Top standouts from Switzerland vs. Norway at 2024 World Junior Championship
Norway is off to the relegation game after falling 6-2 to Switzerland.
Switzerland will have a chance to take third place in Group B on Tuesday if they manage to beat the Czechs in thei final round-robin game on Sunday. Norway will have an extended break, staying out of action until Thursday, Jan. 4 in a winner-takes-all relegation contest.
The Swiss scored first when Simon Meier beat Markus Stensrud up high at 6:05, but Norway would fight back. Goals from Martin Johnsen and Patrik Dalen gave them a 2-1 advantage into the first period, and, perhaps, the first bit of hope for the team on the outside looking in.
But a terrible second period for the Norwegians made things fall apart. Leo Braillard, Jonas Taibel, Rodwin Dionicio and Thierry Schild led the way with a four-goal second-period onslaught for Switzerland, putting the game out of reach. Dionicio scored his second of the game five minutes into the third, with both teams slowing down to close out the contest.
Here’s a look at the top performers for both teams:
Switzerland
#10 Jonas Taibel, C (Undrafted): It took a while, especially since he has played well, but Taibel finally scored his first goal of the game late in the second period. He had three points total, all coming in the three consecutive goals the Swiss scored to close out the second period. It came after Taibel led all players with three chances in the first, doing some good work in front of the net. He wasn’t afraid to get feisty, and he battled hard to win the puck along the boards. It’s the type of effort you’d hope for from a 19-year-old first-liner.
#3 Daniil Ustinkov, D (2024 NHL Draft): After a quiet first two games, the top Swiss prospect had a two-assist contest for his most productive effort with the U-20 team. He can get caught trying to do a bit too much too often, but his offensive IQ was on display today. He’s good in his own zone, but I thought his two-way game looked great, especially as his ice time saw a boost with Leon Muggli’s ejection.
#4 Rodwin Dionicio, D (Anaheim Ducks): I know Dionicio’s game is high-risk, high-reward, and that might not work in the NHL. But here, he landed hits, blocked shots, and even scored. His offensive play is one of the reasons Anaheim picked him as an overager, but it took a while for him to display that. Today, he picked his shot, wired it home and helped put the game out of reach. He added a second goal for good measure early in the third.
#17 Miles Muller, RW (Undrafted): Muller’s game is about getting himself in shooting positions. He had five shots in the first 40 minutes alone, and it helped to contribute to two assists. Muller has been one of the few bright spots throughout the tournament for the Swiss, but today, he looked on the top of his game as he controlled the pace with the puck.
Norway
#10 Stian Solberg, D (2024 NHL Draft): Solberg started off a bit ugly, but I feel like the assist on Johnsen’s goal helped him find his confidence. He played 10:36 in the second period – over half the frame – with some power-play time mixed in. It was the first time since early in the game against the United States that Solberg wasn’t pinned to his own zone, and I feel like we saw a who was moving well and get in front of scoring chances.
#5 Gabriel Koch, D (Undrafted): Koch looked like the only player who was consistently engaged, getting six shots on net and nabbing a secondary assist on the go-ahead goal in the first. He’s a smart defenseman who doesn’t make many mistakes with the puck, and he had a lot of work to do early.
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