WJC: medal predictions and tournament best players

[Gold Standard]

That time of year again - our favorite tournament,,,

Canada Gold
USA Silver
Finland Bronze
Sweden 4th.

I'll reserve the right to change my medal predictions once I see Hockey Canada final roster.

Click to read more...

 

[Mathieukferland]

Before seeing the rosters, based on depth of talent

Gold: Russia
Silver: Canada
Bronze: USA

TOTM
Michkov-K. Johnson-Beniers
Power-Sanderson
Askarov

MVP: Askarov

 

[olgerd]

Russia has the most talented generation in a very long time. Place below the second, I would consider a failure. But I will still put Canada in first place, I don't really believe in Zubov's coaching staff. As a fan of the Russian national team, I will be glad to make a mistake.

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: USA
4th: Slovakia

 

[Stewie Griffin]

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Sweden

Best players:
Eklund-Lapierre-Michkov
Sanderson-Mukhamadulin
Wallstedt

 

[Antiillafire]

Gold: Russia
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Slovakia
4th: Sweden

Best players:
Guenther - Beniers - Svechkov
Mukhamadulin - Nemec
Wallstedt

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Gold Canada
Silver Russia
Bronze USA
4th Place Sweden
5th place Finland

Tournament's best players
Top scorer Shane Wright Canada
Best goal-scorer Matvey Michkov Russia
Best goaltender Jaroslav Askarov Russia
Best defenceman Owen Power Canada
Best forward Shane Wright Canada
Tournament MVP Shane Wright Canada

Tournament's allstar roster
Bedard Wright Michkov
Edvinsson Power
Askarov

 

[Czechboy]

Nice to see some Slovak love.

Czechs ride a hot goalie and strong D to a bronze playing a style of hockey that no one enjoys watching.lol

Russia, Canada, Czechs

Best D Jiricek.

 

[LDN]

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: USA
4th: Slovakia

Tournament's best players
Top scorer: Perfetti
Best goal-scorer: McTavish
Best goaltender: Garand
Best defenceman: Niemela
Best forward : Perfetti
Tournament MVP: Perfetti

Tournament's allstar roster
McTavish Perfetti Michkov
Niemela Power
Garand

 

[Dominance]

Most brutal collection of omissions I can recall in a single year by Team Canada. M. Savoie, Othmann, and Clarke are objectively far superior to guys who will now make the team. Guys like C. Savoie and McClennon also should have been at least invited. Less room for error with the chances of getting Byfield and/or Sillinger looking slim.

Not happy to not see these guys on the team even if we win gold. Finish anywhere else, and this management team can burn.

 

[Eye of Ra]

I dont think Canada takes the gold, they are missing too many players. Still a good team thought.

Gold: Russia
Silver: USA
Bronze: Slovakia
4th: Czech

I think Slovakia is better than ever and Czech has a better team than people think.

 

[Dominance]

I dont think Canada takes the gold, they are missing too many players. Still a good team thought.

Gold: Russia
Silver: USA
Bronze: Slovakia
4th: Czech

I think Slovakia is better than ever and Czech has a better team than people think.

Canada will still eat Slovakia and Czech Republic and beat them by 5+ goals each. It’s against the better teams where brain-numbing choices like bringing Finley (0.6 P/G, but 6’6”) over Savoie (near-2 P/G, but 5’10”) may hurt us.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Canada will still eat Slovakia and Czech Republic and beat them by 5+ goals each. It’s against the better teams where brain-numbing choices like bringing Finley (0.6 P/G, but 6’6”) over Savoie (near-2 P/G, but 5’10”) may hurt us.

Correct me if I’m wrong but this seems like an overreaction by Hockey Canada to getting “smash and grabbed” by plucky a USA team that scored early and sat in deep and made the rest of the final very physical and compact…. Seems that a relative fluke of a result in my opinion last year has completely clouded their judgement this year with regards to bringing more skill players, it’s not 2006 anymore

 

[Antiillafire]

Canada will still eat Slovakia and Czech Republic and beat them by 5+ goals each. It’s against the better teams where brain-numbing choices like bringing Finley (0.6 P/G, but 6’6”) over Savoie (near-2 P/G, but 5’10”) may hurt us.

