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2023 IIHF World Junior Championship

2023 World Juniors: Five Observations From USA's 6-2 Win Over Finland

2023 World Juniors: Five Observations From USA's 6-2 Win Over Finland

Chris Peters breaks down USA's win over Finland that clinched them first place in Group B.

Jan 1, 2023
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MONCTON, New Brunswick – Team USA saved its best game for its last game of the preliminary round, earning a 6-2 win over Finland to finish in first place in Group B with nine points in the standings. By finishing first in Group B, the U.S. will meet Group A's fourth-place team, Germany in the quarterfinals Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

The U.S. finally left their slow starts behind them, by mostly dominating the first period even though it ended 1-1 after the opening 20. A goal from Chaz Lucius (WPG) got things started in the opening stanza.

In the second period, the U.S. didn't have as much control of the game, but they did seize control of the scoreboard with three straight goals including one on the power play from Rutger McGroarty (WPG), an unassisted tally from Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) and a blast from the point by Luke Hughes (NJD). Finland did manage to get one back, but the U.S. had mostly taken control.

In the third period, it was all Team USA again, even as they killed a couple of penalties. Logan Cooley (ARI) and Lane Hutson (MTL) each scored on rush plays with primary assists from Snuggerud. Meanwhile, Trey Augustine (2023) stood tall in net, making 29 saves to improve to 3-0-0-0 at the World Juniors.

Now the Americans get to stay in Moncton for the New Year's off day as they await Germany, who will be traveling over from Halifax. 

Here are some other observations from USA's win, as well as notes on standout players.

USA Started The Game Fast

The first period was the kind of period this team was expected to have all tournament. Poor starts, however, had plagued this group and they struggled to get into a rhythm. That wasn't the case against Finland. 

USA made crisp plays with the puck, were aggressive on the forecheck and weren't making careless decisions in transition. That allowed their speed game to get going more and never really allowed Finland to get on their front foot.

There was the one stumble when, after the U.S. had taken the 1-0 lead, Sam Lipkin (ARI) was called for a penalty and Finland scored on that power play on an absolute rocket one-timer from Joakim Kemell (NSH). 

Aside from that, though, Team USA held a 26-12 advantage when it came to shot attempts in the period as they owned the puck. There was never a point where it felt like that game was going to get away from them, at least not in the first period.

Things got a little looser in the second, but getting off to a good start was critical to USA's success because they were always able to find their footing from there. They never really had to chase the game as they did at other points of this tournament.

Penalty Killing Was Solid

USA had some big penalty kills in both the second and third periods after giving up the power-play goal in the first period. I thought Red Savage (DET) and Charlie Stramel (2023) were excellent in that role for the U.S. as they were aggressive and got pucks up ice a lot. They also contested a lot of shots from the point and made plays in recovery to help the defensemen.

USA's PK has a lot of players involved, but Savage and Stramel are clearly the two guys Rand Pecknold wants out there as much as possible. Meanwhile, Jack Peart (MIN), Luke Hughes (NJD), Sean Behrens (COL), and Luke Mittelstadt get a lot of shifts in that situation as well. 

Finland thrives on the power play and while they got a few looks, the U.S. didn't allow too many clean ones. Special teams is critical in any hockey game, but they can be especially so in these short tournaments. Having a good penalty kill heading into the elimination round is hugely important.

USA currently has the fourth best PK in the tournament, operating with an 82% kill rate with just two power-play goals against on 11 disadvantages.

USA Has Their Goalie

Trey Augustine is just 17 years old, but he's looked like a veteran between the pipes for Team USA. He's now 3-0-0-0 with a .925 save percentage. Considering the only two goals that beat him today was a perfect shot on the power play and a net-front goal off of a broken play, he had another good night.

"Trey is the man," said Rutger McGroarty (WPG) after the game. "He's just so calm back there and once you look at your goalie and he's making saves like that and he's got that calm presence, it's easier to go into the game knowing you've got him back there."

In addition to his 29 saves, Augustine also picked up an assist on McGroarty's goal when he left the puck for Luke Hughes who went end-to-end. They usually don't ask you how, right?

There was a big question as to who would ultimately be the starter between Augustine and Kaidan Mbereko, who was in net at the last World Juniors over the summer. Augustine has made the decision for USA's staff by playing as well as he has.

Augustine's draft stock is shooting up and his own confidence should be shooting up with how controlled he has played while here. His team certainly believes in him.

The Top Line Is Going

USA's No. 1 offensive line of Logan Cooley (ARI), Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) and Cutter Gauthier (PHI) was impossible to stop for Finland. Snuggerud finished the game with four points including an unassisted goal that proved to be the game-winner. Cooley had three points and Gauthier had an assist.

