Let’s assess each Vancouver Canucks prospect more critically now that the dust has settled after a great finish to the 2018 World Junior Championship.
Overall, the Vancouver Canucks should be satisfied with their prospects’ performances at the 2018 World Junior Championship. Jonah Gadjovich took home the gold medal with Team Canada who boasted a boasted forward group and a savvy blueline. Team Sweden was the most skilled lineup of the tournament, helped on to win the silver medal by Elias Pettersson.
Though William Lockwood didn’t last the entire tournament for Team USA, his American squad settled for a bronze-medal finish on home soil. Olli Juolevi and the Finns were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the players who were cut by Team Canada at the pre-tournament camp had a decent time away from the national squad as well. Kole Lind has had two hat tricks and 18 points in nine games, currently riding a ten-game point streak. The CHL trade deadline saw Michael DiPietro and the Windsor Spitfires move virtually everyone but DiPietro out for future assets. DiPietro will now look to carry his team into the postseason.
The top of the 2018 Draft class looks strong
On top of their prospects’ play at the tournament, the Canucks should be enjoying the thought of drafting a pretty special player at the top of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Rasmus Dahlin, the Swedish defenseman slotted to go first overall, was voted the best defenseman of the tournament.
The tournament featured many other skaters who would be great picks in the top five to ten selections. Czech left winger Filip Zadina surprised many with eight points in seven games and now is in conversation to go in the first three selections of the draft after being selected in the tournament’s all-star squad.
American forward Brady Tkachuck also solidified, if not increased, his spot in the top-five. Quinn Hughes was a big force from the Team USA blueline. Without him, the Americans would not have made it to the semifinals.
Let’s now take a closer look at the four Canucks prospects who were at the 2018 World Juniors.
Jonah Gadjovich (Team Canada)
7GP: 2 Goals + 1 Assist
The “Man Child” for Team Canada played all seven games for Team Canada on their way to the gold medal. Both his goals of the tournament came against Slovakia in the preliminary round in a 6-0 win.
The good
The biggest concern with Gadjovich is with his skating as he lacks the agility and explosiveness that is so crucial in today’s NHL. Though he was not an elite skater by any means, he did not look slow or clumsy in his skating at this tournament, one in which he was used primarily in a checking role and on the penalty kill.
Take a look at him (#11) skating up the ice and powering past Slovakia’s #8 at the blueline.
He was named the player of the match that game. He will be most remembered for showing great sportsmanship on his second goal against the Czechs when he told his teammates not to celebrate in a lop-sided win.
Another positive for Gadjovich is that he began the tournament on the fourth line and earned a promotion to the third line. Though the entire bottom-six were checking lines, it did give Gadjovich slightly more skilled linemates to play with.
The bad
It’s difficult to point out the bad when a player has just won the gold medal for his country but Gadjovich’s production does beg for more. All three of his points came in the first two preliminary games, meaning he was pointless in the last five games including the medal rounds.
While he wasn’t used in an offensive role and was rarely on the powerplay where he thrives in front of the net, the just one goal and one assist during even-strength play do seem lacking.
That being said, he did score his goals by doing what he does best in front of the net. Can’t fault him for playing to his strengths.
JONAH GADJOVICH. B-. High offensive expectations were not met but all the other parts of his game were great.. LW. Team Canada
Gadjovich will now return to the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack for the remainder of the season to play with their newly-acquired forward, Brett McKenzie, who is also a Canucks draft pick.
RW William Lockwood (Team USA)
3GP: 0 Goals + 0 Assists
The Michigan State University winger was a welcomed addition to Team USA after he was hurt during pre-tournament camp. Turns out, Lockwood will be injured once again and this time, he won’t be back in time for anything this season.
William Lockwood can skate and once he starts working with NHL skating coaches, he may skate better than Jannik Hansen can. The winger is speedy, agile, explosive, and powerful. We knew these things from previous scouting reports, but doing it against the best hockey players of his age group really highlighted his skating prowess.
Lockwood’s work on the penalty kill was great for the Americans. In the games leading up to his injury vs. Canada, the US had not given up a single goal on the PK. After Lockwood got hurt, they gave up three in their last four games.
