GDT: 2020-21 IIHF WJC, Edmonton/Red Deer, Canada: 12/25/20 - 1/5/21

[Nickster]

Important jerseys for Team USA:

11. Brock Faber
15. Alex Turcotte
28. Arthur Kaliyev

Team Finland:
29 Kasper Simontaival

 

[tny760]

I think Simontaival was demoted from the first line, haven't seem him on with Lundell the past couple shifts.

gotta admit i've been pretty enthralled by the US team but yeah, haven't really seen much from him.. that said none of the finnish forwards have done much aside from lundell

 

[kilowatt]

That Faber stay at home defense

 

[Schrute farms]

Some nice Turcotte play here at end of 3rd

 

[tny760]

welp great showing from turcotte, kaliyev did kaliyev things, faber looked reliable. not much from simontaival but it is what it is

 

[ru4reals]

Some nice Turcotte play here at end of 3rd

He isn't scoring but he does a lot of little things that don't show up on the scoreboard. He had some great chances tonight but because he didn't score all of a sudden no one notices him.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He isn't scoring but he does a lot of little things that don't show up on the scoreboard. He had some great chances tonight but because he didn't score all of a sudden no one notices him.

f***ing knew it was going to happen because Zegras draws the eyes.

No one notices the multiple times Turcotte drew two forecheckers to spring Zegras, or the board work, or the sick little plays to buy a guy time and space, or him clearing the lanes, winning faceoffs...the Toews comparisons are bang on even down to the people shittalking him already.

He hit guys square in the blade in the slot no less than three times and each time the player fumbled it, and broke loose and hit a crossbar himself.

That's a monster line and Turcotte is a huge part of it but people are too busy fawning over TZ to notice.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

f***ing knew it was going to happen because Zegras draws the eyes.

No one notices the multiple times Turcotte drew two forecheckers to spring Zegras, or the board work, or the sick little plays to buy a guy time and space, or him clearing the lanes, winning faceoffs...the Toews comparisons are bang on even down to the people shittalking him already.

So true..and Turcotte hit a quick pass on Boldy's tape on that 3 on 2 and he flubbed it. Turcotte looked good.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

So true..and Turcotte hit a quick pass on Boldy's tape on that 3 on 2 and he flubbed it. Turcotte looked good.

I'm really not trying to be a "do you even play the game" snob about it but Turcotte really does do all the coaches favorite stuff. USA's Cs are all cut from the same cloth, they're the two-way conscience of each line, and they're doing Kopitar things behind each net. Turcotte seems to be a guy that--for better or worse--will embrace the role. Until that point in the third where he was like "okay Trevor I'm sick of your shit it's my turn "

If anything I'm only concerned he's cursed, hitting that crossbar and whiffing on the open net, lol.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Also Faber performed exactly as I hoped, as did Kaliyev. Little miffed I only heard Kasper's name like twice, but you can't have it all I guess.

 

[ru4reals]

f***ing knew it was going to happen because Zegras draws the eyes.

No one notices the multiple times Turcotte drew two forecheckers to spring Zegras, or the board work, or the sick little plays to buy a guy time and space, or him clearing the lanes, winning faceoffs...the Toews comparisons are bang on even down to the people shittalking him already.

He hit guys square in the blade in the slot no less than three times and each time the player fumbled it, and broke loose and hit a crossbar himself.

That's a monster line and Turcotte is a huge part of it but people are too busy fawning over TZ to notice.

Seriously amazing how his compete level, hustle and forchecking is completely ignored because he didn't make a between the leg, spin-o-rama pass. I'm not sweatin one bit about Alex Turcotte not scoring one point in a pre-tournament game. Kids going to be a very good player for us.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Turcotte will one day be the quiet leader wearing an 'A' because he does all the little things that make a team succeed.

Perfect #2 centerman behind Byfield.

