Game Report
Dec 26, 2011
2012 World Junior Hockey Tournament
Home Team: Canada
Away Team: Finland
Prospects Breakdown:
2012 World Junior Hockey Tournament
Home Team: Canada
Away Team: Finland
Prospects Breakdown:
CAN#27(Ryan Murray) Smart, poised defenseman who, along with Scott Harrington, were used as the shutdown pair in the game and were extremely effective all game long. Biggest asset to his game is hockey sense. Always had his head on a swivel, positioned himself quickly to take away passing options and keep opponents to the outside. Not overly physical, but his poise with the puck got him out of trouble and consistently won battles for pucks. A very smooth skater, had no problem keeping up with opponents in the corner, and skated very well backwards to maintain a good gap. Missed a lot of hockey so far this season, and his touch with the puck looked a little rusty. Before his ankle injury, made his teammates' lives easier by getting pucks to areas only they can get to, but tonight put teammates in difficult situations to chip pucks out by putting passes too far, or putting too soft of a touch on the puck.
CAN#13(Freddie Hamilton) 2-way forward who played a very good game in both ends of the ice. Showed great determination and intelligence in the defensive zone. Went into the boards with great determination to win battles and showed off very good strength to get the puck away from opponents. Very disciplined in the defensive zone, shows good patience to wait for the play to develop and take away options as they come. Collapsed at appropriate times to take away options in the slot and clear away any rebounds. Offensively, showed some creativity with passes, and make quick decisions with the puck. Really liked to take the puck to the net and create havoc for Finland. Not ever going to be a huge scoring threat at higher levels. Needs to be mistake free and play smart to have legit shot at NHL.
CAN#6(Scott Harrington) The defenseman who was counted on to shutdown the first line of Finland, and did extremely well tonight. Used his reach to keep forwards within his reach and used his stick to take away lanes. Showed good poise with the puck and calmly moved it despite forecheckers were hounding him from behind. Not overly physical, but very strong along the boards. Not much offensive abilities, not an overly big risk taker. Best when he keeps it simple like he has been doing most of this season.
FIN#10(Joel Armia) Creative forward with very good vision. A very good, fluid skater. Looks calm when making strides, and can turn on a dime. Made some impressive passes, like on the PP off the half wall, faked a slap shot and went cross ice, tape to tape for a scoring chance for his team. On another play, it was a 3 on 2 situation, and he saucered a pass right by a defender and got it to land perfectly on his teammate's stick. Work ethic is questionable. Compete level was not very impressive along the boards to win battles for the puck. Defensively, was in the right positions, but hustle to get to loose pucks can be improved. Other than some flashes, was not very good.
FIN#2(Olli Maatta) 2 way defenseman who had his game shortened due to an injury. Received a huge hit in the corner after holding onto the puck for too long. Had a few instances where he could have avoided hits had he made decisions quicker with the puck. Maintained good gap control throughout his shifts. Got caught on the wrong side of the play on a goal against. In the slot, he takes up space, but did not read the play well enough to take away plays and prevent them from happening. Offensively, possesses a decent shot and likes to make stretch passes. Plays with an ugly hunched over style at times. Left a lot to desire from tonight's performance.
SCOUTS NOTES: Canada had a dominant game today. The team as a whole came out ready to play and had a lot of energy all game long. Impressive offensive outing by Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings. Showed a great scoring touch. Really liked Ryan Murray and Scott Harrington tonight. Had a tough assignment to try to stop Mikael Granlund and his dynamic linemates, and managed to shut them down completely. Ryan Murray looks a little rusty in playing the puck, but his ability to read the play has continued to be impressive. Maatta could be done for the tournament.
FINAL SCORE: 8-1 Canada
