Team USA skated to a 7-0 win over Switzerland on Day 2 of the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Here were my standouts and top performers from the game.
Team USA skated to a 7-0 win over Switzerland on Day 2 of the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Here were my standouts and top performers from the game.
#21 Nate Pederson, F
After not really noticing Nate Pederson on Thursday, that was not the case on Friday. The Lincoln Stars draft pick was super active in the offensive zone, and he did a great job of turning a broken play into his first goal of the tournament. Pederson also picked assists on Kalder Varga’s power-play goal late in the second period and Joseph Salandra’s breakaway goal in the third. A good day for the Stars prospect.
#5 Levi Harper, D
Another solid game for Harper, who collected the primary assist on Caden Harvey’s goal two minutes into the game. The Tri-City Storm draft pick was active at both ends once again. I love his attention to stick detail and did a terrific job of keeping would-be attackers to the outside. Offensively, he carried the puck in deep and showcased himself as a strong two-way defenseman. Harper finished with one point, three shots on goal, and a +2 plus/minus rating.
#13 Caden Harvey, F
Harvey opened the scoring for Team USA, marking goals in back-to-back games for the Waterloo Black Hawks pick. He also picked up an assist on Pederson’s goal in the first period. Harvey fights so incredibly hard for pucks, whether it be in the corners or backchecking attackers. He was one of Team USA’s best penalty-killers while providing a significant source of offense in even-strength situations.
#1 Ryder Fetterolf, G
While he only faced four shots in the first period, Fetterolf made a timely save shortly after Team USA took a 1-0 lead. The Tri-City Storm pick also came up big late in the first period on the penalty kill and early in the second frame when the Swiss were making a push. Fetterolf stopped all 25 shots sent his way to pick up his first shutout of the tournament.
#15 Brody Gillespie, F
Gillespie had perhaps the play of the day for Team USA. The forward carried the puck unassisted through all three zones and got his backhander to go from a tough angle in the second period. He also collected the primary assist on Varga’s power-play marker. It’s easy to see why Gillespie went No. 1 overall in the 2023 WHL US Prospect Draft – so much skill and a strong play-driver.
#16 Noah Davidson, F
Davidson scored his first goal of the tournament to give Team USA a 5-0 lead late in the second period. On a similar-looking play as Gillespie, the Waterloo Black Hawks draft pick took the puck hard into the offensive zone and roofed his shot before knocking the net off its posts. Davidson finished with one goal on two shots.
#14, Schaeffer Gordon-Carroll, F
No points for Gordon-Carroll in this one, but he was consistently hounding the Swiss on the forecheck. He finished with four shots on goal and won 83.3% of his faceoffs. Gordon-Carroll was the victim of two hits up high, with the second resulting in a five-minute major penalty for boarding.
#10 Kade Meyer, D
Meyer had just one shot on goal, but he showed up as one of the better penalty-killers for Team USA on Friday. The Waterloo Black Hawks draft pick delivered a jarring hit that drew a nice reaction from the crowd in the third period to help his team kill off the 4v3 penalty.