Anaheim Ducks: World Junior Championship Recap, Day 2
By Jason Byun
Although the Anaheim Ducks resumed the NHL season when they faced the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, the IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championships continue in Montreal and Toronto. The Ducks have three prospects on display, with Ondrej Kase on the Czech Republic and both Shea Theodore and Nick Ritchie for Canada, and all three were on display on the second day.
Game 1: Denmark vs. Sweden
Result: Sweden defeats Denmark 5-1
Ducks Prospects: None
Goals:
Lucas Wallmark (SWE, 1) – Carolina Hurricanes (2014 4th round pick, 97th)
Anton Blidh (SWE, 1) – Boston Bruins (2013 6th round pick, 180th)
William Nylander (SWE, 2) – Toronto Maple Leafs (2014 1st round pick, 8th)
Jacob de la Rose (SWE, 2) – Montreal Canadiens (2013 2nd round pick, 34th)
Nick Olesen (DEN, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Sebastian Aho (SWE, 1, PP) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Game 2: Slovakia vs. Finland
Result: Slovakia defeats Finland 2-1
Ducks Prospects: None
Goals:
Mikko Rantanen (FIN, 2) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Peter Cehlarik (SVK, 1, PP) – Boston Bruins (2013 3rd round pick, 90th)
Matus Holenda (SVK, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
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Game 3: Czech Republic vs. Switzerland
Result: Switzerland defeats Czech Republic 5-2
Ducks Prospects: Ondrej Kase (2014 7th round pick, 205th) – Scoreless, -1
Goals:
Kevin Fiala (SUI, 1) – Nashville Predators (2014 1st round pick, 11th)
Marek Ruzicka (CZE, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Lukas Klok (CZE, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Kevin Fiala (SUI, 2, PP) – Nashville Predators (2014 1st round pick, 11th)
Noah Rod (SUI, 1) – San Jose Sharks (2014 2nd round pick, 53rd)
Tim Wieser (SUI, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Luca Fazzini (SUI, 1, PP) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Game 4: Germany vs. Canada
Result: Canada defeats Germany 4-0
Ducks Prospects:
Nick Ritchie (2014 1st round pick, 10th) – Scoreless, +1
Shea Theodore (2013 1st round pick, 26th) – Scoreless, Even
Goals:
Connor McDavid (CAN, 1) – 2015 NHL Draft Eligible
Curtis Lazar (CAN, 1, PP) – Ottawa Senators (2013 1st round pick, 17th)
Max Domi (CAN, 2) – Arizona Coyotes (2013 1st round pick, 12th)
Madison Bowey (CAN, 1, PP) – Washington Capitals (2013 2nd round pick, 53rd)
The Ducks prospects were all held off the scoresheet. The two teams they are on, however, are headed in different directions. Canada has won both of their round-robin matches by a combined score of 12-0 while only facing a total of 29 shots on goal through 120 minutes of action. With six points, Canada leads Group A. For the Czechs, they have lost 5-2 in both games in the group stage, to Sweden and Switzerland. With the two regulation losses, the Czechs are fifth in Group B, and if results hold, they will have to play in the relegation round against the fifth place team from Group A.
For Team Canada, they prevailed over Germany with relative ease. After a scoreless first game for 2015 draft phenom Connor McDavid, he spearheaded the Canadians with three points, tied with Nic Petan for the most on the team. Canada outshot Germany 31-17 and posted its second consecutive shutout to open the tournament. Ritchie took two penalties and seemed to get pushed down the Team Canada lineup. Ritchie is one of two Canadian forwards who does not have a point through two games (the other being Frederik Gauthier).
Ritchie doesn’t quite fit the skilled, speedy mold of the rest of his Canadian teammates, but he’s not slow or lacking in ability. However, he must find a way to get more involved, as he is the forward drawing the most criticism among the Canadian team. Ritchie was shuffled off his initial line with McDavid and Lazar, and if he doesn’t start getting positive results on the ice, he may end up being the 13th forward in the Canada rotation.
The Ducks are intrigued by Ritchie’s potential: Bob Murray has been trying to find a linemate to complete the line of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Murray has been most intrigued by players with size and shooting ability, signing Dany Heatley in the offseason and trading Bryan Allen for Rene Bourque in November. The Ducks’ general manager seems to believe that a power forward will be the best complement to the Getzlaf and Perry duo, but that breed of forward is rare in the NHL, which has transitioned away from stressing physical dominance and focused more on skill, skating, and the “finesse” aspects of the game.
The left-wing experiment has not worked at the NHL level. This is a terrific way for Ritchie to impress the organization. He has the tools to succeed, but he must find a way to be productive.