Only one game took place on the third day of the World Junior Summer Showcase and it was between Canada Red and Canada White on Tuesday, July 29. It was quite the display of talent as all of the players on the ice were vying for a final spot on the roster. The fans that came to watch were in for a treat as they not only saw 5-on-5 play in the first and third periods, but in the second period, both teams went on alternating power plays.
Then, when regulation ended in a tie, they went to a 3-on-3 five-minute overtime, which ended scoreless. They then went to a shootout, which was planned whether the game was tied or not, and declared Canada White a winner after six rounds. All of the speed and skills were on display, and in this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways from today’s game, starting with the number one overall draft pick from this past NHL Entry Draft.
Defensemen typically get overlooked for all that they do, but not a player like Matthew Schaefer. He plays heads-up hockey in both the offensive and defensive zones, and he’s always moving. When watching him play in the showcase, it’s easy to see his level of skill, especially in the defensive zone. He moved around the zone following the puck but always had his eyes towards the front of the net, looking for the opponent who was open and jumping to block them.
That may seem like a regular defensive move, but usually the defenseman is stationary in front of the net waiting for the player to come to them, not the other way around. He wasn’t afraid to jump into the offensive zone if he saw an opportunity. He didn’t do it too often, but only if he knew he had a chance.
On the flip side, if he got caught trying to enter the offensive zone, he turned on the jets and raced to get back to his position, and did so without giving up too much. He’s truly a strong up-and-coming all-around defenseman who has the promise of being a great defenseman in the NHL someday soon.
“This is what I need, obviously I need high competition, everyone wants to earn a spot, and when I go to camp I’m going to be playing against NHL guys that are fighting hard, guys that are coming up and nothing’s giving it. It’s going to be a really hard battle and I need this, because I need game situations so when I go in I’m more ready and it’s good to get game like situations so that when I go to camp and play against NHL guys, you know I have that situations,” said Schaefer about how this is preparing him for the upcoming season.
The focus was mainly on Schaefer, but Gavin McKenna is also a rising star who had a lot of eyes on him. He tallied a single assist in the Red/White game, but it was clear he’s still adjusting, and it’ll be fun to see what he does going forward.
Of course, everyone was watching McKenna and Schaefer mainly, but Cayden Lindstrom and Michael Hage stole the show on the scoresheet. Hage got things started with the first goal of the game, and then he went on to help his team score again as he assisted on the next goal that was originally credited to Marek Vanacker; and then given to Cole Beaudoin.
“It was good, it was intense, obviously so much skill, there’s so many smart players, it’s a lot of fun to be out there and try to showcase what type of player I am. Yeah, I really enjoyed it,” Hage said about his feelings on the game.
Hage was on Canada Red, and it looked like they had the upper hand until the third period, when Canada White found their way thanks to back-to-back power play goals courtesy of Lindstrom. He’s working his way back from injury, and he looked pretty strong out on the ice.
“Yeah, like you said before, we’re not really messing around here, we all want to showcase what we can do, and that if it’s your physical side, then so be it. We’re all physical players, and we all want to be on this team, so I think just playing physical, I mean it’s part of the game, right?” said Lindstrom about the physicality.
“For me personally, I don’t think I’m that close to where I was before, I think I have a lot of more work to do. Obviously, it is better than it was previously than a couple months ago. Ever since I got to (Michigan) State there we worked on a lot of speed work and whatnot, and sprints and things like that, so I think that’s really helped me get my speed and my strength back to really get by guys and things like that,” Lindstrom continued when asked about his injury recovery.
All of the games in the showcase have been fun to watch, but the Canada game went to another level. The first period had very few whistles, and it was mostly a free-flowing game with the puck going end to end and smoothly transitioning back and forth without offsides, icings, or other interruptions. It was very entertaining to watch as the puck went from player to player smoothly, and the game moved along at a strong pace.
The other games obviously had a lot of physicality because it was different teams from different countries playing each other, and the tensions were high. Most would assume that Canada’s game would’ve had minimal physical activity because they’re playing against their own teammates.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Second Day of Games at World Juniors Summer Showcase
While that was mostly correct, there were a few more hits than expected, and big ones at that. It proves that when a player is trying to earn a spot on the team, they will be willing to throw their body against a potential teammate within reason. It is good for the team too, because in an actual game that has something on the line, they need that player to throw hits, and these players followed through.
All of the teams will be in action on the fourth day of the showcase, with the USA and Canada shrinking to just one roster instead of two. It’ll be interesting to see how the competitiveness rises as the showcase continues to move along, and who will come out on top in exhibition.
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