It was certainly a one-sided affair as Canada moved to 2-0-0 in the group stage of the World Junior Championship with a 10-0 win vs Latvia. Simply put, the two-time defending gold medalists looked as good as they’ve been all tournament in this one. Right from the opening puck drop, it was clear that Canada was going to not give the Latvians any chance at all to make this a contest. Latvia looked overmatched and showed why many believe they could have to compete in the relegation match to keep their World Junior hopes for next season alive.
The other thing that stood out the most was the tremendous performance from guys like Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Wood. Celebrini in particular was phenomenal and put on quite the show. Head coach Alan Letang will have a lot to be pleased about with his team’s performance. This is a confident Canadian team that already looks to have the makings of becoming the true favourites to win yet another gold medal. Let’s look at three things that stood out the most from their performance in this one.
Macklin “Score-Brini”
There’s no question that the biggest name heading into the tournament this year was Celebrini. Through two games, it’s clearly obvious why there is so much hype around him and he put on a performance vs Latvia that had everyone’s attention. The projected first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft led the way for Canada with one goal, and four assists for five total points. He now has goals in each of his first two career World Juniors games. He was once again all over the ice and made life miserable for the Latvian defence all game long.
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Celebrini told the media before the tournament that his favourite World Junior tournament memory was in 2020 when New York Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere had 10 points in five games. Celebrini is well on his way to breaking that mark as the 17-year-old has two goals and four assists for six points in just two games. The excitement continues to grow for the young forward and will only continue to grow as he continues to excel on this international stage.
Have A Day Matthew Wood
Despite not contributing on the score sheet in Canada’s first game of the tournament, that did not stop Wood from dominating the sheet in this one. The 15th overall pick in last year’s draft by the Nashville Predators finished with a goal and two assists as he and Celebrini combined for eight points overall vs Latvia. Even though he’s one of the youngest players at this year’s tournament, he looked much more like a seasoned veteran out there. Even when he wasn’t racking up the points, he created several grade A opportunities that could have increased his stat line and the game score by a lot more.
Wood’s shot is what made him such an attractive prospect and it was on display in this one. He also has a good frame to mix it up with the biggest players out there. Before the tournament started, he had been thriving with the University of Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA. He joined Canada leading his club in points (12) and goals (seven) after 17 games. The hope for Wood is that he can build upon his performance in this one and continue to develop a shot that is already top-tier.
Things Falling Fast for Latvia
It’s safe to say that Latvia, which had its best finish in its history in the tournament last year (seventh), is already in some deep trouble. It’s not just the fact that they have started 0-2-0 but that they have been outscored 16-0 through those two games. What makes it worse is that with Germany’s upset 4-3 win over Finland earlier in the day, the Latvians are in a must-earn-points situation. Head coach Artis Abols has to find the right combinations to not only keep the puck out of his own team’s net, but to finally get his team on the scoreboard as well.
Related: 3 Takeaways from Latvia’s 6-0 Loss to Sweden
If Latvia doesn’t start getting some momentum and especially points, then they will be looking dead in the face with having to play in the infamous relegation game to avoid being eliminated from the World Juniors for next year. The good news for this team is that they can only go up from here. It starts with obviously scoring a goal and then just simplifying everything they are doing. Sometimes doing less does more for a desperate team. The key for them is to go out and just get off to a fast start in their next game. Doing so will help them build their confidence and it will lead to chances to score.
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Speaking of next game. For Canada, they will have a day off before having their biggest test of the tournament so far when they take on host country Sweden. It will also be an opportunity for the Canadians, with a win, to wrap up a ticket to the elimination rounds. As for Latvia, they will look to right the ship on Friday as well when they take on another desperate country in Finland in what could really be a decisive game for each team in terms of avoiding the relegation game.