[Sandman]

Thoughts from the U-18 Tournament, Part Two (In no particular order):

D EJ Emery: 6 assists in 7 games, and was tied with a tournament-leading +15. I love this kid, he's huge at 6'3",185lbs, and he skates incredibly well- which makes him very hard to play against, as he's quite mean and physical, but also a defensive stalwart, and elite shut-down defenseman. He's been building his offensive game all year, and he showed that he can contribute.

LW Trevor Connelly: He was 10th-overall in scoring, with 9 points- but cost his team the gold medal, getting 5 and a game in the third period for checking to the head in the final game against Canada. Team Canada used the 5 minute powerplay to score 3, and go up 5-3 in the game, after being down 3-2. Connelly is supremely talented, but like the Grinch, he has all the warmth and character of a seasick crocodile. I don't think he left the dressing room after being ejected to collect his medal, or participate in the closing ceremony.

RW Ryder Ritchie: I thought he started out a bit slow, and was fading into the background a bit, but he became more and more noticeable as the tournament wore on. It helped that he was playing with Tij Iginla as well. He scored 2 points in the semi-final against Sweden, and another 2 points in the final against the USA. Richie is a much better offensive player than he was able to show in Prince Albert, and his two-way game was on display in this tournament.

C Tuomas Suoniemi: This was a pivotal tournament for Suoniemi, as there's been talk that he might not be drafted this year, due to his lacklustre league play the last two seasons. He was tied with Konsta Helenius for the lead in scoring for Finland, with 7 points in 5 games. Suoniemi has top-tier vision and creativity in his playmaking, but has a spotty defensive game, and is more quick than fast. He's not usually known as a big goal-scorer, but he bagged 3 in this tournament for a disappointing Finnish team.

C Lucas Petterson/ C Linus Eriksson: 8 points for LP, 7 points for Eriksson. These two are so similar that I constantly get them mixed up. Both are swift-skating, two-way centers with offensive touch, although I think Petterson is slightly better offensively, and Eriksson gets the nod defensively. Both remind me of St.Louis center Rob Thomas.

D Gabriel Eliasson: He's a 6'6" defender who skates very well for a player his size, but he hurt his team with all the unnecessary penalties he took. Eliasson is mean and unrelentingly physical, but his 20 penalty minutes in this tournament were all minors. The coaches even benched him for stretches, but he didn't seem to get the message. For the next level, he will need to rein it in a bit and concentrate on playing a quality shutdown game, which he's capable of doing.

D Henry Mews: I've been a big advocate of his since watching him in last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup. 7 points in 7 games, and played an excellent two-way game, with fantastic puck movement, and plenty of PP time. There are times that he looks sloppy, and other times where he makes poor decisions with the puck, but he's usually a calming presence on the blueline, and an effortless skater.

C Konsta Helenius: I doubt there's anyone in the hockey world that wasn't disappointed by his performance, with 0 goals and 7 points in 5 games. For most other players, numbers like that would get you positive recognition, but a player like him is expected to dominate. He has supreme skill, vision, and speed, but everyone who watched him seems to say the same thing- that he didn't look like he wanted to be there. It might have just been too much pressure for the kid, playing in front of his home crowd. To me, he seemed to play too much on the perimeter.

RW Melvin Fernstrom: I really like this kid, and I think he's going to make a good NHLer. He's got good hands, and a hard shot, but also has the vision to make plays. 8 points in 7 games, which puts him in a three-way tie for 11th in tournament scoring. He's 6'1", and uses his size to push his way around, but needs a bit of work on his skating and defensive game.

LW Tij Iginla: Craig Button kept calling him, "Teej EYE-ginla", and it was driving me nuts. It seemed like he started a bit slowly, but was one of Canada's best players by the end of the tourney, with 2 points in the semi-final against Sweden, and 3 points in the final against USA. He's true athlete, and an alpha-male like his Dad, with a superb arsenal of shots, a goal-scorer's finish around the net. He's a good skater with a physical game, and forechecks like a beast. He's so good down low too- again, just like Dad. Baby Iggy is no slouch in the playmaking department, either. I think he's a riser on draft day.