U-18 World Championship Scouting Notebook: The top standouts from the semifinals

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Trey Augustine (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

BASEL, Switzerland – Well, that was something.

For the second consecutive year, Sweden and the United States will battle for gold at the U-18 World Hockey Championship after dominant wins in semifinal action on Saturday. Sweden won gold in 2022 and will look to stay perfect, while the Americans will hope to avenge their loss after putting a beating on everyone that has come near them this year.

The Americans kicked the action off with a 7-1 win over Slovakia. With four goals in the first period, the game was over quite quickly, with the Americans scoring their fifth seven-plus goal game of the tournament. Later in the day, Sweden trailed twice, but a four-goal second period allowed them to jump over Canada with a big 7-2 win.

So, here’s how the final day will shake up:

Canada vs. Slovakia – 9:00 AM ET
Sweden vs. USA – 1:00 PM ET

Germany was relegated to Division IA for 2024 after falling 3-2 to Norway earlier in the day. They’ll be replaced by Kazakhstan, who will move up to the top division for just the second time after finishing dead last in 2003.

USA

  • Will Smith continues to obliterate, grabbing his tournament-leading 19th point with a hat-trick on just four shots. Smith is so precise with his shot, and his creativity left the Slovakian defenders guessing most of the time. Look for the projected top 10 pick to win the tournament MVP title tomorrow.
  • Cole Hutson accomplished quite the feat on Saturday, with his 67th point of the season giving him the all-time single-season USNTDP point-scoring lead among defenders. He surpassed Cam York (65) and his own brother, Lane Hutson (63) to take full control of the top spot. Not too shabby for a 17-year-old with another year of eligibility. There’s a very good chance he takes home the top defenseman award on Sunday with the way he has dominated the pace from the blueline.
  • Trey Augustine hasn’t had to be perfect often in this tournament, and he definitely didn’t have to today. But he turned away all eight shots in the first and 14 in the second to help keep his team in control. It was arguably the best game Augustine played all tournament long.
  • After securing the top player award in USA’s last game, Danny Nelson looked great again. He set up Sal Guzzo for the fifth American goal after some sustained pressure by Nelson to keep the play alive. He’ll likely be a top 60 pick in the draft thanks to his work ethic and two-way play.
  • Speaking of Sal Guzzo, he easily played the best game of his tournament with a goal and an assist. He looked very involved in the attack and even saw some late-game power-play time. I’m not sure he gets drafted, but after a quiet showing, today was great.

Sweden comes back to beat Canada

  • Otto Stenberg is basically the Hulk of international hockey this season. After a poor season in the SHL, Stenberg has been unstoppable with Sweden, scoring twice and recording two assists today. He helped set up the tying goal in the first and scored the game-winner in the third, shifting the momentum entirely in a game that appeared to be in Canada’s favor in the first.
  • After allowing his first 5-on-5 goal in the opening period, Noah Erliden shut the door for the Swedes to help take the game over. He was busy with 11 saves in the first and held the fort in the final 40 minutes. The small goaltender is the favorite to win the top goalie tomorrow. Based on the momentum charts the IIHF showed in the arena, Erliden truly was a difference-maker, especially after Canada was forced to pull Carson Bjarnason due to an injury.
  • David Edstrom has been a highly underrated part of the Swedish attack. Today, he scored twice for Sweden and added an assist in his best game of the tournament. The Americans might have the better offensive unit, but Sweden can score from just about anywhere.
  • Macklin Celebrini won’t be happy with the result, but he was great again. He scored the opening goal and had a few other good chances but couldn’t back up his lights-out performance from Thursday.
  • Axel Sandin Pellikka looked exceptionally smooth for the Swedes. He helped set up the go-ahead goal and shut the Canadians down in the final 40 minutes. He’s in the running for the media all-star team as one of the top defensemen.
  • Felix Unger Sorum had primary assists today to give him nine points through six games. That’s good for second in team scoring. His patience with the puck really paid off, allowing him to outlast the Canadian attackers at every chance he had.
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