months.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Steel skill set is looking really good tonight.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Harder to imagine Tor without Andersen than Steele though.

 

[Mr Hockey]

TSN really needs to work on how to interview a kid that doesn't speak English well.

 

[Bullseye]

Now that Steel doesn't have Brooks on his team he has 35 points in 27 games in the WHL and he's turning 20 in a couple months.

They played on separate lines other than the PP unit I believe.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Finland have 5-7 really quality defencemen but the competition after that isn't that strong. I'd be pretty shocked in they 7 D they ended up going with weren't Heiskanen, Juolevi, Valimaki, Jokiharju, Vaakanainen, Salo and Rasanen. I suppose Rasanen could have a bad camp and one of the other 2 guys(probably Kotkansalo) has a great camp and he doesn't make it but despite Finland's abundance of great D it'll more be a blocking Rasanen from having a big role on the team than a preventing him from making the team I would think.

Heard that with his bad year Rasanen could slide into his spot.

 

[darrylsittler27]

With Liljegren, Dermott, Grundstrom ,Korshkov,Bracco , Rasanen and Woll we may have a decent prospect pool. Johnsson and Kapanen are close. Steele would be nice but we do have Marner and I doubt Steele reaches his level. Go Rasanen , Go Woll, Go Liljegren !

 

[93LEAFS]

We traded the 30th overall pick, not Sam Steel. The odds that Steel was in the top 2 of our draft board of players available at 30 and 31 if we kept the pick are probably quite small.