Congrats to Team Canada on the win. With the victory, three members of the Rangers earned gold medals while Kalle Vaisanen picked up a silver. The save of the tournament, enabling Canada to eventually get the gold, went to Mason McTavish, preserving the tie, which was broken by Kent Johnson's golden goal.
A big congratulations to #FutureBlue Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle and Dylan Garand for taking home gold at #WorldJuniors! pic.twitter.com/um05hDEudp
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) August 21, 2022
Since there is the Golden Goal in the Olympics - unfortunately for me as a fan of Team USA - this may be called the Golden Save. McTavish bailed out Dylan Garand and Team Canada, preventing Finland from notching the victory. McTavish was dominant with 17 points in the tournament, but he will be most remembered for his defensive play.
I still can’t believe this save from Mason McTavish. Should go down in history as one of the greatest plays in tournament history. pic.twitter.com/fyZYMZdLus
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) August 21, 2022
Coach Dave Cameron's line combinations and player usage left a lot to be desired. You could argue that Canada won despite rather than due to his coaching. Yesterday was more of the same, as Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle were used sparingly, each receiving a little over 10 minutes of ice time in the contest. Garand stopped 29 of 31 shots for Canada in yesterday's win, finishing the tournament a perfect 6-0 with a 1.98 GAA and a .925 SV%. For Finland, Vaisanen had a solid overall tournament, especially defensively, and saw 19:35 in ice time while winning the silver.
"Oh my God, what a feeling. No better feeling right now"
— Stat Boy Steven (@StatBoy_Steven) August 21, 2022
- #NYR Dylan Garand pic.twitter.com/sUJ4VIxdTE
Player tournament summaries:
Othmann (CAN): 6GP, 2G – 4A Cuylle (CAN): 7GP, 2G -2A Garand (CAN): 6-0, 1.98 GAA, .925 SV% Vaisanen (FIN): 7GP, 1G – 1A Brett Berard (USA): 5GP, 1G, Jaroslav Chmelar (CZE): 3GP, 1G, Adam Sykora (SVK): 4GP, 1G,
Overall, a solid tournament for the Blueshirts. Garand, taken in the fourth round in 2020, clearly was the overall star. He already was on the prospect map, but moves a step up following his play in winning the gold. Othmann, a first round pick in 2021, had moments, seeing time with Connor Bedard, but also showed why he likely would benefit from and see another year in juniors. (If he could play in the AHL, that would be the best place for him, but that is not an option) Cuylle, taken in the second round in 2020, has a better chance to break camp with the Rangers, largely due to his style of play being better suited right now for a bottom-six role.
Berard, a fifth round pick in 2020, did not impress me as much as I had hoped before prior to the tournament. He was up and down, despite seeing a like placement and ice time. Berard starts his junior season at Providence College this fall. Vaisanen, a fourth round pick in 2021, opened some eyes due to his defensive prowess. At 6-4, 180 or so pounds, he could develop into a shut down type defensive forward. He is expected to play for TPS in Liiga again this season. Chmelar, a fifth round pick in 2021, wil play for Providence College this season, while Sykora, a second round in this past draft, could play in Slovakia again but would benefit coming to and playing in North America.