Lockwood’s speed was also appreciated when Team USA attempted zone entries. He has puck skills that are underrated despite how fast he is skating while making his moves. Once he was hurt, the US had to rely heavily on Quinn Hughes and Casey Mittlestadt for zone entries.
The Bad
The injury that Lockwood sustained against Canada has sidelined him for the rest of the season. There are talks that he will be out for up to nine months, meaning he won’t be able to do much offseason work on the ice. How much this will hurt his 2018-19 season and his overall development, we won’t know.
Also bad is the fact that Lockwood failed to record points in the 2.5 games he did play. He was used on a checking line with heavy PK duties, but to record no points at all despite the skill he possesses is a bit of a letdown.
RW. Team USA. WILLIAM LOCKWOOD. B-. Amazing job doing what his team needed to do, but the injury is a big blow to his development.
D Olli Juolevi
5GP: 1 Goal + 3 Assists
After finding his game again overseas in the Finnish Liiga, Olli Juolevi had something to prove at this year’s tournament. Though the Finns faltered, he delivered with confidence.
The good
Juolevi’s offensive skills and reads are good. Perhaps better than many of us Canucks fans give him credit. He definitely has more offensive upside than Chris Tanev. By the end of the tournament, Juolevi only trailed Cale Makar, Libor Hajek, and Rasmus Dahlin in tournament point-per-game among all defensemen.
Juolevi was depended on heavily when the game was on the line. As the tournament progressed, it was evident Juolevi’s defensive game was back where it used to be before an off-year last season.
Juolevi was voted one of Finland’s top three players at the tournament. His performance against the Czechs showed that he can elevate his play when the games start to matter the most. He had an impeccable game both defensively and offensively.
The bad
One thing I do notice about Juolevi’s play, in general, is that he misses the net a lot with his shot. Some may be intentionally placed wide or looking for deflection, but as his shot power increases, his accuracy seems to disappear.
The big bad for Juolevi in this tournament is that he failed to score in the shootout to keep Finland’s hopes alive and advance.
#WJC: Olli Juolevi had a chance to extend the shootout, but Czech G Josef Korenar capped a 52-save performance with the game-winning save. Czechs move on to SF to face winner of CAN-SUI.
Juolevi now returns to the Finnish Liiga, where he has 15 points in 21 games for TPS this season as a rookie.
A-. Juolevi showed to the hockey world that he is still a quality NHL prospect with an inspiring performance.. D. Team Finland. OLLI JUOLEVI
RW Elias Pettersson (Team Sweden)
7 GP: 5 Goals + 2 Assists
Many had Elias Pettersson as the most skilled player at this year’s tournament and he did not disappoint.
The Good
The skill and offensive talent were oozing out of Pettersson the entire tournament. His dekes, like this one below, showed how Pettersson could dominate with the puck on his stick.
His passing was sublime as well. He created multiple chances and goals from his spot on the powerplay, making cross-ice saucer passes to William Nylander on the other side at will. His anticipation and hockey IQ is also evident in this cute pass, too.
But the most fascinating part of his game was how strong his shot is despite him being such a light and rather lanky player. His wrist shot was on display the entire tournament and it was quick, accurate, and deadly. If Boeser’s wrist shot is a powerful cannon, Pettersson’s is like a bullet from a sniper rifle.
Oh, and for good measures, Pettersson proved that he was not a physically lacking player with this solid check against Team USA.
The Bad
Was there any bad? Pettersson was not feeling 100% to begin the tournament but was playing well anyhow. His biggest loss in this tournament is the fact that Casey Mittlestadt managed to out-perform him. Though this won’t be a big problem for many, considering that the Canucks were rumored to be interested in picking Mittlestadt with the fifth-overall pick last year, this was a small loss on Pettersson’s part.
A. Elias Pettersson declared to the hockey world that he was just twenty pounds of body mass away from potentially going first overall in last year’s draft.. RW. Team Sweden. ELIAS PETTERSSON
The only real downside for Pettersson at this tournament is the fact that he did not play at center. And how did he not get selected as one of Sweden’s top three players???
Overall, it was a great tournament for the Canucks. Those who made it showed that they were all capable of meeting or exceeding expectations. Those who didn’t make it were inspired to challenge themselves even more. And that early pick in the 2018 draft looks real good for the Canucks.
