World Juniors Gameday: USA vs. Finland

DANIEL:

Let me start by saying that I prefer the vs. abbreviation to the v. abbreviation. I don't know why; I think it has to do with all the Street Fighter II I played when I was in junior high. Speaking of Junior, the tournament is underway. It's hard to get very excited for this tournament unless you're a hardcore puckhead. I only recently became interested when I learned I needed to know more about prospects. Still, there's something hopeful about the World Juniors. It's a bunch of young players competing for their country, draft position, and hopefully good memories. Of course, that's also what makes it sad. Watching Canada or the USA cream some poor kids from Latvia or Denmark isn't always a great way to watch the game of hockey. However, it's important to see these kids put their skills on display and hope one of them will soon make our respective team better.

Now, team USA put beat down on the poor Danish kids. The player Ducks fans are most interested in, Emerson Etem, managed to get a pair of secondary assists and be +3 in the game, while being tied for the team lead with 6 shots on goal. Campbell gave up 3 goals on 23 shots, but all the goals were scored on Danish power plays. That probably means John Gibson won't be getting the start tonight against Finland. Finland features one of the best junior players in the world in Minnesota Wild prospect, Mikael Granlund. They also feature a good defender in Olli Maata, who was one of Puck Daddy's potential 2012 picks to keep an eye on. They'll also feature the Kings second round pick from 2011, Chris Gibson between the pipes. Despite being worked over by Canada, the Finns should be taken seriously. Here's to hoping for a good game.