World Juniors 2023

[BCHabnut]

If that exact game is played 10 times, usa wins 9 of them. A bad call by the refs on the first interference and millic was phenomenal.  Canada got very lucky tonight.

[tomh009]

35 minutes ago, huzer said:

 Probably how he'll stay. Undersized goalies get no love.

The Habs took chances on Caufield and Hutson ... Milic seems to be a rather small risk as a free agent.

[huzer]

11 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

The Habs took chances on Caufield and Hutson ... Milic seems to be a rather small risk as a free agent.

Off the top of your head, name more than 3 NHL goalies 6' or under (I was even nice and didn't specify starting goalie). Size bias for skaters has evolved. For goalies it has not. 

 

I'm not bashing on Milic at all. There are very good, elite goalies that aren't 6'2" and up that will never get an opportunity due to their size. Look what Devon Levi has been doing at Northeastern, he has an opportunity to break the mold. If he was 6'4", he wouldn't have lasted until the 7th round.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

22 minutes ago, BCHabnut said:

If that exact game is played 10 times, usa wins 9 of them. A bad call by the refs on the first interference and millic was phenomenal.  Canada got very lucky tonight.

 They were fortunate, they looked very tight in the 1st period.  I was surprised the 1st goal was called back but there have been a lot of calls that have surprised me. It seems like refs at the junior level in international hockey are very strict at interpreting the rules. I will take it though. 

[sbhatt]

41 minutes ago, BCHabnut said:

If that exact game is played 10 times, usa wins 9 of them. A bad call by the refs on the first interference and millic was phenomenal.  Canada got very lucky tonight.

 

I'm not buying the notion that it was a bad call.  A player should not be able to hit the goalie in the head with his ass while standing in the crease, then sweep the puck in, and have the goal count.

[sbhatt]

1 hour ago, Neech said:

...Two controversial overturned goals for the States will leave them pissed off to say the least.

 

 

I felt like both were cut and dry calls that were made correctly; the first was a player in the crease making contact with the goaltender's head while in the act of shooting, and the second was a player pitchforking the goaltender's pad into the net after he had saved and covered the puck with said pad.

[BCHabnut]

31 minutes ago, sbhatt said:

 

 

I felt like both were cut and dry calls that were made correctly; the first was a player in the crease making contact with the goaltender's head while in the act of shooting, and the second was a player pitchforking the goaltender's pad into the net after he had saved and covered the puck with said pad.

Second one was a no Brainer. The first one is probably a goal most times. If it was a call against my team, I would be pissed.

[Sir_Boagalott]

I was actually shocked at what Mike Johnston said regarding the 1st overturned goal.  i.e. the player needs space to shoot, when in reality the opposite of that should be true where the goalie needs room to make saves.  

 

 

2 hours ago, huzer said:

Off the top of your head, name more than 3 NHL goalies 6' or under (I was even nice and didn't specify starting goalie). Size bias for skaters has evolved. For goalies it has not. 

 

I'm not bashing on Milic at all. There are very good, elite goalies that aren't 6'2" and up that will never get an opportunity due to their size. Look what Devon Levi has been doing at Northeastern, he has an opportunity to break the mold. If he was 6'4", he wouldn't have lasted until the 7th round.

 

There is definitely truth to what you are saying.  They mentioned the Swed goalie Lindbom is 6'-2" and he was drafted 3rd last.  The Czech goalie Cajan is the same height and he went undrafted but was signed by the Jackets after a try out.  

 

However, I had the same thought as @tomh009 about Milic being good and if they can just sign him vs draft it might be a good idea.   If the Habs want him though they should act fast because he has previously tried out with the Wild but they released him.  

[hab29RETIRED]

3 hours ago, huzer said:

Off the top of your head, name more than 3 NHL goalies 6' or under (I was even nice and didn't specify starting goalie). Size bias for skaters has evolved. For goalies it has not. 

 

I'm not bashing on Milic at all. There are very good, elite goalies that aren't 6'2" and up that will never get an opportunity due to their size. Look what Devon Levi has been doing at Northeastern, he has an opportunity to break the mold. If he was 6'4", he wouldn't have lasted until the 7th round.

I seem to remember Halak the stop sign who did pretty good for us.

Saros is a starter. There are also a lot of really crappy goalies that are on NHal teams that are in the 6’’3”- to 6’5” range.

[tomh009]

5 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

I seem to remember Halak the stop sign who did pretty good for us.

Saros is a starter. There are also a lot of really crappy goalies that are on NHal teams that are in the 6’’3”- to 6’5” range.

Raanta and Khudobin are also 6’0”.

[huzer]

1 hour ago, tomh009 said:

Raanta and Khudobin are also 6’0”.

 

What's interesting is that all goalies that are "small" that have been listed are not North American. All are also backups to bigger goalies. 

7 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

I seem to remember Halak the stop sign who did pretty good for us.

Saros is a starter. There are also a lot of really crappy goalies that are on NHal teams that are in the 6’’3”- to 6’5” range.

6'3 to 6'5 will get their shot to be crappy. 5'11 will not.

 

Anyway, sorry to derail into a goalie discussion. I've watched this tournament with more interest that I have in the past. It's been fun. Unless you're Austria...

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

After watching a few more games I can now understand why Wright slipped to 4th in the draft.  He has been good but I don't see elite. Logan Cooley has been really impressive, his skating is definitely elite. 

[hab29RETIRED]

39 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

After watching a few more games I can now understand why Wright slipped to 4th in the draft.  He has been good but I don't see elite. Logan Cooley has been really impressive, his skating is definitely elite. 

