Photo Credit: Rebecca McCormick
Team Canada slammed Czechia 5-1 yesterday at the WJC. Czechia couldn’t hang with Mason McTavish (2g,0a), Kent Johnson (1g,1a), and Tyson Foerster (1g,0a).
Foerster arguably had his best game of the tournament thus far. His skating is noticeable (In a good way), and he had longer strides to develop more separation. I guess all he needed was some confidence. Foerster has worked hard this Summer with a skating coach Slava in Voorhees, NJ, and this is the one area that he has worked that hardest.
Foerster finally had the confidence to shoot more. He fired the puck six times on net, and this is his strength. It paid off in a big way with this first goal of the tournament, coupled with 14:48 of ice time, and he was a +2 to boot. Foerster is a first shot mentality player that is something most rave about, so it is good to see him back firing away with confidence.
Desnoyers just hasn’t found his niche in the first three games of the tournament. He logged 7:01 of ice time, as compared to Forester’s 14:48 of ice time. To make matters worse Desnoyers’s 7:01 of ice time was the lowest of all Team Canada players yesterday. He just doesn’t look confident, and this is abnormal for him.
Much like Foerster, Desnoyers is used to making quick decisive decisions with the puck, and I just haven’t seen that crispness yet from him. Again it’s only three games, but they were against lower level teams (Latvia, Slovakia, Czechia), so I personally was expecting more.
Brian Zanetti
Zanetti has struggled the past few games with Switzerland. Switzerland lost yesterday 3-2, and Zanetti finished the game with just four shifts totaling 2:49 of ice time. He should be relied on more for the Swiss, which leads me to believe he may have gotten hurt, but I cannot confirm or deny. Remember he got clipped up high to the face in the first game, and Zanetti lost a few teeth, as well, from this incident.
This young 19-year-old in Zanetti is 6’2 and weighing 181 pounds in Zanetti needs time to develop. Like most prospects he has to get bigger and stronger, he’s a bit lanky. Zanetti’s body will fill in time, so I’m not concerned about that, especially with playing for renown program in the Peterborough Petes in the OHL. However, Zanetti likes to join the rush, and is a smooth skating defenseman. These are some things to keep an eye on as the tournament progresses.
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It’s still early in the tournament so anything can still happen. Foerster has rebounded in a big way, and Desnoyers should rebound after this off day, as well. Hopefully everything is okay with Zanetti. The only Flyers prospect in action today is Captain Emil Andrae of Sweden.
Schedule for Flyers Prospects today at the WJC:
USA vs. Sweden 10pm EST (Emil Andrae)
