Battle Of Hudson

Islander third round pick Taylor Cammarata made a strong impression on Day 3 at Lake Placid.
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In the second game Monday at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, Team USA White prevailed over Finland 5-2 for our country’s first win in four games. Unlike the first three games (all losses), USA White won the special teams battle. They converted twice in six chances on the man-advantage and killed off four of five penalties. Discipline has been an issue thus far.

Islander 2013 third round pick Taylor Cammarata shined with a goal and two assists. He set up Nashville prospect Zach Stepan for the game’s opening tally on the power play and finished a wraparound from Montreal 2013 first round pick Michael McCarron extending the lead to 3-0 halfway through the first period. Cammarata also assisted on USA White’s fourth goal scored by Panthers’ 2013 second round pick Ian McCoshen.

With under four minutes left in the second, McCarron closed USA scoring to make it 5-0. Finland got two goals in the last two minutes of the third from Chicago prospect Teuvo Teravainen and 2014 Draft Eligible Aleksi Mustonen to avoid the shutout. Teravainen has five points (2-3-5) in two games. Otto Rauhala and undrafted 19-year old Henrik Haapala added helpers on Mustonen’s tally that concluded the scoring.

For USA White, Cammarata paced them with three points. McCarron chipped in with a goal and assist. Devil 2013 second round pick Steve Santini picked up his first point drawing an assist on Phoenix ’13 fifth rounder Connor Clifton’s tally that put them ahead 2-0. Boston defense prospect Matt Grzelcyk added a helper. Also making the score sheet were Mike Brodzinski (Sharks ’13 Rd 5), Quentin Shore (Sens ’13 Rd 6), Phoenix prospect Henrik Samuelsson and Tyler Motte (Hawks ’13 Rd 4). All four had assists.

Jon Gillies (Flames ’12 Rd 3) and Collin Olson (Canes ’12 Rd 6) split goalie duty. Gillies made 13 saves in relief while Olson was perfect (15/15). For Suomi, Columbus goalie prospect Joonas Korpisalo went the distance turning aside 26 of 31.

Finland at Team USA White Score Sheet

Official Player Stats

On Day 3 of NWJC, USA Blue fell to Sweden 4-3. Montreal prospect Sebastian Collberg tallied twice and assisted on another goal for the victorious Swedes. Sabres’ 2013 fifth round pick (130th overall) Gustav Possler assisted on both of Collberg’s markers. He was named the game’s second star behind Collberg with goalie Marcus Hogberg (Sens ’13 Rd 3) earning third star with 23 saves.

Columbus 2013 first rounder Alexander Wennberg added a goal and assist. 2014 Draft Eligible Lucas Wallmark, Daniel Zaar (CBJ ’12 Rd 6) and Christian Djoos each had assists. Djoos is the son of former Ranger defenseman Par Djoos. The Capitals selected him in the seventh round last year. Like his Dad, he plays defense. In ’12-13 for Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Elite League (SEL), he posted two goals and six assists with 38 penalty minutes over 47 games. Interestingly enough, Dad played for them before getting recalled by Detroit in 1990-91. He was traded with Joe Kocur to the Rangers for Kevin Miller, Jim Cummins and Dennis Vial on March 5, 1991. After spending parts of two seasons on Broadway, the elder Djoos returned home and spent the majority of his career with Brynas IF. He coaches IF Sundsvall of the Swedish Allsvenakan.

The goal scorers for Team USA Blue were Tampa Bay 2013 second round pick Adam Erne  and Avs’ D prospect Will Butcher who tallied twice including his second that cut it to 4-3 late. Devil prospect Stefan Matteau set up Butcher’s first goal that put USA Blue on the board. They trailed 3-0 in the second before cutting the deficit to one. Erne scored with less than a minute to go in the stanza. Washington prospect Connor Carrick and Butcher added helpers. Butcher had a three-point day and Carrick continued to play well.

In the third, the teams exchanged goals. Wennberg restored a two-goal lead halfway through before Butcher made it interesting on a feed from Vincent Hinostroza (Hawks ’12 Rd 6) with 2:17 remaining. Anaheim prospect Nic Kerdiles also registered a helper. Yesterday, he set up Anthony DeAngelo (Sarnia Sting).

