Mitch Giguere breaks down Canada's second consecutive World Junior Championship.
I don’t know about you, but last summer, I didn’t watch any of the games at the World Juniors Championship. But this year, I didn’t miss a single game in the whole tournament. What a great display, not only the way Canada wrote their own story, but all the teams were unique, and we saw some great upsets. Let’s get back to Team Canada, who won gold for the second year in a row, the first time since 2009. Let’s dig into seven reasons Canada won gold at the 2023 World Junior Championship.
4th Line Deliveres in Semis
For me, the game-changer in the semi-finals was the addition of Owen Beck, who proved that cutting him was a mistake, and Fantilli understood that he had to change his game to be efficient. What Beck, Bankier and Fantilli were able to achieve in the semi-finals by not only winning the faceoff battle, but by bringing what their 4th line was supposed to: speed, grit and momentum. Down 2-0 to the Americans, not many people had hope for the Canadians. Even the fans were quiet. But at 9:12 in the 1st period, Bankier said it was enough, I’ll wake up the team, and he delivered an open ice hit the USA player in the neutral zone. He added another hit a couple of seconds later on the forecheck, and F3 sealed the wall and added another hit. The fans started to be loud again, and the Canadians began to play with more speed and purpose. They won the offensive faceoff, and then Bedard notch another goal, and it’s 2-1 USA. Later, at 6:47, Beck and Fantilli added another big hit, and the 4th line was effective from there. Fantilli changed his mindset and used his speed and physical aspects and was great on the forecheck. We have a game now. If you want to work on your approach, here’s a great drill.
Line-up Changes
Look at the line-up below from game one to the gold medal game. When you start a short-term event against a good team, you usually send your best goaltender and keep him until the end. Sadly, Gaudreau, who won the gold with the U18, had a bad game and the coaching staff decided to go with Milic; we know the story. If it’s not him in the semi-finals against the USA, pretty sure the USA is up by 8 or 10 goals. Flipping Guenther for Bedard was a big move, but the fit for Bedard and Wright was not there. Adding the best 200-foot player with Bedard and Stankoven was the best move by far. I am talking about the 5th-round pick by the Montreal, Joshua Roy. From there, that line took over, and the second line took over in the final. The third line was okay for a line, and the fourth line is why they went into the finals. We might not talk about this story without the coaches adjusting their line-up. Thumbs up.
The Connor Bedard Show
A picture is indeed worth a 1,000 words. I don’t need to explain anything here, just check out Bedard’s dominant tournament below.
Anyone get tired of watching this kid to his thing? He’s going to be a treat to watch in the NHL!
Winning the Faceoff Battle
Canada had a lot of set faceoffs for every situation and zone. From the offensive zone on the penalty kill to the D Dive, they were ready and it led to two goals against the Americans. Everything they did was with a purpose.
It’s one thing to win and have a shot on the net. The Canadians could establish their forecheck with the neutral zone faceoff on the defensive and offensive blueline. The little D to D hard rim works out pretty well. Look at how they retrieve the puck on the strong side of the faceoff. With this, they were building momentum and offensive zone puck possession.
A Golden Power Play
At the WJC, if you have the best power play, the chances of winning the gold medal are huge. We all know Canada’s power play was based on Bedard and his vision. I have three videos for you on why they were good and, at the same time, why Bedard is so good by adjusting his decision based on the decision of the penalty killers.
When the opponent adjusts to you, you have to change as well. This is where the Canadian power play took over. If everyone is closing on Bedard, the goal line is open. The back-door play will also be there if the goal line is available. Tic Tac Toe, and it’s in the back of the net.
Now, you have scored a goal off the wall and one on the back door. What happens next? The opponent will try to shut down the backdoor option, and Bedard is no longer an option with one, sometimes two players on him. Let’s say hello to the bumper guy. Because of one guy, the Canadians were able to create three options out of it and to adjust and create more offence, finishing with 46.67% on the power play.
One more where you don’t need a Bedard on your team. That is your QB’s underrated shot from the middle of the blueline. Please, coaches, use it. It doesn’t need to be a Shea Weber slapshot. Find the lane, bring the puck at the net, and you will bring more offence. Team Canada with Zellweger was a great duo. Here’s a drill to work on your power play.
Staying Centered
When you are with Team Canada, usually most of the forwards are centremen with their respective teams. It’s harder to find who’s going to play on the wings. But the upside of this is that when you play F1, F2 and F3, everyone already understands their job and can play anywhere. In this video, a clever play that was noticed is the switch of F1 (Bedard) in the corner, who is exhausted for Zach Dean, who came up off a new line change with fresh legs. He is telling both players (Bedard and Stankoven), and we can hear him saying stay right before the video pause the second time, to stay high in the d-zone; he will support down low since he just started his shift. The versatility of all the players is a massive upside for them. Thanks to my HC for letting me know this. Here’s a drill to work on your dzone.
Controlled Exits
Zellweger was the best defenceman in the medal rounds, with the most controlled exits with 14, 8 in finals (Mitchell Brown stats). With his agility, hockey sense and skills, he could go up ice with the puck. You don’t have only Zellweger, but for a veteran on the backend, he was able to avoid the pressure and create offence from the dzone. Here’s a drill to work on your breakout.
Diamonds are Forever
Ok, ok, Canada wasn’t great on the PK. Canada finished 5th in penalty killing, 8% lower than Czechia’s second position. But I want to point out how aggressive they were on top of the zone, working as a diamond and blocking shots. The opponent had to find the shooting lane, which was not easy, and Milic was doing the job. By pressing high, they force the opponent to hustle the play, forcing a giveaway, turnover or a bad puck placement. Here’s a drill to work on your PK.
