WJC Wrap-up

Well the tournament of the year has come and delivered on all fronts - The Canadians won, the Americans had their drama and the Russian dreams were crushed by Canada.

I am just going to write about some of the individual players that impressed me the most. These aren't the guys that won tournament all-stars or MVPs. This isn't about Hodgson, Tavares, Eberle, Karlsson or Backlund.


Here are the players that stood out for me.

Tyler Myers, Defense, Canada
The 12th overall pick in the 2008 Entry Draft is property of the Buffalo Sabres. This 6'7'' behemoth anchored Canada's blue line with Keith Aulie (6'6'') in what was in my opinion, Canada's best defensive pairing. I wasn't expecting much from pairing these two slow towers together, however, Myers' speed was very impressive for a man of his stature. In my mind, he was Canada's best defenseman.

Tomas Tatar, Wing, Slovakia
The undrafted 17 year old Slovak put up an electrifying 7 goals in as many games, and he did played his best hockey against USA, Sweden and Russia. With such strong offensive flair, Tatar is undersized and could have problems adjusting to the strength of North American defensemen, however, I expect him to be drafted in the top 20 picks of this year's entry draft.

Jaroslav Janus, Goaltender, Slovakia
This 19 year old goaltender is currently with the Erie Otters of the OHL and is not property of any NHL team. In my mind he was the best goaltender at the tournament. Making over 40 saves in three consecutive games, he was very impressive with his quickness and glove hand. Sure, Janus probably won't be a star in the NHL but I can see him being very wealthy one day in his native Slovakian league.

Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi, Wing, Sweden
Another electrifying 17 year old, Magnus's speed was among the best in the tournament. His strength on the puck was that of most other 19 year olds and his quickness along the boards made him a very dangerous threat on his off wing. He busted by the defensemen on most teams with one hand on the puck and the other protecting it. He finished the tournament with 6 points in 6 games. I think he may have some character issues but he should be another top 20 pick this year.

Ryan Ellis, Defense, Canada
I could talk about how effective Ryan Ellis was for an entire blog, however, only his mom would read it. Ellis was Canada's quarterback, protector, and initiator. He had the most responsibility one defenseman can ever have on a power play: the entire blue line. With Canada's 1-3-1 system Ellis was the only man back and he rarely turned the puck over, always making the safe play. Showing that much poise as a 17 year old goes a long way, expect him to easily crack the top 10 in this year's entry draft.

I could talk about a lot more guys up here but we just don't have enough time, this tournament was easily the most exciting in a few years for Canadian Fans. I was impressed with the quality of play this year and I hope that we can see some of these guys light up the tournament again next year.

Thanks for your patience in regards to the blog, I have moved and am trying to get the computer back up and running. Feel free to post subjects you would like the next blog to be on, it can be anything but try to keep it hockey.