World Junior Summer Showcase Gameday Two Standouts

On the second gameday of the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase, the host Americans exacted a measure of revenge on the visiting delegations from Sweden and Finland.

In the matinee, Team USA Blue (who had been drubbed 7-0 by the Swedes two days prior) knocked off Finland by a score of 4-1.  Then, in the nightcap, Team USA White (who fell to the Fins 4-2 in its first game) blasted Sweden by a 10-1 final.

Here are a few of the standout performers from the Americans' bounce back:

Frank Nazar III 

Nazar, a 2022 first round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks who lost most of his freshman season at the University of Michigan to off-season surgery, stole the show for the Americans in the second game of the day—scoring four goals and providing an assist on an Eric Pohlkamp clapper for five points.

For Nazar, a return to USA Hockey Arena coincided with a return to the form he showed in his U-18 season at the U.S. National Team Development Program, which made him a first round draft pick and during which he called the Plymouth barn home.

The Mount Clemens native's speed and dynamism have been on display throughout the week of practice, but they were especially sharp during the Americans domination of the Swedes on Monday evening.

There can be something peculiar about the best U-20 hockey players from three different nations gathering in July at a little rink in Plymouth, Michigan.  You could understand why some players might not be in top form or eager to play at game speed in the midst of the summer.  But for Nazar, coming off a season in which injury didn't leave him much of a chance to play and feel like himself, getting back on the ice for live game action couldn't have come quickly enough.

"It's definitely just the mental strength part," Nazar told The Hockey News, when asked what he'd learned from his trying freshman campaign.  "Honestly, coming back, I wasn't the best player at the time.  Obviously, I could play a role and fit in, but I wasn't myself yet."

"Not even just that, but being able to put on the USA jersey again and just represent USA again—it's just something that you've always got to take pride in," Nazar added of his excitement to return to game action.  "And just being able to do that here, especially after the end of last season, only played a few games, coming in this summer and getting these games under my belt before going into my sophomore year but it's basically almost like freshman year on the ice, it's really good to have these few games."

Nazar has been in perfect harmony with line-mate Isaac Howard (a 2022 Tampa Bay first round selection), with whom he played at the NTDP and against whom he will compete next season in the Big Ten.  

"We always joked last year about him coming to Michigan or me going to Duluth, and now he's at State, so it's pretty funny," Nazar said of Howard, who transferred from Minnsota-Duluth to Michigan State earlier in the summer.  "It's always good to play with him.  He's a great player, and we've got some good chemistry out there."

"We love each other, and we treat each other like we're super good teammates, but then deep down there's a little bit of like 'uh, he shoulda come to Michigan' or something like that," Nazar continued with a smile on the manifestation of the Spartan-Wolverine rivalry in the America dressing room.  "It's nothing too serious."

When he wasn't scoring, Nazar also played a vital role on a busy American penalty kill, which had to cope with about four minutes of Swedish 5-on-3 over the course of the evening.  The 19-year-old was among the most frequent foot soldiers for coach David Carle during those long 5-on-3s, and his speed and intensity helped harness the skilled Swedish unit.  

Nazar's penchant for thievery also made life miserable for Sweden's defense corps—turning a takeaway at the offensive blue line into instant offense on more than one occasion.

Rutger McGroarty-Cutter Gauthier-Ryan Leonard

David Carle brought together McGroarty (a Winnipeg Jets 2022 first rounder), Gauthier (a Philadelphia Flyers 2022 first), and Leonard (a Washington Capitals 2023 first) to tremendous effect in the Americans' bout with Sweden.

All three forwards cut an imposing figure, and they combined to overwhelm the Swedish defense throughout Monday evening's game.  One got the sense that all three could wind up playing NHL minutes (even NHL minutes together) sooner rather than later.

They spent the majority of their time together in the offensive zone, and, by game's end, Leonard had a goal, Gauthier had two more, and McGroarty had given a pair of assists.

Gauthier in particular was imperious throughout the evening for the U.S.  He was a one-on-one force all game long, and his first goal in particular showed a devastating scorer's touch—looking off a streaking Leonard and catching Swedish goaltender Kevin Reidler (who was cheating a hair toward a pass) with a heavy shot through the five hole.

"I thought it was their pressure," said David Carle, when asked what made the line so effective.  "They stayed on pucks, they created turnovers, and they got the puck back inside the dots quickly when that happened, and we were able to execute offensively.  So I think it started for that group with their puck pressure."

Seamus Casey & Lane Hutson

Casey (a 2022 New Jersey Devils second rounder) and Hutson (a 2022 Canadiens second rounder) were NTDP teammates and share a flair for sharp edge work and crisp stick-handling that graces their puck-moving with more than a little deception.  I would guess that Hutson has a slightly quicker top speed than Casey, but there's a lot more similar than different about the two players.

In the afternoon game against the Fins, Casey was dominant from the back end for the U.S.  He showed his trademark deception, twirling through the neutral zone at his leisure and appearing immune to any pressure the Finnish forecheck might send his way.  While better known for his acumen with the puck on his tape, Casey also delivered a bone-crushing open-ice check to Jesse Kiiskinen in the first period of USA Blue's 4-2 win.

The source of Casey's deception is the seamless interplay between his hands and feet.  Because of his aptitude in tight spaces with the puck, it appears almost impossible to make him uncomfortable; instead, he always seems to find himself an escape route, whether with a sudden cutback, a head fake to send his defender the wrong way, or a slipped pass to a nearby teammate.

Hutson is every bit as deceptive, and he is of course smooth, but it looks a bit different.  Despite his small stature (he's officially listed at five-foot-nine, 155 pounds, and I'd take the under on both those numbers), Hutson plays from a crouch—almost hiding in plain sight as he perambulates the rink.  There is a modesty to the way he appears to conceal the brilliance of his skating and stick-handling, and it's the harmony of his hands and feet that appears most reminiscent of Casey.

With the outcome of the evening game beyond all doubt, Hutson scored a magisterial goal to bring the score to 6-0 USA, evading poke checks from both Swedish defensemen and snaking his way to the goal mouth, before roofing home the puck.

On the whole, it was a welcome bounce back for the Americans after a disappointing opening gameday of the event.