Men’s World Championship Recap: Lucic, Wallstedt stand out on Day 3

The first weekend of the World Hockey Championship is complete, with Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland, Canada, Denmark and USA all taking their second wins of the tournament.

Canada and the United States found themselves trailing against Slovenia and Hungary, respectively, before putting on the heat and pulling ahead. In the afternoon, Denmark just edged France in overtime, while Switzerland grabbed their second shutout of the tournament with a 3-0 win over Norway. Sweden then put up a 5-0 effort against Austria before Czechia wrapped up the day with a 5-1 win over Kazakhstan to close out the day.

Here’s a look at the top performers from the third day of action at the men’s World Championship:

Canada beats Slovenia after slow start

• Milan Lucic (CGY) took a penalty early that resulted in a power-play goal for Slovenia. You could tell that bothered him, and after missing a potential empty-net tap-in, he finally scored his first men’s national team goal on the man advantage at 38:46. He seemed much hungrier in this game compared to the tournament opener, and he was rewarded nicely for the effort.
• Michael Carcone (ARI) was one of the better Canadians in the first game and scored to give Canada its first of the game early in the second. For a player that has struggled to find a home in the NHL, he’s looking like he has something to prove at this tournament. Great showing from the AHLer.
• Luka Gracnar did everything in his power to keep Slovenia in it. He was excellent in the second period, making 20 stops and 46 total. Gracnar was on NHL radars close to a decade ago, and while he has carved out a decent career in Europe, this was easily one of his best international performances.
• Yet again, MacKenzie Weegar (CGY) was excellent for the Canadians. He set up Carcone’s goal and then played some good shutdown hockey late as the Slovenians tried to find their way back on the scoresheet. Then, he scored on a nice skill play late in the third, deking past two Slovenians before finding the back of the net. He now has six points to lead all defensemen.
• Jan Drozg now owns both Slovenian goals in the tournament, which has to be good for his confidence. The former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has never played at the top level, but joined the team after a decent first year in the KHL.

USA cruises to win over Hungary

• Rocco Grimaldi put up 73 points in the AHL this year, his best season of pro hockey. Now, looking for an NHL deal for 2023-24, Grimaldi put up three points as USA’s top left-winger, marking the best game of his international hockey career. Nobody will question Grimaldi’s talent, and hopefully he can keep putting points on the board.
• Conor Garland (VAN) has been the subject of trade rumors during the offseason, and he’s helping his value with a two-assist night. That’s two good performances out of the winger early on.
• Nick Bonino (PIT) is known more for his defensive play, but he scored a pair of goals today to give USA a two-goal advantage. He was all smiles as the top American line showed some great chemistry again.
• After taking a high hit against Germany in the exhibition contest, it wasn’t clear if Cutter Gauthier (PHI) would be cleared to return for the tournament. But after scoring at 33:39, he now has two goals and is looking great. If you’re a Flyers fan, you have to be impressed.
• I thought Lane Hutson (CAN) was one of USA’s best defensemen today. He was moving the puck well, and even set up Gauthier’s goal with a stretch pass. You can tell he’s still trying to adjust to the pace, and his NCAA exploits don’t work the same, but he’s clearly playing confidently.

Denmark edges France in overtime win

• Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG) is doing everything possible to ensure the Danes will make the quarterfinal this year. After scoring twice against Hungary, he opened the scoring again today and played his typical strong two-way game.

• Markus Lauridsen was the setup man of note for the Danes, registering two assists and six penalty minutes. He was very involved in the rough stuff with the French squad while playing a solid two-way game. He made his presence known, that’s for sure.
• Anthony Rech has had two good games for France, and today he scored and added an assist en route to being named France’s top player. You could tell he was disappointed with the result after the fact, but Rech didn’t have many shifts where he wasn’t the most noticeable player.

Switzerland nabs second shutout over Norway

• There’s only so much you can do when your team can’t score. And for Jonas Arntzen, the Norweigan goaltender, he at least gave his team a fighting chance. He made 23 stops, including 19 over the first two periods, but his teammates couldn’t figure out former Montreal Canadiens prospect Robert Mayer.
• Swiss defenseman Andrea Glauser was named top player after scoring a goal and finishing with two assists. He helped set up Dario Simion’s goal at 8:13 and then added one of his own in the final minute of the opening frame.
• Nino Niederreiter (WPG) is set to get some help up front in the coming days, but he scored the goal that put the game out of reach today. He scored on an empty-netter, but his reliability in his own zone to help on the backcheck was noticeable.

Czechia too much for Kazakhstan

• The scoring was spread throughout, but former NHL defenseman Michal Kempny was a significant asset for the Czechs. He set up Dominik Kubalik (DET) on the power play at 15:25 while playing the most ice time for the Czechs. He then made life difficult around the net for the Kazakhs, as he’s known to do. Kubalik himself had two goals, as well.
• Andrey Shutov was a man on a mission for Kazakhstan, stopping 27 shots in the first two periods alone to keep his team involved. Things fell apart in the third, but performances like that in net should give Kazakhstan some hope down the road.
• Jakub Zboril (BOS) likes to get involved offensively occasionally, and his pinch early in the first period paid off. He took the puck at the blueline and scored from the high slot to break the deadlock. Zboril was one of the better Czech defenders as a whole.

Sweden shuts out Austria

• What a debut for Jesper Wallstedt (MIN), who had an 18-save shutout in his first game. It wasn’t a difficult game, but he still had to make eight shots in each of the first two periods. That’s not nothing, and he definitely looked very comfortable out there.
• Par Lindholm scored early, and then helped to set up Patrik Nemeth’s goal late in the second period. After going without a point in 2021, his only previous tournament experience, it was good to see him have a good night on the scoresheet.
• For as ineffective as Alex Nylander (PIT) has been in the NHL, it’s great seeing him doing some nice work on the top line for Sweden. He helped start the play that led to Leo Carlsson’s goal and came close to scoring on two chances.

2023 NHL Draft Watch:

• Zétény Hadobás (HUN) had a solid game against the Americans, showing confidence moving the puck while displaying some solid speed. The U-20 national team star hasn’t looked out of place against men this year, which is promising for a rare Hungarian-born prospect.
• Adam Fantilli (CAN) nabbed his second assist of the tournament, and he looked even better in this game. His confidence is starting to show through, and he was the catalyst on Mathieu Joseph’s goal after finding Tyler Toffoli on the one-timer, only for Joseph to finish it off.
• Leo Carlsson (SWE) became the youngest player to score for Sweden in tournament history when Lucas Raymond found him for the fourth goal in the third period. Given how well he has played through two games, it was just a matter of time that he scored.
• David Reinbacher (AUT) left the game with a lower-body injury after a big hit from Rasmus Sandin. He’ll undergo further evaluation, with his status for the rest of the tournament unknown. If he’s done, that would be a huge loss for the Austrians.