Scout’s Analysis: U18 world championship pocket book

The preliminary spherical of the U18 Men’s Hockey Championship got here to a conclusion on Monday. After a time off at the moment, the event will resume Wednesday with the beginning of the quarterfinal spherical in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia. 

Team Canada completed second in its group, behind host Slovakia who defeated the Canadians 2-1 within the opening sport of the event. Canada will now face Sweden on Wednesday with puck drop scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET. 

The U18 worlds present NHL scouts one final alternative to view lots of the high draft-eligible prospects in excessive leverage video games. Despite the actual fact every participant will likely be judged on their whole physique of labor over the course of the complete season, prospects have an opportunity to go away a closing impression on NHL groups that may very well be crucial relating to how they’re slotted come June.

Here are a few of my newest observations from the event.

Slovakia’s victory over Canada was the primary cause the hosts claimed Group A, however the Canadian staff went on a tear after their opening loss. They defeated Latvia, Norway and Finland by a mixed rating of 21-0. 

Canada has managed to search out its scoring legs previously three video games, however equally as spectacular is the actual fact they haven’t allowed a aim towards for the reason that nine-minute mark of the third interval of their opener, which got here off a penalty shot. 

Here’s how Canada compares to the remainder of the groups within the event:

Mathis Preston, 5-foot-11, 176 kilos, proper shot ahead

Preston had a little bit of an up and down 12 months within the WHL. He was traded from Spokane to Vancouver and ended his season with 18G-22A in 46 whole video games, however he’s been noticeable at this event. 

Preston contributed 2G-3A within the preliminary spherical and averaged simply over quarter-hour per sport of ice time whereas being deployed at even power and on the ability play. Preston is at his finest when he’s shifting his ft, enjoying fast, and concerned in visitors. So far, he’s been enjoying to that id on the U18s.

He’s been above the play when his staff doesn’t have management within the offensive zone, creating turnovers and pouncing on pucks in excessive hazard scoring areas. If he continues his sturdy play within the medal spherical he’ll undoubtedly rise within the general rankings forward of the draft. 

Ryan Lin, 5-foot-11, 174 kilos, proper shot defenceman

Lin has performed to his id this week. The transitional defenceman has quarterbacked one in all Canada’s energy play items and averaged over 22 minutes of ice time whole. Lin has produced 1G-5A to guide all defencemen in scoring by the preliminary spherical. 

One of the issues scouts search for in gamers is their willingness to enterprise exterior of their consolation zone and show a component that they in any other case may not persistently play to all year long. In Lin’s case, a second occurred in Canada’s sport towards Finland when he stepped as much as end an open ice hit when the Finns had been making an attempt to exit their very own zone.

Here’s the clip of Lin ending his hit on the Finish ahead. As impressed as I used to be with the hit itself, I’m equally happy with how onerous Lin skates again to his zone to help defensively after partaking up ice:

Dima Zhilkin, 5-foot-10, 185 kilos, proper shot ahead

Zhilkin was born on Oct. 21, 2008 and since his birthdate falls after Sept. 15, he isn’t eligible for this 12 months’s NHL Draft. Instead, Zhilkin will likely be monitored as one of many high forwards out there for the 2027 NHL Draft. 

Zhilkin has had a terrific event thus far. He’s contributed 5G-2A, with two of these objectives approaching the ability play. He’s a deadly shooter who leads the occasion in aim scoring. Zhilkin is the type of participant who will “lurk” at occasions as a substitute of being seen for a complete shift. When he finds quiet ice his fast launch from all angles ends in Grade A scoring possibilities and sometimes with the puck being deposited behind the opponent’s web. 

Ben Macbeath, 6-foot-2, 190 kilos, left shot defenceman

Macbeath has been a riser in draft rankings all through the second half of the season. Representing Canada, he has typically been paired with Ryan Lin, however has additionally taken some shifts with others on the roster. His deployment has ranged from 15-22 minutes per sport, with virtually all of his shifts coming at even power and the penalty-kill. 

What I like most about Macbeath’s sport is his potential to handle what’s in entrance of him. He not often takes dangers that pressure him out of place. He fronts opponents within the defensive zone, provides an additional layer off the push offensively, and could be elusive shifting backward and forward to open up capturing lanes in his opponent’s finish. 

Macbeath has been held off the scoresheet on the event thus far, however his plus-6 ranking and the actual fact he matches up towards high strains is precisely what I anticipated from him coming into the occasion. I challenge Macbeath as a two-way defenceman who will possible land on a second pair on the NHL stage. 

The Finns have been a curious staff to look at at this event. They defeated Slovakia 5-4 in additional time, but additionally bought pumped 7-0 by Canada. I’m unsure what model of their staff will present up for the medal spherical. 

Juho Piiparinen, 6-foot-2, 203 kilos, proper shot defenceman

Piiparinen is captaining Finland and logging a ton of ice time in all conditions. His ice time has ranged between 20-23 minutes per sport. 

He is a wonderful skater. He tracks pucks defensively on time and has the agility to increase performs within the offensive zone. He’s additionally accountable when shifting pucks. Piiparinen sees the ice and distributes accordingly. He has the potential to be a middle-pairing, two-way NHL defender in time. 

With the ability set that he presents it’s curious to me how he doesn’t produce extra offence. Piiparinen has been held pointless thus far within the event. As a lot as he impresses me along with his skating potential, he struggles to get pucks to the web when he opens up capturing lanes for himself. It holds him again for now, however the NHL staff that drafts him will work with Piiparinen to increase performs an extra half-second as a substitute of blasting pucks into the shin pads of his opponents. 

Here’s an instance of what I’m describing…

Piiparinen distributes the puck to begin the sequence then pushes to the excessive slot searching for a shot likelihood. His agility is on full show as he retreats to the highest of the zone to reset, however when he finally ends up dealing with the puck on the high of Canada’s zone he chooses to shoot from his first possibility.

I’ve diagramed two further choices he may have made use of as a substitute of capturing the puck into the defender. If he would have taken one additional stride to his proper, he would have had a greater capturing lane to direct the puck on web. Alternatively, if he would have moved the puck to the flank faster his teammate might need had a chance to one-time a shot on web. 

In Wednesday’s quarterfinal you may see the next matchups:

Czechia vs. Finland: 6:00 a.m. ET in Bratislava
Canada vs. Sweden: 8:00 a.m. ET in Trencin
USA vs. Latvia: 10:00 a.m. ET in Bratislava
Slovakia vs. Denmark: Noon ET in Trencin