Though Gauthier's scoring hasn't necessarily been there in terms of goals, Pecknold said he's been especially impressed by Gauthier's buy-in and not pushing too hard or cheating for offense. He's playing a solid all-around game, which is benefiting the team as much as any scoring he'd be doing. 

The speed that trio can play with is going to make them difficult to play against regardless of opponents. When they're out there with Luke Hughes, the other team may not get a lot of puck touches.

Your best players have to show up in this tournament and they absolutely have. Cooley and Snuggerud each have seven points to lead Team USA, while Gauthier has five assists.

Right Balance On Defense Found

The U.S. has seemingly figured out how best to structure their blue line after a few tries. Reid Cashman has been running the defense for Team USA and they've shuffled things around to make sure they were allowing players play to their strengths.

Sean Behrens has moved to the pairing with Luke Hughes, Ryan Ufko (NSH) has played a lot with Jack Peart (MIN), and Lane Hutson has played with just about all of them, though was paired a lot with Luke Mittelstadt. Ryan Chesley (WSH) has settled into the seventh defense spot and hasn't seen the ice as much, which has been a surprise for me, but also warranted at this point.

Behrens and Hughes as a pair are able to play the big minutes, with Peart and Ufko holding it down as the second pairing essentially. In the tighter games, I'd expect Hughes and Behrens to play even more now that they seem to have found the right chemistry.

Player Notes

Jimmy Snuggerud (STL): With four points in the game, he was the easy choice for U.S. player of the game. Snuggerud's turnaround shot to score an unassisted goal seemed like it took the wind right out of Finland's sails. But he wasn't done. Snuggerud has been one of the most consistent offensive players for USA in this tournament and has the numbers to back that up. Every single shift he has the right effort, but also makes a lot of plays with precision thanks to his overall puck skills, which I feel like I may have underrated in his draft year. He was on the ice for five of USA's six goals.

Luke Hughes (NJD): Save for two noticeable miscues with the puck that ultimately didn't prove costly, Hughes was outright dominant in this game against Finland. He makes so many plays and is so aggressive in how he jumps plays from the opposition as well and kills them before they can really get going. He played 22 minutes in the game and most of his shifts were incredibly impactful. He scored a goal that gave the U.S. some needed insurance and was able to close things down in the third period. He now has three goals and one assist in the tournament.

Lane Hutson (MTL): I have liked Hutson in USA's other games in flashes, but I thought the game against Finland was a classic Hutson game and him at his best. He was making so many great little plays with his feet and his dynamic puckhandling ability. He scored the sixth goal of the game on a rush and it was nice to see him get rewarded for the game he played. What I was more impressed with is how little he tried to force plays. He made the plays his skills could dictate and didn't go beyond that. It just so happens that his dynamic abilities with the puck are so vast that he can do a lot more than most other defensemen can. He also finished the game with a plus-3 rating.

Logan Cooley (ARI): A three-point game with a goal that felt like a dagger in the third period, Cooley was a factor on every shift he played. He didn't always make the right play and there are still a few instances where he's just trying to do too much with the puck. I'd like to see him get north a little more and direct more pucks to the net, but he's always on the attack. It's really difficult for players to defend at this level.

Luke Mittelstadt: Mittelstadt had his best game of the tournament, playing third-pairing minutes and making the most of his shifts. He didn't force plays and was a good example of making the simple plays. I thought he used his body well and disrupted the opposing attack. Mittelstadt has had an up-and-down tournament, but I think he found the right spot for him with the way USA structured its D corps.

Ryan Ufko (NSH): Assisting on the first goal which came right after a power play expired, Ufko showed tremendous patience in getting the puck to the net area. He needed to find a lane to get the puck through and didn't release it until it was there. The end result was the puck going off the back boards right to Chaz Lucius (WPG) who finished it. Pecknold mentioned Ufko as one of the most pleasant surprises on this team, though he had a feeling that he could handle a top-four role thanks to his high-end hockey sense.

Rutger McGroarty (WPG): Scoring USA's second goal on the power play, McGroarty made an impact in a variety of ways. I thought USA's second line made a lot of plays in general and had one of their better overall games. McGroarty doesn't have the greatest footspeed, but he seems to get to where he needs to go quickly enough. He engaged physically and was able to extend plays with his confidence on the puck.

Red Savage (DET): So much of what Savage does will not show up on the score sheet. He plays the game relatively simply, but he plays hard every single shift. His ability to get in on the forecheck and be disruptive in the offensive zone is critical to USA's success. Additionally, his work on the PK, blocking shots and putting pressure on the opposition was impressive. Savage also has some sneaky skill and is confident with the puck on his stick. But he makes the right plays instead of the risky ones and it works out for him more times than not. I thought his work against Finland was some of his best of the tournament to date.

Stay tuned to FloHockey for more coverage of the World Junior Championship and follow @chrismpeters on Twitter for more updates from the World Junior Championship.