The Blue Jackets were fortunate to have three players partake in this year’s World Juniors. Each player had a different role, from Zach Werenski being the undisputed #1 d-man on Team USA, to Sonny Milano being a second liner to Gabriel Carlsson being a #6 d-man and a PK specialist.
Here’s a breakdown of how each player’s tournament went.
Gabriel Carlsson – Sweden – 7GP 0G 3A
We start with Carlsson who was the lone prospect not to medal. His team, Sweden, lost to the USA in the bronze medal game. As for Carlsson he had a fine tournament. He wasn’t spectacular but for the role he was playing he didn’t need to be. He was on the bottom pair for Sweden and didn’t get a ton of ice time at 5 on 5.
Without the puck Carlsson was very impressive. He has a good active stick which helps him disrupt passing lanes. He was able to break up plays at his own blue line, stopping them before they could develop. He's big and strong which allowed him to box out players and keep the crease clear. This was a key part of why he was so successful on the PK.
Where Carlsson struggled and really needs to improve is with his puck skills. He struggles when the puck is on his stick, opting to get rid of it as quickly as he gets it. He tended to bobble seemingly routine passes. He's not a great skater either and his first pass was just average. In the offensive zone he kept it simple either a quick pass to his partner or a quick wrist shot. One positive is when he shoots he keeps it low allowing it the chance to be deflected or to generate a rebound. This got him at least one assist in the tournament.
Sonny Milano – USA – 7GP 1G 7A
Milano did what he did best and that was using his slick hands to set players up. With the talent on team USA up front (Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and Collin White), Milano was in secondary role on the second line. He really thrived in that role as his eight points tied him for 12th among all players and third among US forwards.
He's a solid skater with those great hands. He was very good through the neutral zone rarely if ever dumping the puck in. He has the skill to play keep way from defenders which allows him to see the ice and find the open man. As deadly of a passer that he is, he also isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. He had 16 shots on goal which was fifth on the team behind the top line and Zach Werenski. His line was the perfect complement to the Matthews line.
Milano is not without his flaws. He is not a good defensive player but that wasn’t a big issue here as he spent so much of his time in the offensive zone. When he is in the defensive zone he has the skating and the vision to quickly turn the play back up ice. He is not a big player which limits what he can do physically. With that being said he still battles in the corners and in front of the net. He’s also been competing with men in the AHL and he has been just fine there.
The other big complaint that I've heard is that Milano can be too fancy with the puck. He complicates the play too much, trying to make the perfect play. Personally I don’t see that as a weakness at all, I would much rather Milano have the puck on his stick trying to make a play than see him just dump it in and have to chase it.
Zach Werenski – USA – 7GP 2G 7A
Werenski was an absolute horse for the Americans. He played at least 25-30 minutes a game for Ron Wilson, Head Coach of Team USA. He was key on both special teams units, a testament to his 200ft game. He is very smooth with and without the puck. He's not a blazer but his skating is above average. Whenever he was on the ice he tilted it in favour of the US. Werenski has a great shot and liked to use it early and often. He led all players in the tournament with 30 shots on goal, an average of four a game, a remarkable feat for a defencemen.
What impressed me most about his shot wasn’t just the sheer volume of it but how he was able to get it through traffic and on net consistently. It’s not something people think about much, but it’s defiantly a good skill to have. It gives him the chance to not only score goals, but also to pick up plenty of assists from deflections and rebounds.
An area of concern with Werenski was his defensively play in both the semi-final and final. More than once he got turnstiled and beat for chances and goals. He struggled at defending his blue line, with poor gap control, again leading to plenty of chances. It seemed like Russia had a plan to handle Werenski by attacking his side with controlled entries. In the preliminary round Werenski was great at handling dump-ins as he could use his good skating to get back and his skills and smarts to move the puck. Russia avoided that completely and just attacked his side. I think that plus Werenski’s usage in the prior games, fatigued him.
With those struggles aside Werenski was absolutely dominate. Not only did he lead the tournament in shots he also tied with Olli Juolevi of Finland for most points by a defencemen.
For his efforts Werenski was named to the Tournament All-Star team and named top defencemen.
You can follow me on Twitter
@PaulBerthelot 
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»