• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
Saturday was a big day at the World Under-18 Championship in setting the
table for Sunday's gold-medal matchup. Team USA took care of the Czech Republic 4-1, while Finland blanked Sweden 2-0.
If there's a lesson here, it's not to bet against the Americans in this event. Their utter dominance of it over the past decade is a direct result of the success of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). When you put a group of players together for two years leading up to the event, you have the makings of a champion. There is no substitute for team chemistry.
Saturday's other big news was the NHL Draft Lottery. Buffalo was rewarded for its dismal season with the first pick, which means you can start selling the Rasmus Dahin Sabres jerseys. It looks like No. 26 is available for him. The two teams that moved up were Carolina to No. 2 and Montreal to No. 3. It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens take QMJHL star Filip Zadina, although they would probably rather have Andrei Svechnikov -- that guy would look good in the bleu, blanc, et rouge.
So much to look forward to in June, but have a look at Saturday's top performances for now:
JUSTUS ANNUNEN -- Finland's goalie will be one of the first netminders selected in the NHL draft. He has been utterly amazing in 2017-18 and reminded everyone of that with 29 saves in a 2-0 shutout of Sweden to advance to the World U-18 Championship's gold-medal game. Annunen stopped four shots in the first period, 14 in the second, and 11 in the third. He is a perfect 5-0 in the tournament with a .910 save percentage. Finland has produced some NHL great goalies, and Annunen appears to be the next one. (Note: 14th appearance on this list in 2017-18)
GILIAN KOHLER -- Kohler managed to shine in World U-18 relegation play with a hat trick and an assist in Switzerland's 6-0 rout of France. The Kootenay Ice forward had a goal in each period, scoring at 15:32 of the first for a 2-0 lead, at 7:38 of the second to make it 4-0, and at 2:46 of the third to push it to 5-0. He also had the lone assist on the game's final goal at 10:00 of the third. That gave him four goals and two assists in his last two games. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)
OLIVER WAHLSTROM -- Just how high will Wahlstrom be drafted in June? He has top-five potential, and he has proved it at every turn in the World Under-18 tournament. His goal, assist, and five shots played a big role in Team USA's 4-1 semifinal win over the Czech Republic, as the Americans rocketed into the gold-medal game. Wahlstrom had the primary assist on the game's first goal at 3:37 of the opening period and scored the eventual game-winner for a 2-0 lead at 1:04 o the second. With points in all six World Under-18 games, he also has a six-game goal-scoring streak. Among tournament leaders, he is tied for first in goals and third in points. (Note: 12th appearance on this list in 2017-18)