The Canucks kicked off the 2017 Young Stars Classic with a 4-2 win that doesn’t accurately capture how dominant they actually were. The Canucks prospects out-shot the Jets prospects 39 to 20 and it took some outstanding saves by Winnipeg’s Russian net-minding prospect Mikhail Berdin to keep things close.
It was a great showcase for the Canucks’ deepened prospect pool and there were several standout performances. Here are the three stars of the game.
3rd Star: Griffen Molino
Molino can flat out fly and it made him an asset for the Canucks in transition, making zone entries look easy. But it wasn’t just his skating that stood out. He handled the puck well and created chances with some intelligent plays: his set up for a great Mackenze Stewart chance came when he slowed things down after coming across the blue line, creating some distance between himself and the defence to stickhandle and make the pass.
Molino ended up with the game-winning goal on the power play, firing a one-timer off a gorgeous feed from Kole Lind — more on him in a bit.
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Griffen Molino scores on the PP to put the up 3-1
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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Molino did his best work in the third period, buzzing around the offensive zone for several chances and setting up Juolevi for a breakaway chance. He was skating circles around the Jets, giving notice that he is a darkhorse to play for the Canucks this season, even if he was even further under the radar than the .Ěý
One thing to keep in mind: Molino is 23, making him one of the oldest players at this tournament, and has some NHL experience already. Canucks fans should likely hold off on the hype train until the preseason.
2nd Star: Jalen Chatfield
Chatfield is a joy to watch on defence: his skating is sublime, allowing him to keep a tight gap on opposing forwards and disrupt plays with his stick. He also moved the puck well, quickly transitioning the puck up ice to his forwards and limiting the time he and the Canucks were in the defensive zone.
He also made himself known in the offensive zone, ripping a snap shot past Berdin off a faceoff win by Zack MacEwen.
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Jalen Chatfield scores to put the up 2-1
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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Early in the game, he was the Canucks’ best player, making it even more disappointing when he was taken out by a dirty hit by Kody McDonald, who left his feet to deliver a shoulder to Chatfield’s jaw.
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Here's the elbow on defenceman Jalen Chatfield
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
He hasn't returned yet.
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It was an ugly, scary-looking hit that saw McDonald get booted from the game and Chatfield miss the remainder of the first period. Evidently Chatfield was okay and passed whatever concussion protocol he went through, as he returned for the second period and maintained his high level of play.
1st Star: Kole Lind
The Canucks’ 33rd overall pick in the 2017 draft had been kept quiet at two showcase events during the off-season. At the Canucks’ Summer Prospect Showcase and Team Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase, he was outshone by other Canucks prospects. It was Jonah Gadjovich that improved his stock for Canada’s World Junior team, not Lind.
But at the first game of the Young Stars tournament, Lind was a star, finishing with a goal and two assists.
The goal was the least impressive part of his game,oddly enough. It came after a late, undisciplined cross-checking penalty that gave the Jets the chance to tie the game, the one blemish on his game, and it was scored into an empty net. Still, it was a nice capstone to an overall excellent performance that showcased his vision and passing.
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Kole Lind scores on the empty net to give the a 4-2
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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Both of his assists were primary assists on the power play. The first was a one-touch cross-crease pass to Jonah Gadjovich to tie up the game after the Jets went up 1-0.
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Jonah Gadjovich finishes off the nice passing play from Lind and McKenzie to tie game at 1
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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His second assist was his gorgeous set up across the royal road to Molino for the one-timer.
What was most impressive about those two assists is how little time the puck spent on his stick. Before the puck even got to him, he knew exactly where he wanted to pass it, moving it so quickly and accurately that he gave the goaltender no chance to make the save.
Lind seems like the type of player who will be more and more visible as the games get more and more structured, whereas someone with outstanding physical ability can power through a more chaotic environment.
Honourable Mentions:
- Brett McKenzie picked up the secondary assists on both goals assisted by Lind and he was quietly effective the rest of the game.
- Maybe it’s because he had such a steady presence on his pairing, but Olli Juolevi jumped up offensively far more than we’ve seen previously, getting a few dangerous-looking shots off, including a breakaway chance off a turnover he created in the neutral zone. He also cleared a puck off the goal line in the third period to maintain the Canucks’ 3-2 lead.
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Olli Juolevi with a nice chance - but Berdin makes the save
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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- Thatcher Demko made a lot of great saves, including key stops on two breakaways. Demko only allowed two goals on 20 shots, but he doesn’t get a nod in the three stars as he needed some help in the process: a few shots squeaked through him and needed to be cleared off the line or out of the crease by his defence. If he can more effectively swallow those shots, a coveted three-star selection is heading his way.
- Brock Boeser at times looked like the best player on the ice — at one point he skated in 1-on-2 on the Jets’ defence and acted like they weren’t even there — and he rang his best chance off the underside of the crossbar with a wicked wrist shot. At the same time, he made some poorly thought out passes in the defensive zone that he’ll need to clean up as the regular season approaches.
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Boeser with quite the shot - but rings it off the post
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech)
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- There was a lot to like about Zack MacEwen’s game, as he used his size and speed to create space for his linemates, and he made some nice passes while playing on a line with Boeser and Michael Carcone. He finished with one assist for his faceoff win to Chatfield.
- Jets invitee Mathieu Sevigny was running around all game throwing big hits, but when he dropped the gloves with Carcone, he got more than he bargained for from the 5’9” winger. Carcone unceremoniously dumped the much larger Sevigny to the ice and gave the Penticton crowd a polite golf clap on his way to the penalty box.Ěý
- Cole Candella surprised with some strong moments, getting a couple chances by jumping up in the rush or stepping up in the offensive zone. He was also one of the defencemen who bailed out Demko, sliding across the crease to clear a puck off the line.
- Jonah Gadjovich wasn’t as noticeable here as he was at the World Junior showcase, but he still finished off Lind’s pass for the Canucks’ first goal.