 

[bland]

I thought Turcotte looked pretty good. Choppy, some mishandles here and there, and I don't think I saw him win a single draw, but he has extras to his game - a nose for loose pucks, a second gear burst when needed, very good hold up cross ice passes and a defensive understanding where he would drift away from man coverage to go to the area the puck was logically heading and end up beating his man to that position. I am not really a fan of using Mike Richards as a comparable because I hold him in such high esteem, but dammit, Turcotte sure looked an awful lot like Richards out there. He intuited the play instead of following it. Whether he has that ungodly ability to do what it takes to win and inspire that in others is something that time will tell, but the visuals were right there.

I obviously saw all the flash and sizzle from Zegras and Caufield, but I thought Jake Sanderson was far and away the best skater on the ice.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I thought Turcotte looked pretty good. Choppy, some mishandles here and there, and I don't think I saw him win a single draw, but he has extras to his game - a nose for loose pucks, a second gear burst when needed, very good hold up cross ice passes and a defensive understanding where he would drift away from man coverage to go to the area the puck was logically heading and end up beating his man to that position. I am not really a fan of using Mike Richards as a comparable because I hold him in such high esteem, but dammit, Turcotte sure looked an awful lot like Richards out there. He intuited the play instead of following it. Whether he has that ungodly ability to do what it takes to win and inspire that in others is something that time will tell, but the visuals were right there.

I obviously saw all the flash and sizzle from Zegras and Caufield, but I thought Jake Sanderson was far and away the best skater on the ice.

I was very cautious to not use Richards for that reason haha. But even down to the holding the lead and the end, barreling down the ice on the forecheck, and intercepting a puck he should have put into an empty net, that was my thought.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

The 2 on 1 that Faber faced, he was maybe 10-12 feet from the puck carrier. I think most defensemen would have played the middle and be ready to drop, to block a pass,
and let the goalie face the shooter. Faber had the confidence and immediate reaction to close on the shooter and he was on him so fast, the shooter could not shoot or pass.
Faber stopped the play cold, what would ordinarily result in the shooter getting a decent shot off. So impressive. He's quick, smart, decisive and executes. "but he's not flashy
and will never run a powerplay!!" Who cares? There are 2 other defensemen on your team that can do that. Hell, most teams have only 1 QB PP defenseman and a forward
mans the other point, anyway. This kid was 17, 4 months ago. He's going to be awesome.

Kind of like Bjornfot. You cannot read a single piece on him that does not say "He's a very good skater and great in his zone...but his offense is not that of anything special and he lacks an offensive game"
How many times have you seen that? These baffoons do not realize offense starts by getting out of your own zone and is not all about what happens in the O zone. Toby moves the puck very well, makes smart plays and moves the puck quickly, getting out of the zone and pucks to forwards. As good as most of the glitzy, more offensively gifted. I think he had 18 points in 44 AHL games at 18 years old! Sorry, but those are not the numbers of a defensive defenseman. They are respectable, especially at age 18 in the AHL! Most 18 year old defensemen cannot sniff a game at the AHL level, let alone do very well. Stothers loved him. And Ontario has had a poor offense the past few years. Toby has plenty of talent and that includes his play in the O zone.

 

[ru4reals]

Highlights of the game. Focusing on Turcotte, since a few on the main boards was wondering where he was as if he wasn't even there, yet did not look at the good number of chances he created and had himself. Some were little things people just don't care to notice. Yes a lot to improve on but I thought he had a good game altogether. The points will come.

01:27 Great pass to spring Zegras for a chance. Closer look at 02:26.
02:50 Another great opportunity but just missed driving hard to the net. Then eventually draws a penalty right afterwards going after the puck.
07:35 Drives in on the right gets the puck knocked away but then wins the board battle and finds a wide open Zegras for a chance.
07:55 Nice little backhand to Brink who could have shot but decided to pass. Could have had a scoring chance there.
08:57 Nice little pass off the boards to Zegras, who did his signature spin pass to Sanderson and could have resulted in a possible point.
09:54 Mini Break off the boards with a glorious chance. Great move just rang it off the crossbar.

These were just a few from the video. There were probably other plays as well I'm sure.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

There was one in particular I remember where, I think on the PP, Turcotte got the puck at the USA blueline, and two Finns came in HOT--and he just casually kicked a no look backhand cross ice pass through them to Zegras in stride. Took my breath away. Then Zegras made a sick move and well you know

 

[SFKingshomer]

Zegras is pure skill and will always win the eye test. He needs to improve his play between the dots and on faceoffs if he wants to play center in the NHL.

