It has been a tournament full of unexpected results and upsets, yet with the gold medal game between USA and Sweden it is the two best teams that find themselves with a chance for glory. Meanwhile, Germany was able to stave off Norway in the relegation round, extending their stay in the top division for a sixth straight year.
While Czechia and Finland got off to slow starts, they were able to work their way into the semifinals, and will face off for the bronze medal. Meanwhile the third pre tournament favourites, Canada, lost out in the quarterfinals, and was a bit short of the talents that the Americans and Swedes iced. If anything, Canada’s selection process, heavy on NHL style defensive traits, particularly on the blueline, was not particularly effective on the bigger ice surface.
This is in contrast against both the Americans and the Swedes, who both have a lot more skill, especially on the blueline than Canada did. Both teams are stacked with both depth and high end talent, with virtually no weak links on the roster, which should make for an amazing game to conclude this year’s tournament. What’s more is that the players on either side have some history together, trading U18 gold medals in this age group.
Sweden
Players of the tournament
Noah Ostlund (F)
Jonathan Lekkerimaki (F)
Hugo Havelid (G)
The Swedes have received strong performances on home ice, with Lekkerimaki and Ostlund leading the charge offensively. Make no mistake, the lineup is deep down to the fourth line, and includes a blend of skills, giving the Swedes more than enough talent to break through any opponent’s defences.
This depth is reflected on the blueline, making it hard to pick out any clear standouts from the group as a whole. As mentioned, Sweden has a lot of puck moving and skating prowess on the back end.
In all, the Swedes have been ruthlessly strong defensively, particularly with Havelid in net. The one blemish on their tournament is a loss to Finland, as the arch rivals played a physical game with lots of extracurricular activities between whistles. Perhaps therein lies a method to throw the Swedes off their game, but it might not be easy to replicate the emotions in this respect, even in a gold medal game.
USA
Players of the tournament
Gavin Brindley (F)
Cutter Gauthier (F)
Lane Hutson (D)
Meanwhile, the Americans have looked dominant for most of the tournament, and are currently undefeated. Still, there have been some tense moments, particularly early on in their semi final game against Finland. The American were able to mount a late game comeback. There is no shortage of forwards who have made their mark for the Americans, though it was Cutter Gauthier who scored the winning goal in the dying moments of their semifinal victory.
The Americans are built fairly similarly to the Swedes, with a deep forward group with a blend of skills, and a blueline that heavily features puck moving talent and offensive skill, epitomized by Lane Hutson, but also including likely top 10 pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft Zeev Buium, who has been a standout for the team despite being younger.
In all likelihood the Americans will be seen as favourites by most, though otherwise neutral fans might be drawn in by the home team Swedes and their historic lack of gold medals given the strength of their program.
Photo from @usahockey on Twitter
