Top Player: C Ryan Poehling (2017) impressed the daylights out of us, using a blend of size and skill to torment opponents and vault the Americans to their best Hlinka finish since 2013. A Minnesotan who accelerated his studies in order to dress as a freshman for St. Cloud State in the fall, Poehling comes a hockey family and did his country proud, tying for third in tournament scoring with four goals and three assists — including the OT winner against the Finns during group play. He was noticeable every shift and was a key cog in Team USA’s holding a possession advantage over opponents. It’s hard to nail down a singular strength of his since he does so many things at a high level, but he’s clearly one of the top draft-eligible playmakers with legitimate top-six potential.

Key Moment: It may have only been the first game, but the Americans were on their heels against Finland in a tie game for a lengthy stretch of the third period. The Finns tied the game 2-2 on an early power play goal, and the ice immediately tilted in their favor. But power forward LW Mike Pastujov (2017), a Floridian who plays for the NTDP, turned a simple dump-in into a quick turnover, and his bank shot from behind the net gave the U.S. a 3-2 lead. Granted, the Finns would later tie it up, and it took a Poehling goal to win it in OT. But Pastujov’s goal may have prevented an opening-day loss in regulation while putting the remainder of their tournament in doubt.

Who Impressed: RHD Joey Keane (2017) is a 6’1, 190-pound two-way defenseman who was beyond solid while anchoring Team USA’s blue line. Committed to Miami-Ohio, Keane played poised and decisive, using his mobility and smarts to beat back the aggressive forechecks employed by both Finland and the Czech Republic. The Dubuque Fighting Saint (USHL) won’t wow you with explosive traits or finesse, but Keane’s subtlety while completing plays with a high degree of difficulty was a critical reason the U.S. was able to exploit its forwards’ open-ice skills. C Sasha Chmelevski (2017) — the tournament’s leading scorer with 10 points (5g, 5a) — was a thorn in everyone’s side, scoring clutch goals and making opponents pay for their mistakes. He centered the top power play unit and displayed top-end shot accuracy and playmaking skills on the rush. Chmelevski was part of the return package for the Ottawa 67’s (OHL) when they traded star Travis Konecny to the Sarnia Sting, but a broken collarbone cut his rookie season short. Lastly, G Cayden Primeau, a Northeastern University commit, was the tournament’s version of a human highlight reel, make 10-bell save after 10-bell save. The son of former NHL star Keith Primeau, Cayden has excellent side-to-side mobility and plays with extreme confidence.

Top Player: RW Lucas Elvenes (2017) was a player who caught our eye last season, only to reinforce the positives during the week-long competition in Bratislava. A jack-of-all-trades kind of forward, Elvenes played in every situation, to include manning the point on the power play. He’s a key figure for Rogle’s J20 squad (Superelit), and his two-way play was certainly on display. He showed patience off of defensive-zone draw wins, calmly waiting for things in front of him to properly align. When he didn’t see something he liked, he peeled back and re-engaged with a successful breakout. On several occasions, Elvenes made world-class set-ups, including one occasion when he dished a sweet behind-the-back feed from below the goal line while cutting against the grain in a 3-1 win against Russia. Elvenes uses excellent footwork to skate himself into an area with open lanes to attack, and he’s consistent with pass accuracy whether dishing it hard or soft. He plays with his head up, and the timing on passes are excellent.

Key Moment: The Swedes didn’t have the kind of offensive “oomph” from their forward ranks, so they were by no means the favorites. But winning their first two games with relative ease before meeting Canada in the last game of group play meant a berth in the semis regardless. Still, they were tied with the desperate Canadians 1-1 late into the first before the Swedes were given power play time and an opportunity to go into the Final Four on a high note. Things, however, went south from there, as the Canadians not only scored one shorthanded goal, but added another after taking a second penalty for a 5-on-3. The two goals — scored by Maxime Comtois — were far from crushing, but they revealed a weakness some didn’t think the Swedes had.

Who Impressed: RW Fabian Zetterlund (2017) is a goal scorer with some flash to his game, thanks to quick bursts of speed and a deadly accurate wrist shot. Zetterlund can shoot the puck with authority from anywhere on the ice, and his accuracy is consistent with both one-timers and static launches. He was used on the top power play unit, where he likes to position himself near the circles with the hammer cocked. The scouting report on Zetterlund is pretty simple — he shoots. RHD Tim Liljegren came to the Hlinka with a lot of fanfare after a strong U18 worlds, but he looked as if he made it a point to improve his one-on-one and defensive zone play. What we saw was a polished two-way blueliner ready to tackle the everyday rigors of playing against older, stronger SHL’ers. Liljegren uses an active stick when facing the back of an opponent, but does so in a clean manner. His reads are excellent, as he will anticipate the direction of reverses or leads and steal puck while he’s already in motion — strikingly reminiscent of NHL rearguard Ryan McDonagh. Liljegren, who will play for Rogle’s senior squad, is poised under pressure from forecheckers, and practically all of his breakouts — short or long — were accurate and/or caught a teammate in stride.

Top Performer: RW Sami Moilanen (2017) had one heck of a tournament, which could only help as he makes the transition to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds for the 2016-17 season. He’s a feisty player with quickness, going from fast to Mach speed in a hurry. Teams tried to employ bigger defenders with a long reach to force his hand, but Moilanen simply used their poking and stretching as an opportunity to catch them flat footed. Whether jabbing and shoving his way to the puck in a board battle, or stealing the puck and darting up ice,  he’s always involved in a given play. Moilanen can fire off a hard snap shot while moving laterally and finished the competition as Finland’s leading scorer with three goals and two assists.

Key Moment: The Finns sent an above-average squad to the Czech Republic with unrealistic chances for a gold medal, partly because most of their best 1999-born prospects had just participated for Finland’s U20 club at the world junior evaluation camp in Michigan. But there they were, tied with the Americans late in overtime of the first game, with a weak Swiss squad the only obstacle in the way of clinching a medal-round berth. And even when G Lasse Lehtinen (2017) stopped a Ryan Poehling breakaway with under a minute to go in the 3-on-3 extra session, you got the feeling the magical Finns would somehow eke out a victory during the subsequent shootout. But it took 10 or so seconds thereafter for a massive mental breakdown in the Finnish end for an unchecked Poehling to take a centering feed and bury the OT winner that effectively ended any chance at a medal.

Who Impressed: C Aleksi Heponiemi (2017) — a future Swift Current Bronco (WHL) — was Finland’s top-line center, making the most of his minutes with dynamic plays highlighted by speed and skill. He’s an explosive offensive force with excellent stick skills who can accurately dish it to a teammate or hammer it on goal. Heponiemi is classicly undersized, yet his confidence with the puck and fearless habits makes you think he’s a full foot taller. Heponiemi will take direct routes to the net and assault the cage, but he does so without revealing his intentions — he whips across no-look or behind-the-back passes. He played on a line with another speedster — LW Linus Nyman, who’ll join him in the CHL this season when he suits up for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. Nyman is a dual threat who passes with precision and looks for trailers, but his chemistry with Heponiemi turned him into more of a shooter for the tournament. LHD Urho Vaakanainen (2017) is the flower of Finland’s deep crop of draft-eligible blueliners, and his low point total (one assist in four games) will not reveal just how ridiculously calm and steady he is when the puck is on his stick.