Okay hockey fans, our IIHF.com writers (Lucas Aykroyd and Andrew Podnieks) are back with their thoughts after the quarter-finals. Let’s see what they have to say about the goings-on in Ottawa.
Canada. Ouch. What happened?
Podnieks: The problems have been evident for all to see—lack of scoring and undisciplined play. Canada finished with only 13 goals, their lowest total ever in World Juniors (along with the 1998 team). And penalties? Well, they not only become more and more difficult to kill as they accrue; they also stifle momentum, as we saw in the second period against the Americans. This isn’t the be-all and end-all, but the days of Canada winning with anything less than their best have been over for a while now. Was that loss to Latvia more psychologically damaging than we know? Who’s to say? But that excellent 4-0 win over Finland to start the tournament never led to anything more.
Aykroyd: It’s hard to succeed when you rack up 113 PIM in five games – 34 PIM more than Kazakhstan, the team that got relegated. Even so, the Canadians were right there until the last minute against the Czechs. And so you really have to chalk this one up to their inability to execute offensively. Getting just 13 goals on 205 shots – for a tournament-worst 6.34 shooting percentage – is jaw-dropping. By comparison, last year’s Canadian team, which also came fifth after a heartbreaking quarter-finals loss versus Czechia, had 23 goals on 158 shots (14.5 shooting percentage). You can quibble about the roster construction, as Canadian fans do annually given their great depth. But this team on paper, with the likes of Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna, could have advanced if it could put the puck in the net.
Who is now the gold-medal favourite?
Aykroyd: The Americans are defending champs and haven’t seriously stumbled, unless you count getting outshot 44-33 and beaten 4-3 in overtime by Finland. With 10 returnees from 2024, that’s a whole lot of “been there, won that” experience. Their big players are stepping up at the right time. They’d be my pick.
Podnieks: It’s hard to argue against the U.S. right now. The only other contender I see is Sweden, which would be a re-match from Gothenburg a year ago. No two countries not named Canada have ever played in consecutive gold-medal games at the World Juniors, so if that happened, perhaps the Swedes can channel their inner disappointment from last year and win. But if they do, I would classify it as an upset. The U.S. have to be…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Rss News…