Men’s World Championship Recap: Jack Quinn, Matt Coronato among standouts on Day 4

The fourth day of play in Riga and Tampere was as good as we’ve seen at the 2023 World Hockey Championship.

In Riga, the highlight was Latvia beating Czechia for the first time in tournament history. They did so on home ice, and just over a year after the Latvian U-20 team beat the Czechs to stay alive at the 2022 World Junior Championship. Earlier in the day, Canada needed a shootout to beat Slovakia, while the Americans came from behind to stop Germany. The final game in Tampere saw the Finns force overtime against Sweden, but two goals from Lucas Raymond gave the Swedes the victory.

Here’s who stood out on Monday:

• It was good to see Jake Neighbours (STL) get on the board after starting the tournament as the 13th forward. Games like today are good for confidence, but it was definitely surprising to see him get promoted in the lineup. At least he made the most of it.
• Tyler Myers (VAN) was a wrecking ball out there. It got him into trouble in the second period, which nearly resulted in a five-minute major, but you could tell the Slovaks had a tough time dealing with him.
• Samuel Hlavaj‘s first World Championship game was a huge success, stopping 42 shots and even killing off a 5-on-3 advantage. The 21-year-old goaltender went undrafted after some difficult years in North America, but he stood tall today at 6-foot-4 against a Canadian team trying to stay perfect.
• At the other end, Samuel Montembeault (MTL) was excellent once again for Canada. He stood out against Latvia, but he played an even better game with 23 stops tonight – including some dangerous chances in the third period.
• He only scored in the shootout, but Jack Quinn (BUF) was buzzing and was rewarded nicely with the game-winner. The Sabres sniper is as good of a shooter as they come, and his perfectly placed shot won it all. That felt like his most complete effort.

USA edges Germany in tight affair

• Ronnie Attard (PHI) has been great for the Americans ever since joining the team for the exhibition game. Given his career so far, it’s hard to believe he’d be this good at both ends of the ice.
• Matt Coronato (CGY) has been such a joy to watch with the Americans. You can tell the pro game isn’t bothering him, with the creative forward showing good skill and speed on the bigger ice. Coronato scored the winning goal on the power play for his only goal of the game, but it was a big one. The Flames have ea good one here.
• Casey DeSmith (PIT) had to be good for the Americans, and he turned 30 shots. We can’t say he was the difference-maker, but he was was outstanding in the first period, turning away all 12 shots as the Americans dealt with penalties and mistakes in the offensive zone.
• Despite not registering a point, Nico Sturm (SJS) was the best German player today. Sturn was aggressive, forcing the Americans to take risks and make mistakes. His defensive game was especially good, but his hard forecheck helped create chances at the other end.
• That was Mortiz Seider’s (DET) best game of the tournament. He assisted on Germany’s first goal, a shorthanded marker, just past the halfway point and played a solid 23:44 to lead all Germans. And he got physical, just like we know he can.

Sweden stays perfect with win over Finland

• It was another excellent showing for Mikko Rantanen (COL), who setup Teemu Hartikainen for a good scoring chance in the slot midway through the third. After Sweden took the lead, Rantanen seemed to unlock a whole other gear. They’ll need more of that moving forward.
• Kasperi Kapanen (PIT) grabbed the secondary assist on the 1-1 goal, but he was the catalyst for making that happen. He has continued to show flashes of skill that you know he’s capable of, but just doesn’t show on a consistent basis in the NHL. But so far, you have to be happy with his play if you’re the Finns.
• Hats off to Lars Johansson, who, despite allowing the first Swedish goal, played a huge third period to keep it a tie game. The Finnish goal was a bit of a fluke, but he was otherwise as good as you’d hope for against a Finnish team that was feeding off the home fans.
• Lucas Raymond (DET) had a quiet game in regulation, but he scored twice in the shootout to give the Swedes the win. Talk about clutch when it matters.

Latvia edges Czechia in upset victory

• Artus Silovs (VAN) has been one of this tournament’s best goaltenders, almost single-handedly leading the Latvians to a surprise win. Goaltending almost always feels like a strength for the Latvians, but Silovs has been Latvia’s best player, no doubt.
• Dominik Kubalik (DET) has made a strong case to be the early-tournament MVP. He has points in every game, with his goal midway through the game, tying things up with his third of the tournament. Czechia struggled to generate high-danger chances but Kubalik had a couple.
• Roman Cervenka has been one of the best playmakers at this tournament over the past few years. This year, He set up Kubalik for the second goal and then found defenseman Michal Kempny for the game-tying goal at 56:58. It’s been a while since he wasn’t a top player for the Czechs at this tournament.
• A veteran of nine World Championships, today might have been the best showing ever for Oskars Cibulskis. The 35-year-old scored two points, including the game-winning goal early in the third period. You could tell how much fun he was having out there, and the crowd appreciated the effort.
• At one point, Martins Dzierkals looked like he had a bright future in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He quickly fell out of favor and never really produced, falling below expectations as one of Latvia’s next top scoring stars. He didn’t score at the 2022 tournament, but he helped Latvia to a surprise 2-1 lead after building off of Rihards Bukarts’ goal from just a minute before. That momentum went a long way in helping the Latvians win this one.
• Hats off to Oskars Batna for the effort on that game-winner. You gotta do what you gotta do. The crowd loved it.

2023 NHL Draft Watch

• Adam Fantilli (CAN) was finally held off the scoresheet while playing just 10:55 as the 13th forward. He had two scoring chances, with both being quite dangerous, so there was still something to be happy about there.
• Leo Carlsson (SWE) didn’t have anything to show for offensively, but he continues to look more comfortable as the No. 1 center for the Swedes. He made some good plays on the rush but is still seeking his first goal. It’ll come.