Slovakia upset Finland and will face the USA in the semifinals at the World Men's Under-18 Championship. Sweden will play Canada again in the other semifinal.
The World Men's Under-18 Championship is down to the final four.
The Americans took down Czechia relatively easily despite a third-period scare when Czechia got within one. Finland outplayed Slovakia for large portions of the game, but Slovakia managed to score on the power play and get some timely goaltending to shut down the Finns’ attack and late comeback.
Canada played their most complete game of the tournament against the Swiss, with a massive performance from underager Macklin Celebrini leading the way. Sweden took care of Latvia with relative ease, putting more pressure on the undermanned Latvians as the game wore on.
That sets up the semifinal matchups and gives us a look at who will compete for the medals over the weekend. The USA takes on Slovakia, while Canada and Sweden face off in the rematch. Let’s break down what should be an excellent semifinal round.
USA vs. Slovakia
It’s the tournament’s top team versus the Cinderella story in one semifinal.
No matter how you look at this matchup, the quality and depth of the American squad outmatches the Slovak squad.
The Americans have been dominant from start to finish. Their top line has obliterated the competition. Will Smith and Gabe Perreault are tied for the tournament-scoring lead with 16 points, while Ryan Leonard is just behind them at 14 points. The secondary scoring led by Cole Eiserman, Oliver Moore and James Hagens has also been strong.
The Americans have an impressive group of defensemen who love to activate and attack up ice. Aram Minnetian hasn’t entirely produced the offensive numbers some expected at the U-18s, but he’s been an excellent puck-mover. Cole Hutson is the tournament leader in scoring from the blueline with his advanced offensive mind and skill, even if his defense has been inconsistent. Drew Fortescue and American captain Zach Schulz have also been steady presences on the back end.
For Slovakia, the offense has come from Dalibor Dvorsky for the most part. He’s the top non-American scorer at the U-18s, factoring in on Slovakia’s last seven goals and eight of the last nine. The physically developed center has overpowered the competition, looking like a man against boys.
Juraj Pekarcik and Adam Cedzo have been excellent complimentary players. Pekarcik often creates the offensive chance that Dvorksy finishes and hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. He is one of the younger players eligible for the 2023 NHL draft and boosted his stock at the U-18s.
Maxim Strbak has led the blueline group, but contributions from Jakub Chromiak and Samuel Barcik have also been notable.
Goaltender Samuel Urban was Slovakia’s star in the quarterfinal, making 54 saves en route to taking down the Finns.
The Slovaks will need that kind of performance or better from Urban if they hope to slow down the U.S. attack. Smith, Perreault, and Leonard have been unstoppable. Even if the Slovaks stop them, the second and third waves of American attackers will likely be more than they can handle. An inferior performance from American netminder Trey Augustine, who has been good throughout the tournament, would also help.
A lot has to go well for the Slovaks to win the game, but they’ve defied the odds before. Why not do it again?
Canada vs. Sweden
In a rematch of the tournament’s opening game, the Canadians will look to avenge the 8-0 trouncing they received at the hands of the Swedes. This matchup has the potential to be the game of the tournament. Canada rebounded since their loss to Sweden, and Sweden cooled a bit, although they remain undefeated.
Canada looked unorganized, undisciplined and underwhelming in their opening game against Sweden. They took multiple major penalties and wound up with more than 60 penalty minutes. They managed to get their game back on track against the rest of the group, but there were undoubtedly some wobbles.
Fortunately, the Canadians have improved every game and found their form as the tournament wore on.
Macklin Celebrini and Calum Ritchie led the way up front for a group that took a while to get their game together. Celebrini is one of the top 2024 draft-eligible players, and his four-point game in the quarters got the Canadians going. He is an elite shooter with some very high-end distribution skills. Ritchie, meanwhile, is a 2023 draft prospect who needed a big tournament to help his draft stock recover after a bit of an up-and-down season in Oshawa.
The Canadian defense group is still figuring itself out as Cam Allen and Lukas Dragicevic try to find their fit on this squad. Andrew Gibson has provided some solid defensive play, and Etienne Morin was a nice late addition, but the blueline has been Canada’s biggest weakness thus far. Turnovers, poor decisions and spotty defensive coverage have all led to quality chances for opponents.
The Swedes have taken care of business every step of the way throughout the U-18s to this point. After dominating Canada, they were business-like against the rest of the group. They’ve only allowed four goals this tournament – three to Slovakia and one to Latvia, with Noah Erliden leading the way in the crease. The undersized netminder put his name on the map with a stellar performance at the U-18s.
Otto Stenberg’s been a beast for the Swedes, with 11 points through five games. The Swedish captain has been dynamic and creative, attacking with speed and skill in every facet of the game.
Axel Sandin Pellikka has been stellar on the blueline, playing solid defense and providing some slick puck-moving through the neutral zone. Sandin Pellikka has all of the tools you’d look for in a No. 1 defender, and he’s provided Sweden with his best throughout the tournament.
Noel Nordh, Anton Wahlberg and David Edstrom have been excellent complementary pieces for the Swedes. Noah Dower Nilsson has generated offensive chances as well. The depth of the Swedish team is what makes them so stout. They can come at you in waves.
The rematch of Canada-Sweden will capture the eyes of any scouts and analysts paying attention to this tournament. It will be an appointment viewing.