USA Hockey won its fifth gold medal at the World Junior Championship with a 2-0 shutout victory over Canada on Tuesday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Americans lost the first game of the tournament, a 5-3 setback against Russia, but then rattled off six consecutive victories. Four of those, including the gold-medal game, were shutouts.
Boston College sophomore goaltender Spencer Knight was named the Player of the Game on Tuesday night. The Darien, Conn., native and former Avon Old Farms backstop became the first goaltender in USA Hockey history to post a shutout in a medal-round game.
The media voted former Boston University and Avon Old Farms star Trevor Zegras as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Zegras, who signed with the Anaheim Ducks in March following his freshman year at BU, led the world juniors in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points.
A Bedford, N.Y., native, Zegras plays with swagger, which can rub opponents and even some neutral observers the wrong way. However, there was no denying that he backed up his talk, scoring the second goal in the gold-medal game on the heels of his provocative comments directed at Canadian goaltender Devon Levi (Northeastern University).
Zegras is incredibly skilled and his creativity with the puck on his stick has viewers on the edge of their seats. He was electric throughout the tournament and left no doubt that he was the most gifted offensive player for the Americans.
In addition to Knight, six other New England-born players earned a gold medal. Forwards Matt Beniers (Hingham, Mass./Michigan), Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I./Providence), Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass./Boston College), Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass./Northeastern), Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass./Providence), and defenseman Henry Thrun (Southboro, Mass./Dubuque) all will fly back to the U.S. with the most prized hardware in junior hockey.
The team was led by Providence College head coach Nate Leaman, who became the third coach in history to win a World Junior Championship and an NCAA championship. He was joined on the coaching staff by Harvard head coach Ted Donato (Dedham, Mass.), former Providence assistants Kris Mayotte and Steve Miller and Providence director of hockey operations Theresa Feaster.
Zegras and Knight were instrumental in guiding the Americans to the gold medal. However, a ton of credit goes to Leaman, who pushed all the right buttons en route to the title. Very few in the hockey world thought USA Hockey had any chance of beating Canada on Tuesday night. The coaching staff is right up there with Zegras and Knight as far as reasons the U.S. won.
A local college player who stepped up in a big way was Red Bank, N.J., native John Farinacci, a Harvard center who is spending the year in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The former Dexter Southfield star and 2019 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes finished the tournament with five goals and two assists while centering the third line and not getting power play time.
The only other player with local ties who skated for the Americans was Boston College sophomore defenseman Drew Helleson. He finished the tournament with two goals and two assists. He took the shot that Los Angeles Kings prospect Alex Turcotte redirected past Levi that stood up as the game-winning goal in the first period of Tuesday’s gold-medal game.
While the Canadians came up short in Tuesday’s finale, the team from north of the border had a terrific tournament. Three NCAA players were on Hockey Canada’s roster for the 2021 World Junior Championship, including Levi, a freshman goaltender at Northeastern, and Boston College sophomore center Alex Newhook.
Levi was named the tournament’s top goaltender after leading the world juniors with a .964 save percentage while posting three shutouts. Newhook scored three goals and three assists in six games while playing through a nagging injury.
Evaluations: New England prospects
Spencer Knight
Boston College, 4/19/01, G, catches left, 6-3/194
NHL: Florida Panthers (2019, 1st round)
There’s not much to be said about Knight that hasn’t already been said. He had an uncharacteristically poor performance against the Russians in the first game of the tournament. After sitting out the second game, an 11-0 victory over Austria, Knight bounced back with two consecutive shutouts. He then stymied Canada in the biggest game of his life on Tuesday night. Knight makes a lot of saves look easy and he’s certainly technically sound. One thing that doesn’t always get talked about when discussing goaltenders is his puckhandling ability. Knight was a game changer with the way he came out of the net to play pucks. He was able to start the transition while disrupting the Canadian forecheck pressure.
Matt Beniers
Michigan, 11/5/02, C, left shot, 6-1/168
NHL: 2021 draft eligible
Beniers had just a goal and two assists while centering USA’s second line. However, he impressed me a lot throughout the tournament. His attention to detail and ability to impact the game in all three zones was immense. As he did playing youth hockey for the South Shore Kings and during his freshman season at Milton Academy, Beniers hunted pucks, was on the right side of the puck, and continued playing at a high level each shift. He’s a 200-foot center who cemented his status as a top 10 pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
Matt Boldy
Boston College, 4/5/01, LW, left shot, 6-2/194
NHL: Minnesota Wild (2019, 1st round)
Boldy had five goals and two assists. He showed why he’s such a highly regarded power forward with elite hockey sense. Boldy, who played prep hockey at Dexter Southfield before moving on to the NTDP, protected pucks and did a good job on the cycle below the dots. There were several times where he used his big frame to fend off opposing defenders before getting pucks to an open teammate. He also went to the net, found soft areas in opposing defenses, and got himself in scoring areas. Boldy made a key block late in the semifinal win over Finland, using his body to deflect a point shot into the protective netting behind the goal. He’s a smart power forward who has shown significant and consistent growth in his game over the past few years.
Brett Berard
Providence, 9/9/02, LW, left shot, 5-9/152
NHL: New York Rangers (2020, 5th round)
Berard had a huge tournament, scoring a goal and adding four assists. He certainly doesn’t have the size of Boldy or the skill of Zegras, but his compete level doesn’t take a back seat to anyone. The former Bishop Hendricken star plays with pace, was relentless on the forecheck, forced turnovers, and brought it physically. His goal came on a beautiful end-to-end rush where he showed off his speed and willingness to drive the net. I’ve compared him to Bruins sniper Brad Marchand a few times. It’s not a perfect prospect match, but the Rangers got a steal when he fell to the fifth round. Berard showed many on the international stage what those of us who have watched him dating back to his Bantam years with South Shore Kings already knew.
Henry Thrun
Dubuque, 3/12/01, D, left shot, 6-2/195
NCAA: Harvard
NHL: Anaheim Ducks (2019, 4th round)
Thrun had an assist in the seven games while playing on the team’s third defensive pairing. He finished the 2021 World Junior Championship at plus-6 in the plus/minus category. The former St. Mark’s star is an above-average skater with good vision and hockey sense. He just lacks the dynamic skill-set of the defensemen ahead of him who logged more minutes. Thrun is a solid defenseman who will return to Harvard for his junior season in 2021-22 after spending this year in the USHL.
Patrick Moynihan
Providence, 1/23/01, RW, right shot, 5-11/185
NHL: New Jersey Devils (2019, 6th round)
Moynihan, who played prep hockey at Nobles before joining the NTDP, took his lumps in the tournament. He missed two games after taking a huge hit to the head late in the game against Austria. He was out on the ice somewhat late in the gold-medal game. He’s the type of bottom-six winger who plays hard, hunts pucks, and can be reliable in all three zones. Moynihan is probably limited to being an AHL player at the pro level, but he’s the type of player who can help win games and who teammates admire.
Sam Colangelo
Northeastern, 12/26/01, RW, right shot, 6-2/205
NHL: Anaheim Ducks (2020, 2nd round)
Colangelo didn’t play a huge role for the U.S. He scored a goal in a lopsided win over Austria, his only point of the tournament. The former Lawrence Academy star didn’t get a lot of ice time as he only fits a top-six role. Colangelo has strong offensive instincts, a good shot, and is an underrated passer. His skating has gotten better, but it’s not elite when it comes to a fast tournament such as the WJC. His habits away from the puck concerned Leaman and the staff, which kept him on the bench. I expect Colangelo’s offensive game to take off under Northeastern’s system.