Both Slovakia and the Czechs are better than they were last year, Czechs may have lost a bit up front but added speed in comparison to size and have one of the top defenseman in the tournament. Last year Canada beat Slovakia 3-1 in what was an extremely close game, where Slovakia iced multiple 16 year olds against a team full of all first rounders. Than in the quarters, the Czechs played Canada close, 3-0.

 

[Dominance]

Correct me if I’m wrong but this seems like an overreaction by Hockey Canada to getting “smash and grabbed” by plucky a USA team that scored early and sat in deep and made the rest of the final very physical and compact…. Seems that a relative fluke of a result in my opinion last year has completely clouded their judgement this year with regards to bringing more skill players, it’s not 2006 anymore

I sure hope that’s not the case. The Americans scored off a tip in a hard fought first period and then got a second goal off an unbelievably lucky broken play where the puck sat on the net early in the second. The US’s defense and Knight deserve credit for holding strong but Canada carried the edge in play throughout the game and wins the majority of matchups between those two teams.

I seriously cannot get over Finley being on this team over Savoie. That alone is just so, so bad that “stupid” doesn’t capture it.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I think, this tournament will repeat the 2011 one, when Bragin won WJC in his first year as a head coach with a bunch of future NHL stars and superstars. Hope, we'll beat Canada in the final game.

Michkov will win the top scorer and MVP awards.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Predictions of Team Finland
- Aatu Räty will be Finland's top scorer but that's not enough for medals.
- Joakim Kemell plays good U20 WJC's but his time to be a star is 2023 U20 WJC's
- Brad Lambert has lots to prove and pressure gets too high and his struggle for scoring will continue.
- Roni Hirvonen is OK captain for Finland but he can't replace Anton Lundell
- Topi Niemelä shines in Finland's defense and is one of Finland's TOP3 players
- Samuel Helenius is most penalized player in the tournament
- Finalnd advances quarterfinals but will lose that for Russia after overtime finishing 5th place
^^ Michkov ends Finland's tournament scoring overtime game winning goal from penalty shot.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think the field is going to eat North America's lunch this year. I hope I'm wrong from an American perspective but we have a couple of significant holes this year.

 

[Erikfromfin]

Victory is ours!

Gold: Finland
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Slovakia
4th: Canada

Kemell - Räty - Michkov
Power - Niemelä
Askarov

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Gold: Germany
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Slovakia

Peterka - Perfetti - Reichel

Sanderson-Power

Quapp/Bugl

 

[newfy]

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: USA

Most points: Perfetti
Most goals: Michkov
Top D: Power/Edvinsson
Top goalie: Askarov

 

[jaro]

Gold Russia
Silver Canada
Bronze Slovakia
4th USA

MVP : Askarov

 

[Goldenhands]

Gold: Russia
Silver: Sweden
Bronze: CZE

Best players: Michkov Eklund Chibrikov Jiricek Edvinsson

 

[Zine]

Russia has the most talented generation in a very long time. Place below the second, I would consider a failure. But I will still put Canada in first place, I don't really believe in Zubov's coaching staff. As a fan of the Russian national team, I will be glad to make a mistake.

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: USA
4th: Slovakia

The 2003 and 2004 generations are great. But 2002 isn't anything collectively special, at all.
Most of the key offensive guys will be under-agers. That can pose a problem in a tourney like this.

 

[SpoolCat]

G Canada
S Russia
B Finland
4th USA

Best forward Perfetti
Best D Power
Best Goalie Askarov

 

[cg98]

Correct me if I’m wrong but this seems like an overreaction by Hockey Canada to getting “smash and grabbed” by plucky a USA team that scored early and sat in deep and made the rest of the final very physical and compact…. Seems that a relative fluke of a result in my opinion last year has completely clouded their judgement this year with regards to bringing more skill players, it’s not 2006 anymore

The US was simply better that game when it mattered. In the first half they out shot us, outplayed us, and outscored us and only then when Canada was down 2-0 did they decide to show up but by then it was too late. Spencer Knight was a brick wall in that game. It happens unfortunately.

Hockey Canada's overreaction to that loss has made them go apeshit this year and not in a good way. We have a bigger chance of not medalling this year at all.