Thatcher Demko (Boston College) allowed three goals on 23 shots and Flyer goalie prospect Anthony Stolarz stopped seven of eight.

Matteau Hurt: During the second period, Stefan Matteau suffered an injury after taking a hit to the head from Swedish blueliner Anton Lindholm. He didn’t return. We’ll update his status. Lindholm was assessed a five-minute charging major and game misconduct.

USA Blue has played two games losing both. Here are player stats. It’s three pages and includes Finland and Sweden. At last check, USA White is comfortably in front of Finland 5-0. It’s been a good day for Isles’ prospect Taylor Cammarata. The ’13 third rounder has a goal and two assists so far. Nashville prospect Zach Stepan, Montreal 2013 first rounder Michael McCarron, Connor Clifton (Yotes ’13 Rd 5) and Ian McCoshen (Panthers ’13 Rd 2) have also tallied. Devils’ ’13 second round pick Steve Santini has an assist. We’ll have more later.

Teuvo Teravainen stood out on Day 2 at Lake Placid.
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The second game at Herb Brooks Arena was a wild one. Finland rallied from a goal back defeating USA Blue 6-5 in overtime. With the goalie pulled, Artturi Lehkonen tied it up with 10 seconds left in regulation. It was part of a big day for the Canadiens’ 2013 second round pick who recorded a hat trick and assist for a point effort. Lehkonen combined with Teuvo Teravainen (Hawks ’12 1st Rd) for eight points. Teravainen terrorized USA with a goal and three assists. He was a standout due to superb skating and playmaking. On the American side, Greenwich, Connecticut native John Hayden wasn’t too shabby either. Chicago must be thrilled.

Similar to Sweden cashing in on the power play in their 4-2 win over USA White, Finland was only too happy to oblige. They converted three of four including Isles’ defense prospect Ville Pokka, who got the OT winner with a rocket past 2014 Draft Eligible goalie Thatcher Demko. It was an inauspicious start for the hyped American prospect attending Boston College. He allowed five goals on 19 shots in relief of Edison, Jersey native Anthony Stolarz (15 saves). The Flyer 2012 second rounder held the forte with the Finns controlling play in the second. In fairness to Demko, the first shot he saw was off a breakaway with Ville Leskinen (’14 Eligible) beating him with a backhand short side. He made a couple of strong stops including a spectacular split to deny an opportunity.

Islander fans should be encouraged by Pokka. The 19-year old blueliner tallied a goal and two helpers. In the 2012 Draft, the Isles took him in Round Two 34th overall. He’s spent the last three seasons with Karpat of SM-liiga in Finland. He posted six goals and six assists in 47 contests in ’12-13. A nice improvement from last year when he totaled three assists in 35 games. Given their surplus of depth on the back end, the Isles can wait for him to develop. A luxury for the club with a bright future off a playoff year.

The Pens remain the favorite in the Metro. Unfortunately for the rest of the division, they boast a solid D prospect in ’12 number one pick Olli Maatta. He helped set up four of Finland’s six tallies. Already signed following two years with the London Knights (OHL), he’ll likely spend time with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

For Blue, Connor Carrick stood out from the rest. It appears the Caps have another good defenseman in their system. Carrick was selected last year in the fifth round (137th overall). He spent two years with the U.S. National Development team (USHL) and posted 44 points (12-32-44) in his first season with the Plymouth Whalers (OHL). The 19-year old is a smooth skating D with above average offensive skills which were on display at Lake Placid. With the Americans pressing the action early, he jumped up in the rush and finished off a nice passing play from Will Butcher  (Avs ’13 Rd 5) and another Caps’ prospect Riley Barber, who led USA with three assists. Carrick had a goal and helper and was easily their most dependable blueliner.

The Rangers’ Brady Skjei looked good in spurts. He didn’t see much ice in the third but was on for Finland’s tying marker. Outside of that, the 2012 first round pick showed decent skating ability. Early on, he nearly scored on a wrap around. Defensively, he was okay making a couple of nice recoveries to help 17-year old phenom Anthony DeAngelo out. DeAngelo is a high risk, reward player who takes chances. You can see what the hype is about The Sewell, Jersey native who’s available next draft had a nice goal that put Team USA ahead 5-4 with under 10 minutes remaining. On the play, he snuck in from the left point and deposited a sweet Nic Kerdiles (Ducks ’12 Rd 2) cross-ice feed. At times, DeAngelo was adventurous in his end. About what you’d expect. Anaheim 2013 third rounder Keaton Thompson struggled mightily the first two periods but showed improvement late.

