news

After the American team’s legendary 2-0 win over Canada in the 2021 world junior gold medal game, Trevor Zegras’ popularity among hockey fans has spread faster than wildfire. The popularity is well deserved though, as the 19- year old player won the scoring title with 18 points, earned an all-star berth, and walked away with MVP honors in the 2021 tournament.

Confident of his team’s abilities, Trevor Zegras, in a pre-game interview, was confident that the U.S. would take home a gold medal. According to him, the previously undefeated Canadian team had not been tested with a real team yet. When asked to comment on Trevor’s pre-game comments, U.S. Coach Nate Leaman, credited the team’s success to Trevor Zegras’ skills. He commended Trevor for scoring points against every team the U.S. rivaled against.

Zegras may not have Jeremy Roenicke’s rough-wild spirit, but his impact as a world junior legend can be felt. In just two tournaments, he surpassed Roenicke’s 16 points in the single tournament 1989, trailed Dough Weight’s 19 points, and equaled Jordan Schroeder’s career record of 27 points. He has proven to be not just a player, but a creative player. His inventive weird bounce to tuck tactic saw the U.S. winning the gold medal game against Canada.

In the past two years, Zegras has built a successful track record in his career. He recorded zero goals and nine assists at the bronze U18 team and the sixth-place world junior team 2020 tournaments. Today, Zegras is acknowledged as NCAA Hockey East All-Rockie Team with 11 goals and 25 assists. Additionally, he has earned the enviable top-shooter spot for the years 2018 and 2019. If Zegras’ career were to follow the path he is on consistently, he would rival Chara and Henrik Zetterberg.

Trevor Zegras is without a doubt at the helm of his career; the scoring leader has not only built a successful track record for himself but also helped his team triumph over a previously undefeated team.

In the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, the American team scored a flawless 2-0 win over the Canadian team, earning itself a fifth gold medal. Ready to dig in deeper? Together, let us find out the factors attributed to this victory.

The American team players performed exceedingly great in the game. For instance, despite Canada’s efforts to get a goal, America’s Spenser Knight successfully blocked 34-21 overall Canada shots. Dylan Cozens, Canada’s top scorer, pointed out that Knight played remarkably and managed to stop lots of pucks. America’s Trevor Zegras also won the scoring title with 18 points, which saw him taking the tournament’s Most Valuable Player title.

According to America’s team coach, Nate Leaman, the tournament started well for his team. The U.S. started more physical and managed to hold on to the puck longer; this gave them an edge over Canada, which only got more physical in the second and third periods. Canada’s effort to have a more efficient fore-check in the second and third periods was a little too late as the U.S. already had a tip for the first goal.

Despite Canada’s effort to apply puck pressure, the Americans effectively handled the tactic by moving the puck quickly. Although Canada controlled the early going, the U.S steadily took charge and managed to gain control over Canada. It resulted in a period of sustained pressure on Canada’s end and a gradual weakening of its defensive players.

At 13:25, Alex Turcotte scored against Levi, this goal motivated the U.S., and they came back with an additional notable shift. The major challenge encountered by Canada was its players missing great scoring chances. For instance, Bo Byram’s shot hit the post while Quinton Byfield shot too wide. Canada got hold of the puck in the third period, but there was barely time to do anything with it; there were not many real chances for them to buy a goal.

In conclusion, America’s Spenser Knight had a lot to do with the team’s success. His flawless playing on the blue ice and his successful blocking of shots proved a real challenge for the Canadian team.