The Anaheim Ducks had three prospects excel on day one of World Juniors and there is plenty of talent to keep an eye on as well.
Anaheim Ducks management has to be smiling after day one of the World Junior Championship. Not only did the Ducks prospects play well, they stayed injury free on an extremely physical opening day of action.
It started this morning with Sweden taking on Switzerland. Defensemen Jacob Larsson and Marcus Pettersson both played extremely well as the Swedes made a statement winning 8-3.
Larsson was playing on the so called “top pairing” for Sweden and Pettersson looked to be on the second pairing playing alongside Columbus prospect Gabriel Carlsson. However, in an 8-3 victory it is somewhat hard to tell who is really playing where as the Swedes simply dominated.
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Larsson, the Ducks 2015 first round pick, got a shot through traffic from the point late in the game and he was credited with the goal. He played well and made a number of patient smart plays with the puck. He was quarterbacking the Swedish power play at times and sporting the number four, he showed some Cam Fowler like tendencies.
Pettersson, 2014 second round pick, had himself a really nice game finishing with three assists. He made some mistakes and finished with a -2 rating, but overall he was noticeable and was creating offense.
This game had some controversy as the Swiss were not shying away from physical play.
Swedens top player and Maple Leafs top prospect William Nylander was blind-sided on a hit that knocked him out of the game.
Marcus Pettersson did not take kindly to this hit and immediately went after the Swiss player who delivered the controversial hit. That’s something you love to see from a young guy, especially the 6 foot 4 Pettersson, he stood up for his teammate and he was physical all game long.
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Finland was in action today as well and took on Belarus as Ducks 2015 second round pick Julius Nattinen centered the third line. He finished the game scoreless but he had a number of great opportunities in the first period. The puck was not bouncing Nattinen’s way but he played a smart game and was good at the faceoff dot.
The host country Finland won that game 6-0.
Sweden and Finland, both sitting at 1-0, are back in action on Monday.
2016 Draft Eligible Players To Watch
With the Ducks season not going as planned, they would currently sit with the second best odds to win the draft lottery if the season ended today. With that being said, if things continue to trend downward in Anaheim, Ducks GM Bob Murray may be faced with a big decision come draft day if his teams ends up with a high pick.
Here’s some players to watch
Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine (Finland)
The two Finnish forwards toyed with the Belarus defense all game. They are both expected to be picked early in the first round of the 2016 draft and both are big guys who fly down the wing to make highly skillful plays.
Puljujarvi finished with two goals and an assist while Laine finished with a goal. If you have the opportunity, check out number 9 and 29 for sporting the “Suomi” jersey, these wingers are the real deal.
Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk (USA)
The two big name guys on the American roster helped in the big opening win over Canada today. Matthews drew a lot of attention as the consensus number one overall pick come next June, but he was not held off the scoresheet. Auston finished with a goal and an assist while Tkachuk finished with two assists.
I’m not saying the Ducks struggles are going to continue, although they might, but if things don’t get better the Ducks could be in the running to land one of these guys.
The Americans also did the “Dab” after every goal they scored and if you don’t love hockey players engaging in the latest hip hop trends, then there is something wrong with you.
Alex Debrincat (USA)
Debrincat had a rough day, he was tossed from the game after “spearing” a Canadian player even though it might have been a partial flop. He’s a talented guy so keep an eye on him. He is currently 4th in OHL scoring.
Alexander Nylander (Sweden)
Alexander is the brother of William, who was knocked out of the game by a blind-side hit. With one Nylander out of the game, the other stepped up big time. Alexander took the reigns for the Swedes with his brother out and he finished the game with three assists.
Alexander Nylander should be a top 10 pick in 2016 and he is extremely fun to watch. If his brother William is out with a concussion for the next few games, he will have to step up big time.
Olli Juolevi (Finland)
The Finnish defensemen had two assist in the win over Belarus and has 23 points in 28 games so far this season playing in the OHL for the London Knights. He wears number 4 and your going to want to watch this guy play. He should be a high draft pick in June as well.
As always, follow us on twitter (@pucksofafeather) for coverage of the World Junior Championship. If you haven’t checked out our guide to the World Juniors, check that out here.