Another player who had a strong game was Sharks’ 2012 fifth rounder Dan O’Regan. He scored twice and was a constant force. His second straight goals came just 19 seconds into the third on a brilliant rush from Carrick. That knotted the contest 3-3. After Lehkonen put Suomi back ahead, Team USA scored 30 seconds apart to storm in front. On an innocent looking play, Hudson Fasching (Kings ’13 Rd 4) got rewarded for hustle around the Finn net when a loose puck snuck past Juuse Saros (Preds ’13 Rd 4). Montreal prospect Brady Vail (’12 Rd 4) also competed well.

Other Battle prospects who represented USA Blue were Devils’ 2012 first round pick Stefan Matteau and Buffalo 2013 second rounder Justin Bailey. Of the two, Bailey stood out more. The 6-3, 186 pound forward from Williamsville, New York combines solid skating with strength. He pulled off a couple of nice power moves to the net that almost resulted in goals. His effort paid off on Fasching’s marker. Bailey can be followed on Twitter. As for Matteau, he showed glimpses of strong skating. Like Dad Stephane, the 19-year old is a good forechecker who uses the boards effectively. He had one quality chance coming in the third and wasn’t overly physical. There’s still some growing for the second-year pro.

Finland 6 USA Blue 5 (OT) Scoring Summary

Player Statistics

Team Stats

Monday Schedule:

Sweden vs USA Blue 1 EST/10 PST

Finland vs USA White 4 EST/10 PST

Note: Canada begins play Tuesday

Day Two of USA Hockey WJC Evaluation Camp saw the first action. USA White fell to Sweden 4-2 at Lake Placid. Undisciplined play was the story for USA White who took three of their 10 penalties in the third period. Sweden took full advantage scoring twice on the power play to break a 2-2 tie.

2014 Draft eligible Lucas Wallmark finished off a nice set up from Sebastian Collberg and Christian Djoos at 15:50 for the game-winner. Tommy Vannelli (Stl ’13 2nd Rd) was off for delay of game. His third penalty of the game. Some nifty passing resulted in Wallmark beating USA goalie Collin Olson (Car ’12 6th Rd) from the slot. Olson had no chance.

Team USA came close to tying it less than a minute later. Montreal ’13 first round pick Michael McCarron was denied on a rebound by Sweden netminder Oscar Dansk. Another penalty resulted in the Swedes’ third power play goal. This time, Quentin Shore (Ott ’13 6th Rd) went off for hi-sticking. It didn’t take long for Sweden to cash in. Following a shorthanded bid from defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (Bos ’12 3rd Rd), Filip Sandberg ripped home his first from Carl Dahlstrom making it 4-2 with 2:10 left in regulation.

Frustration boiled over for USA White. It included a post scrum after an icing and a kneeing minor to Tyler Motte (Chi ’13 4th Rd) with 19.1 seconds remaining. Buffalo ’13 second rounder J.T. Compher mixed it up as the final seconds wound down. At the very least, he was noticeable. Islanders’ third rounder Taylor Cammarata is a midget but did some nice things on the forecheck. 2012 Rangers’ second round pick Cristoval Nieves drew praise and Zach Stepan (Nsh ’12 4th Rd) was involved offensively. The broadcasters seemed to think he reminded them of older cousin Derek Stepan, who remains unsigned. “They sneak up on you,” was one remark which is true when it comes to our top center. Devils’ 2013 second round pick Steve Santini also took part. He got a shot through and delivered a check prior to Wallmark’s game decider.

USA goals were scored by Grzelcyk and Winnipeg ’13 fourth round pick Andrew Copp. Sweden also got goals from Andre Burakowski and Anton Lindholm. Jon Gillies played the first making 11 saves and Olson went the last two turning aside 17 of 20. For Sweden, Dansk went the distance stopping 15 of 17.

In the second game, Team Blue takes on Finland.