Video: WJHC: USA/CAN Extended Highlights
Video: WJHC: John Tavares 1-on-1
Video: WJHC: Jordan Eberle 1-on-1
Video: WJHC: Chris DiDomenico 1-on-1
Video: WJHC: Ryan Ellis 1-on-1
Video: WJHC: Dustin Tokarski 1-on-1
Tournament Scoring Leaders
Habster:
Without a doubt, this game will be replayed for years to come as one of the greatest games ever played between Canada and the United States at any level of hockey.
The game certainly didn’t start off as being a classic game from a Canadian perspective after Team USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.
Canadian goaltender/Lightning prospect, Dustin Tokarksi had a rough first period, allowing two weak goals on long shots by Kevin Shattenkirk and Jim O’Brien but settled down in the next two periods when he made some great saves. He robbed Colin Wilson with a spectacular glove save in the late stages of the third period.
In typical hard working Canadian fashion, Team Canada was able to claw their way back into the game to tie the game after 20 minutes.
John Tavares led the way with a hat trick and has the NHL scouting community drooling at the chance to draft him in the 2009 NHL entry draft in Montreal. He has clearly established himself as the perennial #1 pick by outplaying other draft eligible players like Victor Hedman, Jordan Schroeder and Magnus Svensson Paajarvi to name a few.
There were three Montreal Canadiens Prospects (P.K.Subban, Danny Kristo and Ryan McDonagh) playing in this game.
P.K. Subban handled the puck really well and his first passes out of the defensive zone were tape to tape which allowed his forwards to attack the neutral zone with speed. He also made some terrific pinches at the offensive blueline and made solid decisions on the powerplay. Subban is the tournament’s leading scorer among defensemen with 8 points (G-2 A-6 +12), just one point ahead of teammate Ryan Ellis whose 2009 draft evaluation has skyrocketed with spectacular playmaking and quarterbacking of the powerplay with Subban.
Danny Kristo showed flashes of his speed, good puckhandling and played the PK which, unfortunately for him, gave up four powerplay goals, but it was hard to assess his overall game in his limited TOI.
2007 first round pick, Ryan McDonagh played tons of minutes and didn’t look out of place. He broke up some odd man rushes with good positional play but was unlucky on John Tavares’ second goal when his stick broke while attempting a pass which Tavares intercepted to score on a pretty play.
McDonagh is a solid two way defenseman who does everything well but doesn’t quite standout with any particular aspect of his game, simply put, he’s solid without being spectacular.
It remains to be seen what direction Ryan McDonagh‘s development will go but he’s only 19 years old and still has a lot to learn before he makes the Canadiens roster in 2-3 years. The fact many teams have inquired about him in trade discussions bodes well for how he is received by the scouting community.
Canadiens.com: 2009 World Junior Championship:Canada and Sweden still undeafeated (Habs prospects stats)
I think it is fairly obvious at this point that Timmins and company really overrated McDonagh in the 2007 draft. Subban is looking like a good find, but will become part of a real logjam of offensively inclined right handed defense prospects in the system. Mathieu Carle is probably ready to play in the NHL, but due to a couple of exhibition season injuries the past two seasons has been passed by the very similar Yannick Weber. Now you have Subban coming along, to be followed shortly by Philippe Paquet, David Fischer, Joe Stejskal, and Greg Pateryn, out of the college ranks.
The college prospects are bigger, and not as offensively inclined, but they are all right side defenders, and all have NHL potential in my opinion. Some of them for sure are going to have their development stifled because Timmins got carried away with drafting right handed shooters over the past few years.
Hey Rob,
I don’t understand why you give other players like Guillaume Latendresse the benefit of doubt when it pertains to how young they are, give them time to develop,yet you won’t give Ryan McDonagh the same benefit.
He’s only 19 years old and is still developing as a player, something Gui took almost three years to do as a forward on top of that!!
Rob, you are fully aware that it takes most defensemen a few years to fully develop. Defense is a much harder position to learn especially in the pro ranks.
I saw a very steady two way game from McDonagh during the WJC tournament and he didn’t look out of place against his best peer in the world.
On numerous occasions, he demonstrated his great skating stride and out skated some pretty nible forwards.
Give him more time like you did with Gui.
Happy New Year!!!
Latendresse was a mid second round pick, McDonagh was a high first round pick.
I consider him “overrated” in comparison to his draft position. I wasn’t a fan of the pick at the time (or any other Minnesota high schooler, for that matter) and nothing has happened in the past 18 months to change my perception. At least we didn’t get screw up as badly as the Vancouver Canucks, who wasted their first rounder on Patrick White out of the Minnesota H.S. system.
It’s not like we’re talking about a first and fifth round pick here.
We’re dealing with the 12th pick(McDonagh) and 45th pick (Latendresse).
Regardless of where they were selected, there’s no denying we shouldn’t pass judgement on any 19 year old player until he’s had 2-3 years to further develop.
Will Latendresse be another Keith Tkachuk or Cam Neely, not likely. Will he be a very good third line player, at this point in time I think he will.
Will McDonagh be another Chris Chelios, probably not. Will he be a quality top four NHL defensemen, most likely.
It’s fun to evaluate players but it’s a crap shoot at best when they’re 19 years old.
I don’t think I’m “giving Latendresse the benefit of the doubt” in terms of his progress at a young age. He IS IN THE NHL, and has been for the past 3 seasons. I do think he has a lot more upside than most 21 year olds by virtue of his size. It generally takes bigger players longer to realize their potential.
McDonagh is average (or slightly below average) in terms of his size, and shows no outstanding skill. He isn’t that good with the puck (third string PP on his college team), isn’t particularly physical, doesn’t drop the gloves. He is just a bland Everyman, who at best will neutralize the other team’s player. If he was drafted in the third or fourth round that would be O.K., but Timmins took him in the top half of the first round and tried to convince everyone that he stole the guy there.
It is bizarre that you argue that Latendresse deserves recognition simply because “He IS IN THE NHL, and has been for the past 3 seasons”.
There is no dispute that the only reason that Latendresse has been in the NHL for 3 years because the Canadiens brass made a HUGE mistake with his development. Perhaps there is no bigger single mistake that they made with any one player.
And there is also consensus that Latendresse has not developed at all in those 3 years. In fact, some say he has regressed.
As far as McDonagh, would you prefer that he was one-dimensional like Mark Streit? Just because McDonagh is responsible at both ends of the ice with no glaring weaknesses doesn’t make him “a bland Everyman”.
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