Red Wings WJC Update: Danielson, Canada Stunned; Augustine Backs Up as USA Rolls; Sandin Pellikka Scores OT Winner for Hosts Sweden
An update on the performances of the Detroit Red Wings prospects in the 2024 World Junior Championship Quarterfinals
On Tuesday in Gothenburg, the quarterfinals of the 2024 World Junior Championship unfolded.
Despite scoring an upset victory over Finland, Kevin Bicker and Germany did not qualify for the tournament's knockout stages, with Bicker finishing tied for the team lead in scoring with two assists. Germany will play Norway on Thursday, with the loser facing relegation.
Meanwhile, for Nate Danielson and Canada, the quarterfinals brought only disaster against Czechia. Locked in a 2-2 game in the closing minute of regulation, Jakub Stancl fired a harmless-looking shot that somehow found its way through Mathis Rousseau to propel the Czechs to victory.
With the loss, Canada has failed to medal for the first time in the last five WJCs and will not appear in the final for the first time in four tournaments. Despite that disappointment, Danielson delivered a strong individual tournament, with a goal and two assists in five games.
Trey Augustine—who missed a group stage game to illness—backed up Jacob Fowler in the Americans' 7-2 rout of Latvia. Though Augustine did not start the first knockout game of Team USA's bid to re-capture gold, it's entirely possible he will take the net back as the tournament progresses. In two round robin games, Augustine put up a .952 save percentage and 1.50 goals against average, while Fowler has just a .889 SV% and 2.59 GAA.
Finally, Axel Sandin Pellikka delivered the host Swedes to an overtime victory over Switzerland with a power play blast. The young defenseman had two assists in the group stage before notching his first goal of the tournament at an opportune moment–propelling his team to the semifinals.
Looking forward, Sandin Pellikka and the Swedes will take on Czechia, while Augustine and Team USA will play Finland (who earned a quarterfinal OT win over Slovakia) on Thursday.