Turcotte is a safer player that does the little things that people with a hockey IQ appreciate.

I think it's a Marc Savard vs Patrice Bergeron type comparison.

 

[kilowatt]

All I'll say is that if I'm choosing between Zegras and Turcotte in a hard-fought playoff series, I know who I'm picking.

 

[Vino]

All I'll say is that if I'm choosing between Zegras and Turcotte in a hard-fought playoff series, I know who I'm picking.

I don't who you're picking, but my choiche is definitely Zegras. And it's not a tough choiche. A good coach can teach "the little things", but he can't teach creativity á la Zegras.

 

[tny760]

I don't who you're picking, but my choiche is definitely Zegras. And it's not a tough choiche. A good coach can teach "the little things", but he can't teach creativity á la Zegras.

creativity can be focused down by opponents though, reliability and two way play in a playoff series gets you more value imo

 

[cyclones22]

Zegras was my 2nd choice after Turcotte at #5 overall. I'm not surprised, he's turning out well. But they are 2 different types of players. It's like comparing a Richards/Toews archetype to a Claude Giroux type.

 

[TwzKing]

I don't who you're picking, but my choiche is definitely Zegras. And it's not a tough choiche. A good coach can teach "the little things", but he can't teach creativity á la Zegras.

You win playoff series with grit and nasty.

 

[kilowatt]

Zegras was my 2nd choice after Turcotte at #5 overall. I'm not surprised, he's turning out well. But they are 2 different types of players. It's like comparing a Richards/Toews archetype to a Claude Giroux type.

How many cups do Richards and Toews have? How many cups does Giroux have?

 

[RaymondReddington]

From EliteProspects.com, which ranks Turcotte #2 among Kings prospects (and Kings #1 prospects organization):

Last season represented a bit of a step back for Alex Turcotte relative to the lofty standards he set in his draft-year. On a Wisconsin team stacked with NHL draft picks, none of which met or exceeded their expectations, Turcotte stood out as the most egregious case of all.
Some of that was systems. Some of it was the environment. Some of it was probably deployment, too. I don't think it's a coincidence that some of the teams with prospects developing at Wisconsin signed their players to entry-level contracts to get them out of there as soon as possible.
Ultimately, though, the buck stops with the player, and Turcotte doubtless underperformed as a freshman at Wisconsin.
That's hardly the death knell for Turcotte's time as a top prospect in the sport, though. There's still plenty of runway left in front of him, and the talent that made him a fifth-overall pick in the first place is ever-present.
He's a playmaker first and foremost, and a damn good one at that. Turcotte isn't all that manipulative as a distributor -- not at 5-on-5, anyway -- but consistently advances play in the right direction and finds a way to create scoring chances through his linemates all the same.
It's the rush where Turcotte is most effective. His ability to identify teammates and distribute north-south through layers to jailbreak them is tops among skaters outside of the NHL. With the full array of reach-adjusting passes and an equal level of comfort on the backhand and forehand -- everyone is within Turcotte's reach.
One needs the handling and skating base to pull this off, and Turcotte certainly qualifies. He's a high-pace playmaker, with a straight-line separation gear, and the puck-handling ability to open up defenders, manipulate their footwork, and change directions.
On top of all that, Turcotte's motor never stops. He's determined to seek out contact on the fore-check, always takes the best route to the puck, and those second and third efforts make all the difference in the world in those battles.
Our scouts share some concerns about Turcotte's unwillingness to shoot the puck, often passing up Grade-A scoring chances to make that extra pass. Likewise, his reliance on beating opponents to the outside as the first arrow he pulls from his quiver on every entry is a bit concerning.
Overall, though, Turcotte's pace, motor, handling, and playmaking all project as well-above-average NHL level tools, and there isn't any reason he can't be a reliable three-zone force at the NHL level. Even after a tough season at Wisconsin, a top-six centre's role seems attainable for Turcotte.