Yep. And he wasn’t rushed or pushed into an NHL role. I think that is going to help his development a hell of a lot more than Slafkovsky or Wright being rushed into the NHL before they were ready, and needlessly burning a year of their entry level contract.

[Commandant]

17 hours ago, TurdBurglar said:

I’m starting to worry Bedard’s selfish play with the puck is going to cost Canada.  I’m also seeing shades a Yakupov in him.  I hope I’m wrong about that.

 

LMAO.... shades of Yakupov?  This is one of the worst takes I've ever seen. 

[Commandant]

14 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

If that exact game is played 10 times, usa wins 9 of them. A bad call by the refs on the first interference and millic was phenomenal.  Canada got very lucky tonight.

 

Not a bad call at all.  That's IIHF rules.   They are a lot more severe on goalie interference than the NHL is. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

One player who has really impressed me is Luke Hughes.  He has been terrific. The Devils should have a great defense for years to come when you add Hughes and Nemec to the mix. 

[REV-G]

Seeing as how well Joshua Roy has done in this tournament it raises a few questions.

 

1. Has his skating improved? I heard one commentator say it has improved a lot. 

 

2. If he was draft eligible in 2023 would he go in top 15? I remember reading that someone said they thought last year he would have been a late first round pick.

 

3. Will his skill set translate well to the pro's? Maybe now he'll be tried on the PK?

[TurdBurglar]

5 minutes ago, REV-G said:

Seeing as how well Joshua Roy has done in this tournament it raises a few questions.

 

1. Has his skating improved? I heard one commentator say it has improved a lot. 

 

2. If he was draft eligible in 2023 would he go in top 15? I remember reading that someone said they thought last year he would have been a late first round pick.

 

3. Will his skill set translate well to the pro's? Maybe now he'll be tried on the PK?

He said himself in a mid-game interview that he doesn't play the PK.  This was the role he was assigned so he's just playing his roll.  I wouldn't put much stock in him being a defensive force from this tournament alone.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

5 minutes ago, REV-G said:

Seeing as how well Joshua Roy has done in this tournament it raises a few questions.

 

1. Has his skating improved? I heard one commentator say it has improved a lot. 

 

2. If he was draft eligible in 2023 would he go in top 15? I remember reading that someone said they thought last year he would have been a late first round pick.

 

3. Will his skill set translate well to the pro's? Maybe now he'll be tried on the PK?

 

I am certainly no scout but I didn't see anyone catching him from behind last night. His skating looked absolutely fine to me. What really impressed me about him last night was his anticipation, he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, his forechecking was tremendous. The fact that he kills penalties so well means he can play different roles at the NHL level. His teammates really seem to like him.   He was also one of the youngest guys drafted as he has an August birthday.  

 

He had himself a game last night. Perhaps at the very least a 3rd line winger who can kill penalties?  

 

[Sir_Boagalott]

36 minutes ago, TurdBurglar said:

He said himself in a mid-game interview that he doesn't play the PK.  This was the role he was assigned so he's just playing his roll.  I wouldn't put much stock in him being a defensive force from this tournament alone.

 

From that interview I got the impression that he isn't normally on the PK because his QMJ team doesn't use him in that role.  However, doesn't mean that he isn't any good at it.  His Junior team prefers to play him for his offensive prowess and have other guys that can play the PK.  It's somewhat silly to play highly offensive players on the PK.  ex:  if you coached Junior and had Gretzky, McDavid, Mathews or even Caufield would you play them on the PK regularly?  The answer is hell no.

 

Team Canada has a ton of talent and needed somebody to kill penalties and they realized that he has the right skill set more so than their other offensive players.  They thought to experiment with him on the PK and it worked out well. 
 

[Sir_Boagalott]

 

34 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

His teammates really seem to like him. 

 

There were numerous interesting clips by his teammates talking about him.  ex: Beddard, Wright, and others.  Before he was invited to Team Canada none of them really knew who he was and when they heard he was drafted in the 5th round they sorta wondered if he should be there.  When they saw him play they were all in complete shock how good he is and that somehow he was a 5th rnd pick. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

50 minutes ago, TurdBurglar said:

He said himself in a mid-game interview that he doesn't play the PK.  This was the role he was assigned so he's just playing his roll.  I wouldn't put much stock in him being a defensive force from this tournament alone.

 

I think the fact that he did it so well in a huge game against an excellent team says something and  it shows he is willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win. One game does not make a career but I think he opened some eyes last night. 

[Commandant]

1 hour ago, REV-G said:

Seeing as how well Joshua Roy has done in this tournament it raises a few questions.

 

1. Has his skating improved? I heard one commentator say it has improved a lot. 

 

2. If he was draft eligible in 2023 would he go in top 15? I remember reading that someone said they thought last year he would have been a late first round pick.

 

3. Will his skill set translate well to the pro's? Maybe now he'll be tried on the PK?

 

2023 is much better than 2022.  I dont see him top 15.  Late first/early second.

 

Yes his skating has improved a lot.  There is still a bit more to go.

 

I do think hes smart enough to play pro.  As a third line maybe 2nd line guy.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

First time watching Roy for a game and he reads the play well and reacts accordingly. 
 

First impression is that Roy looks like Danault 

[Sir_Boagalott]

Wow, that was an unexpected result of 1 period of hockey.  I'm shocked that 9 goals were scored in that period.  When it was 5-3 I figured Sweden was done, but nope they managed to tie it up.