Top 10 Players at the World Championship: Arturs Silovs Sealed the Door

The World Championship wrapped up on Sunday, with Canada, Germany and Latvia on the podium. Here are 10 players who stood out the most at the tournament.

The World Championship was filled with NHL stars. Many of them, including MacKenzie Weegar, JJ Peterka, Moritz Seider and Dominik Kubalik, played exceptional hockey. Others, whether it was Nico Hischier or Mikko Rantanen, were at times overshadowed by players from European professional leagues, the AHL and college.

The top 10 performers from the 2023 IIHF men’s World Championship feature some familiar NHL faces, AHL standouts and one NCAA player who looks ready to make the NHL jump.

In the end, the most NHL-heavy roster, Team Canada, won gold, but it was a pair of underdogs in Germany and Latvia that won silver and bronze.

With the tournament over, here’s a look at the top 10 performers from the World Championship.

Silovs deserved every bit of praise he received in this tournament, leading Latvia to the first medal in the nation’s World Championship history. Silovs played in all 10 of Latvia’s games, playing roughly 60 minutes more than any other netminder in the tournament, and he posted a 2.20 GAA and .921 save percentage. His performance was notable for many reasons, but backstopping Latvia to upsets over Sweden and USA, two tournament favorites coming in, made it even more memorable. The Vancouver Canucks should be very excited about the tournament their 22-year-old prospect put together. He looked calm under pressure, using his 6-foot-4 frame effectively en route to a bronze medal and recognition as the tournament’s top goaltender and MVP.

Weegar’s NHL season with the Calgary Flames was quietly strong this season, as much for his defensive play and possession statistics as his point totals. At the World Championships, however, Weegar exploded offensively. He led the gold medal-winning Canadians in scoring with 11 points in 10 games. Weegar led all defenders in scoring, was named the tournament’s top blueliner and played crucial defensive minutes as well for Canada.

The Buffalo Sabres have a plethora of young talent. JJ Peterka had a solid rookie campaign, scoring 32 points in 77 games for the Sabres, but he had a coming-out party at the worlds. He was voted the tournament’s best forward after compiling six goals and 12 points in 10 games, helping Germany orchestrate upsets over the winners of each group from the preliminary round, USA and Switzerland. Peterka was the driver of Germany’s offense, providing timely scoring.

A late addition to Germany’s roster, it’s hard to imagine Germany winning silver without Seider, a former Calder Trophy winner with the Detroit Red Wings. Seider led Germany in time on ice by a landslide, and despite being outscored by Kai Wissmann and Moritz Muller on the German blueline, Seider’s role in controlling the pace of games and ensuring top forwards did not have an easy ride to the net was crucial. Germany preached a team game the entire tournament, but whenever that approach floundered, Seider was there to clean up the mess with his ability to transport the puck and to physically contain opponents.

If Rocco Grimaldi was six inches taller with his current skill set, he’d likely be in an NHL team’s top six. Grimaldi showed his hands and deceptiveness throughout the tournament, leading the World Championship in points with 14 in 10 games. He was the only player on Team USA’s roster who is not currently tied to an NHL team. It’s hard to imagine a team not taking a look at Grimaldi after the tournament he put together.

In four NHL seasons, Kubalik has been as consistent of a scorer as it comes. The Detroit Red Wings forward has always received critique for his 200-foot game, but he played a responsible role on both sides of the puck in this tournament. Voted a tournament all-star, Kubalik finished second overall in scoring with 12 points in eight games. He’s an opportunistic scorer, and perhaps there’s more offensive output that could come at the NHL level if those opportunities present themselves.

Looking at Canada’s roster coming into this tournament, Sammy Blais was one of the less hyped names. After spending two tough seasons with the New York Rangers, Blais was reacquired by the St. Louis Blues this season and came alive following the pickup. He finished with 20 points in 31 games with the Blues and followed that up with eight points in 10 games for Canada. Blais scored goals at important moments, including two in the gold medal game.

It’s hard to envision Cutter Gauthier not wearing Philadelphia Flyers’ orange next season. The 2021 fifth overall pick in the NHL draft returned to the NCAA, but if the World Championship was any indication, Gauthier is ready to showcase his skills at the professional level. He’s a strong shooter who gets himself into a scoring position, making the most of his opportunity at this tournament to show he’s NHL-ready.

As much praise as Seider and Peterka deserve, Sturm’s consistency game in and game out was crucial to Germany. He killed penalties, played on the power play and served as a valued leader for the Germans. In total, Sturm scored six goals and eight points, but it was the remainder of his contributions on and off the ice that helped carry Germany to a silver medal.

Arturs Silovs stole the show, but Latvia couldn’t have won a bronze medal without scoring goals, too. After two strong seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Balcers had an off-year in North America. He split time between two NHL teams but appeared in only 17 games, and he spent most of the season in the AHL. At the worlds, he was the motor that kept Latvia’s attack going. Balcers finished with nine points in 10 games but also helped generate the momentum that Latvia fed off of. He’s a free agent this off-season and could be worth the risk for an NHL club hoping to find a breakout candidate.