U-18 Worlds: Previewing the Medal Round as USA and Sweden Go for Gold

Team Sweden blew out Canada again, while Team USA handled Slovakia in the semifinals of the World Men's Under-18 Championship.

The World Men’s Under-18 Championship ends on Sunday, and the medal games cap off a memorable 10 days of action.

The Americans and Swedes will face off in the gold medal game for the second straight year, with the Swedes looking to go back-to-back for the first time.

The Americans entered the tournament as the favorite to win it all and looked the part to this point. Sweden matched their undefeated record but, aside from the tournament-opening game against Canada, didn’t dominate at the same level.

The Slovaks surprised the Finns with an upset in the quarterfinal but couldn’t take down the Americans in the semifinal. They’ll look to capture the bronze against the Canadians, who have had an up-and-down tournament, losing to the Swedes twice.

Let’s look at what each team has done and needs to do to leave Switzerland with a smile on their face.

Both teams won their group. Neither team has lost a game to this point. That will change as Sweden takes on the USA in the gold medal game to cap off the Under-18 championship.

The American squad has had several near-record-setting performances. Will Smith is just a point away from tying Jack Hughes’ record of 20 for Americans at the U-18s and two points back of Nikita Kucherov’s all-time record. Gabe Perreault is just a point behind Smith, and Ryan Leonard’s 16 points have him just behind his linemates. The offensive domination of the Americans has been unbearable for every other team in this tournament.

The onslaught hasn’t just come from the team’s top line, though, with production throughout the lineup. Cole Eiserman and James Hagens, the dynamic duo of 16-year-olds, have been fantastic. Oliver Moore is showing he can be a game-breaker when needed. Cole Hutson, Aram Minnetian and Zeev Buium have been excellent puck-movers from the back end. The Americans always seem to have the best players on the ice, regardless of which line or defense pairing is out.

The Swedes haven’t been quite as dominant on a game-to-game basis. Still, their insistence on destroying the Canadians showed they could turn it on at any moment. They opened the tournament with an 8-0 win and then flexed their might against the Canadians again in a 7-2 thumping in the semifinal.

Captain Otto Stenberg has impressed in just about every game. Stenberg, the top-scoring non-American in the tournament, has been excellent at both ends of the ice, lifting pucks off opponents defensively and creating havoc with his skill and pace offensively. His five-point performance in the semifinal put him at 16 in the tournament.

The Swedish attack has featured some clutch performances, with David Edstrom and Anton Wahlberg using their size and skill effectively. Edstrom, in particular, has been better than his stats indicate, often placing himself in front of the net and creating difficult sightlines for opposing goaltenders.

The Swedish blueline has also provided plenty of offense, with Axel Sandin Pellikka and Tom Willander putting together impressive performances. Their blueline is deep, though. Theo Lindstein, Axel Hurtig and Axel Landen have all been valuable pieces who provide excellent defensive play while being efficient puck-movers up ice. The depth of the Swedish blueline routinely gave Canada fits, and Sweden will need all hands on deck for the gold medal game against the Americans.

The Swedes have the defense group to keep up with the American attack, but even so, the USA comes in waves that Sweden hasn’t had to face until now. Trey Augustine has been excellent in net for the Americans, but the defense group in front of him can be a little leaky, so Sweden should find a way to get their goals.

This game will come down to whether Noah Erliden can stand tall in net for Sweden and whether the defense corps can slow down the American attack.

While the Canadians are likely disappointed to be in this position, Slovakia is stoked to play for bronze. It could be their first medal at the U-18 worlds since silver in 2003.

The Canadians are coming off their second beatdown against the Swedes and will either look to avenge that loss or be disinterested in competing for what could be a consolation prize in their eyes. The Slovaks should come out firing, looking to avenge their 4-3 loss to Canada in the group stage.

Canada has had an uneven tournament. They’ve been disappointing in their biggest games thus far, and even in the games they’ve won, they have had shaky moments.

The Canadians haven’t exactly struggled offensively, however. Macklin Celebrini has led the way, feasting on the power play with his lethal one-timer while also being an excellent driver of offense at 5-on-5.

Porter Martone and Matthew Wood have brought an exciting mix of offensive skill and physicality. Nick Lardis has been one of the team’s best creators for himself and his linemates but has been a bit snake-bitten throughout the tournament. Cal Ritchie had the bounce-back tournament he needed after a mediocre OHL season.

Instead, the defensive group for Canada has looked like Swiss cheese – fitting with the tournament in Switzerland. The blueliners haven’t meshed well, and players seem to be making poor reads off each other. Every defenseman has made noticeable mistakes at one point or another. They must get it together against a Slovak team that almost came back on them once in the tournament.

Starting netminder Carson Bjarnason has been decent throughout the U-18s, but a collision near the end of the first period in the semifinal took him out of the game. With health being a significant factor in the decision, we could see 16-year-old Gabriel D’Aigle get the start after appearing in relief in both of the Sweden games.

Slovakia has been a good team, and they’ve played in some of the tournament’s most entertaining games. They’ve pushed in comebacks, upset Finland and lived on the edge of drama at every turn. Led by Dalibor Dvorsky, the Slovaks have been a great story, and they’ll look to cap it with yet another upset and a bronze medal around their neck.

Dvorksy has come up clutch when it’s mattered most. He was a beast in the comeback win over Germany after a slow start for Slovakia, and he was heroic in the quarterfinal against the Finns. Even in a game where the Americans outmatched them in the semifinal, Dvorsky fought tooth-and-nail for a better result.

Juraj Pekarcik, Petr Cisar, and Adam Cedzo have all been factors offensively for Slovakia as well. Pekarcik has created a ton of buzz around his game as a potential mid to late-round prospect for the 2023 NHL draft after coming in relatively unknown. Maxim Strbak leads the blueline, with Jakub Chromiak and Leo Eperjesi playing key roles on the back end. The Slovaks will need more than just Dvorsky to beat Canada, so all these players must step up.

Although Samual Urban was pulled in the semifinal against the Americans, it was more about wanting to save him for the bronze medal game than his poor play in a blowout. Urban’s been one of Slovakia’s MVPs at the U-18s.

The relegation round only needed two of the three games, as Norway handled Germany with relative ease. They received big performances from Ole Indergaard and Elias Straume Vatne, who saved their best for the last couple of games of their tournament.

The Germans’ loss means they are relegated to the U-18 World Championship Div. 1-A. This year’s winner of Div. 1-A will replace them. This is a disappointing result for Germany, which has produced consistent and impressive NHL talent over the last half-decade.