San Jose won last night with heroics from Marc-Edouard Vlasic with less than five seconds to play in Winnipeg. Big faceoff win by Pavelski and a smart play by Couture to get the puck over to his defender. My favorite thing about that goal was Couture’s poise with only seconds remaining – too often players panic and hurl the puck at the net. Couture didn't and the Sharks won.
It was also the only play of the game I saw outside of the first few minutes of the first period. Good timing, no?
What I was watching was one of the best WJHC games in a while. Sharks prospect Nikolay Goldobin nearly mounted a successful Russian comeback all by himself against the Canadian powerhouse. Goldobin finished the game with a goal and an assist and looked tremendous throughout the contest for the Russians.
His skating is great, he makes nice passes and as a great release. He’s going to fit into the Sharks top-six very well in the near future.
Since I’m not going to make things up about a game I didn’t watch – although the charts and graphs version of the game look good - let’s go over what the Sharks prospects did at the WJC tournament this year, including Julius Bergman’s crosscheck to the face/neck of a Slovakian player in the Bronze Medal Game.
Julius Bergman/Fredrik Bergvik – Sweden Bergvik never saw a single minute of action as Soderstrom played all seven game for Team Sweden.
Bergman had a steady tournament. He was part of the Swedish blueline that cruised through the round robin games and into the semi-finals before they were upset by the Russians. While he only recorded a single assist in one of the seven games he played, he still had a nice defensive tournament – finishing tied for the lead among defenders for Sweden at +3.
His tournament, though, will be remembered for feeding a Slovakian player his stick during the Bronze Medal Game – resulting in a five-minute major and a game misconduct. With the reaction of the Slovak player I thought TSN was going to show the crowd in search of a sniper.
I think a double-minor for crosschecking - or 2 and 10 - would have sufficed on that play. I don’t think it was nearly fierce – nor was the placement intentional – enough for a major and a game misconduct. The result was from the reaction, not the action. Bergman will now have at least a one-game suspension from International play the next time he suits up for Sweden – which may or may not happen given his junior eligibility is over.
Noah Rod/Mirco Mueller – Switzerland
Noah Rod had a very impressive tournament. He enjoyed a point-per-game average as he scored three goals and added three helpers and finished with a +6 rating over six games. The Swiss team avoided missing next year’s tournament by beating Germany in the relegation round but it was bittersweet for a team that expected to be in the playoff round.
Mirco Mueller had a disappointing break from the San Jose Sharks. Mueller finished as a -1 with one assist through six games and – at times – didn’t even look as steady for Switzerland as he did in periods for the Sharks. San Jose needs to send Mueller back to the Western Hockey League. He’s just not ready for the NHL and sitting in the press box isn’t going to help his development.
I’d like to say you can expect his reassignment to the WHL – but we’re talking about Doug Wilson here.
Nikolay Goldobin – Russia
Goldobin was great all tournament. He doesn’t stand out like typical Russian stars because he doesn’t care much for the flash and dazzle – he cares about making plays that are worth making time and time again. The Sharks top prospect finished with two goals and 3 assists in seven games for Russia but his play with the puck was outstanding and the point totals don’t tell the entire story.
It was interesting to see Goldobin take draws for Russia – which he wasn’t half bad at – when he’s widely considered a winger.
The only knock I have on Goldobin’s game throughout the tournament is that he didn’t shoot enough. There were several times he chose to make a pass – let’s call it Joe Thorntoning – when he could have taken a high percentage shot. He has a nice shot so there’s no reason for him to consistently look to pass first.
His development will continue with HIFK for the remainder of the season in Liiga before he gets another chance to crack the Sharks lineup next year. Goldobin is going to be a solid top-six player in the NHL for San Jose – and it could be as early as next season.
All in all it was a good tournament for Sharks prospects and a great chance to see some players that aren’t usually in the televised spotlight.
San Jose is back in action tonight against the Minnesota Wild.
Thanks for reading.