Was at the game tonight, here are some of my thoughts.
The lines that were posted were not the lines that ended the game, everyone almost played with everyone and they didn't stay together for very long throughout the game, trying to see who fits well with others. I thought Hickets and Bigras were the best D in the game, Sanheim seemed to struggle with the pressure from the fore check and didn't move the puck as well as I would have liked to see from him. Fleury had a couple nice rushes but wasn't a standout, so probably a good thing. Really hard to judge the D in this game though as they all had there good points and not many negatives from there game.
I thought Fabbri was the best player for Team Canada tonight, scoring two goals but also just creating a ton of scoring chances and being hard on the puck. He has such a good nose for the net and should be a lock for this team. I thought Gauthier also looked good, causing many turnovers on the fore check and made smart plays all around the ice. His skating is a non issue on the NHL sized ice and he takes away time and space very effectively. Dal Colle was decent but I've seen him play much better than he did tonight. Scored a goal but needed to get his shot off a little quicker, which is his bread and butter.
I thought some of the Dub forwards, like Chartier, Point and Klimchuk had solid games. Point is a very smart player who was creating chances all night and is strong on the puck for a smaller player. He goes hard to the net and has good vision, as well as strong puck skills. Klimchuk played with a ton of energy and was pressuring the puck and the puck carrier well all night, good speed as well. Couldn't help but think of Carter Ashton from his time with the WJ team in Buffalo, looked awfully similar to Ashton with that team. Chartier has a strange skating style, he gets really low to the ice but he is deceptively quick and is smart. He doesn't just throw the puck away and will turn back to preserve possession. Showed some good vision and playmaking abilities, had a couple shots on net as well from in tight. Ritchie had a nice goal on his first shift, and then proceeded to take a dumb roughing penalty after the whistle, which I've seen him do so many times the past two years, not a fan of him at all. Would be one of my first cuts if I was picking the team.
I liked the games of Elie, Paul and Crouse as well. Crouse is a much better suit for this team than say a guy like Ritchie IMO. He is a better skater, a smarter player in all three zones of the rink, and has a bomb of a shot, with a quick release. Also, he is one of the top penalty killers on the team if he makes it. Paul is not the greatest skater out there, but he has a powerful stride and plays a strong north-south game, chipping pucks up the wall and working very hard in puck battles, also has good hands and a nice scoring touch. Him and Elie are most likely in a battle with each other though and if I had to choose, I would take Elie. Just a better skater and one of the best on the team up front I would say.
Virtanen was okay in this game but he always leaves me wanting more whenever I've seen him play. He has a good shot but is pretty predictable with it, shooting primarily from the outside and lacks the creativity and puck skills to beat defenders one on one, and really doesn't have the foot speed. He has a good top end speed but his acceleration leaves a bit to be desired.
