Photo Credit: Philadelphia Flyers PR
The World Junior Summer Showcase came to a close on Saturday, and I wrote a good piece on Jett “The Speedster” Luchanko and Denver Barkey. However, I wanted to extend good thoughts to Carson Bjarnason.
Bjarnason played well the entire tournament. In the first game he saved eight shots on nine shots faced. In Plymouth, Michigan this past Saturday, Bjarnason allowed just one goal. He was assertive and moved post to post laterally. Bjarnason wound up finishing the game with 27 saves on 28 shots during the second half of the game.
He appeared to be comfortable with coming in a bit cold to the game. He made the tough saves look easy, after just allowing one goal. For his efforts, he also saved four of six shootout attempts. The Flyers top brass of President Keith Jones and General Manager Danny Briere were in attendance. They were on hand after seeing Bjarnason put together a good second period in particular.
He’s a big goalie and Bjarnason was third in saves in the WHL around mid-December. Bjarnason stands at 6’4 and weighs 190 pounds. He finished the season with a paltry 3.08 GAA, and a .907 Save Percentage. Some perceived him as the best goaltender in the draft, and his numbers do not suggest how good he was/is. He wasn’t given much help this past season for the Wheat Kings either.
This brief stint with Team Canada should propel him to make the main Team Canada roster in December, and it should also aide him with having a successful 2024-25 campaign. Bjarnason really looked confident and decisive with his decision making, and that should make him feel good about himself.
