Top players from Day 3 of the 2024 World Junior Championship
USA left little doubt in their dominant victory over Switzerland, while Sweden kept the home crowd cheering with a shutout victory over Germany.
Here’s everything you need to know about the third day of the 2024 World Junior Championship:
USA cruises to 11-3 win over Switzerland
Well, that was definitely a hockey game.
USA’s 11-3 victory over Switzerland on Thursday was never close, and it was never expected to be. The Americans took a 3-0 lead after just 8:11 and never looked back, putting on one of the most dominant performances of the tournament thus far.
For the Swiss, they’ll get a much-needed rest after a difficult loss to Slovakia on Wednesday – one that could matter big time in the race for a quarterfinal spot. They’ll play Norway next on Saturday in what will be a major game for both squads. The United States, meanwhile, will have a quick turnaround with a game against a hungry Czech team at 11:00 AM ET on Friday.
The game was highlighted by a three-goal first period by Jimmy Snuggerud, and another two goals from Gavin Brindley. Will Smith opened the scoring at 1:20, with Zeev Buium, Ryan Leonard and Isaac Howard scoring the other goals. Frank Nazar led the way with four assists, while Cutter Gauthier had two.
For Switzerland, the team got goals from Gregory Weber (two points) and seventh defenseman Gael Christie.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Thursday’s lopsided affair:
USA
#81 Jimmy Snuggerud, RW (St. Louis Blues): Snuggerud scored three straight goals for the Americans in easily the most dominant period of any player in this tournament. He had five of USA’s 14 shots in the first period alone, carrying over from his goal and six shots against Norway on Tuesday. Snuggerud has been USA’s best player early, which is good after seeing his points dip a bit at the University of Minnesota. There’s a very solid chance he’ll be in St. Louis’s top six next year.
#19 Cutter Gauthier, C (Philadelphia Flyers): Gauthier, as expected, looked great. He had three assists in the first period, although the IIHF eventually took back his third due to Zeev Buium’s shot getting tipped. His ice time dipped as the game wore out, but Gauthier’s eye for setting guys up was as prevalent as his shot was during the pre-tournament. We’re still waiting for Gauthier to put more pucks in the net, but he’s having as good of a start to the tournament as you’d expect from a star player.
#4 Gavin Brindley, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets): Brindley now has a pair of two-goal games for the Americans, snagging three points over a five-minute stint during the second stanza. The chemistry between him and Nazar – University of Michigan teammates – is evident, with Brindley being the primary finisher. He’s been among USA’s best players so far as a returning forward.
#91 Frank Nazar, C (Chicago Blackhawks): Nazar was the game’s top set-up man, registering four assists to match Macklin Celebrini’s effort against Latvia. He’s had some ups and downs this year after kicking off his first full year at Michigan, but he’s been such a crucial piece of USA’s attack since the start of the pre-tournament. Today was one of the best games I’ve seen from him since his USNTDP days.
#26 Seamus Casey, D (New Jersey Devils): Even though the opponent wasn’t at the same level, one thing stood out in Casey’s game: confidence. He took space away, played a great defensive game and competed as hard as anyone. It’s easy to fall into traps when the score is so lopsided, especially when a guy like Casey is so good at rushing the puck and scoring, but Casey’s smart enough to stick to his guns and do what’s right for the team, no matter the situation.
Switzerland
#22 Gregory Weber, RW (Undrafted): Weber was Switzerland’s best forward yesterday and he was again today. No matter the score, no matter the scenario, Weber fights for every opportunity he has. That’s why he had a goal and an assist today.
#8 Julian Lutz, LW (Arizona Coyotes): While scoring dangerous chances were far and few between for the Germans, Lutz did have three good chances when the game was still 1-0. Lutz looked heartbroken when he took a penalty late in the game against Finland yesterday, but was probably the most ecstatic person when the Germans held on. Today, he was the most dangerous player on the team.
Sweden shuts out Germany 5-0 to stay undefeated
The Germans were hoping to take the momentum gained from beating Finland for the first time ever on Wednesday and beat Sweden, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Instead, the tournament hosts went on to win 5-0, but it was 1-0 for a large chunk of it. The Swedes controlled the pace of play, starting by outshooting Germany 18-6 in the opening frame. Germany kept things close, largely due to the strong early play of Matthias Bittner, but Otto Stenberg, Noah Ostlund and Mattias Havelid had other plans.
Sweden won’t have much time to rest as they’ll face Canada at 1:30 PM ET on Friday. They’ll get Saturday off before a crucial New Year’s Eve game against Finland at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday, their final game of the preliminary round.
The Germans will get Friday off before an important game against Latvia on Saturday, one that could prove crucial in the final standings. They’ll close things out against Germany on Sunday in the final game of round robin.
Sweden
#25 Otto Stenberg, LW (St. Louis Blues): Few junior players shine internationally like Stenberg. He was Sweden’s star at the U-18 World Championship, and now he has his first WJC hat-trick. His shot is among the best on Sweden, and he let it rip for the opening goal in the first period. He nearly made it a 3-0 game late in the first period, but would eventually make it happen with a one-timer on the power play at 46:16. Stenberg then got the rebound in front of the net to complete the hat-trick with 10:58 left in the game, sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he had two other goals with his active he was around the net.
#20 Liam Ohgren, LW (Minnesota Wild): I was surprised Ohgren didn’t score given how much he had the puck early on. He had five shots in the first two periods alone, driving to the net hard often. Ohgren is a smart player who can produce on a dime, and after missing time due to injuries, it looks like he’s just waiting to finally get a puck in the net at some point.
#5 Mattias Havelid, D (San Jose Sharks): Don’t give Havelid space to shoot, because he can wire it. He used the traffic in front of the German goal to send a hard shot top corner over Bittner near the end of the second period, making it a 2-0 game. That’s what he does, waiting until the goalie can’t do anything about it to fire shots, something that has become a trademark of his game in recent years.
#16 Felix Unger Sorum, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Between the smart plays, and the two-point effort, Unger Sorum was excellent again today. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects – he’s creative, has a high hockey IQ and brings the energy. Today was yet another great showing for him, and there hasn’t been many bad ones when donning the yellow and blue.
Germany
#1 Matthias Bittner, G (Undrafted): The two teams were clearly outmatched, and the Germans weren’t expecting a repeat of yesterday. But Germany’s backup looked excellent, stopping 17 shots in the first frame alone, including some five-bell chances. Things fell apart in the latter stages of the game, but there wasn’t much Bittner could have done personally.
#8 Julian Lutz, LW (Arizona Coyotes): While scoring dangerous chances were far and few between for the Germans, Lutz did have three good chances when the game was still 1-0. Lutz looked heartbroken when he took a penalty late in the game against Finland yesterday, but was probably the most ecstatic person when the Germans held on. Today, he was the most dangerous player on the team.
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