Top Player: LW Tyler Benson (2016) was every bit of the complete player he was a year ago for the Vancouver Giants, only you could see how much he relished the top-line role on a ridiculously deep Canadian team which won its eighth straight Hlinka crown. Benson, the top pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, was at his best in open ice. But keep in mind that it was he who was creating the open ice with elite puckhandling, keen vision and acute on-ice awareness. It’s pretty hard for a Canadian amateur at any Hlinka, past or present, to distinguish himself above his peers, but we feel Benson did just that.

Key Moment: G Dylan Wells (2016) split time with G Carter Hart (2016) for Team Canada’s goalie duties, but it was Wells who was called upon to keep their hopes alive for an eighth straight Hlinka in a nail-biting shootout with Russia in the semifinal. The Mississisauga Steelhead was phenomenal when tested, and the poise and confidence he displayed while stopping all three of Russia’s attempts in the ever-crucial tiebreaker proved just that.

Who Impressed: LHD Samuel Girard (pictured) and LW Dillon Dube (2016) are two high-end draft eligibles who took on a support role for Team Canada, but did so with aplomb. Girard is a fantastic offensive blueliner who passed the puck with authority, but his decision-making and ability to dictate the tempo of the game was a thing to watch. Dube is a highly-skilled two-way sparkplug who was outstanding on the penalty kill, using his speed and tenacity to force turnovers and create chances.

Who Disappointed: We can’t nitpick a team who went a perfect 5-0 while outscoring its opponents, 23-7 and owning the territorial advantage by a significant margin. In a tournament featuring the cream of the amateur crop, however, there were a handful of players who had the chances but simply couldn’t finish. C/LW Brett Howden (2016) was tremendous in creating chances from winning his puck battles, but his shot accuracy and hands from in close didn’t paint him as an elite prospect. On defense, both RHD Dante Fabbro (2016) and LHD Kale Clague (2016) were active puck movers and solid in coverage but missed the net on far too many chances, specifically with open shooting lanes.

Top Player: G Vladislav Sukhachyov (2016) was stellar from wire-to-wire, but it was a performance against Team Canada in the semis which had most of the hockey world asking who the heck “that Russian goalie” was. Sukhachyov, who is eligible for the 2016 draft and will play for the MHL’s Chelyabinsk club, did not start every game for the Russians but displayed some serious side-to-side quickness and cat-like reflexes. He’s listed at only 5’9 and plays on his feet more than you’d think, so he’s sort of an anti-cookie cutter goaltending prospect who tend to be tall and play a natural butterfly. He’s got a ways to go until we can consider him a top-tier 2016 prospect, but what is certain is that he’s done enough to at least get into the conversation.

Key Moment: Russia may have been tied 1-1 with Canada after 40 minutes of their semifinal meeting. but it could have been worse had it not been for “Fortress” Sukhachov’s aforementioned heroics. In fact, the Russians began to take the play to the Canadians early in the third period, and came ever so close to taking the lead. An ill-timed change by RHD Dante Fabbro was exacerbated by LHD Jake Bean‘s turnover which sprung C Nikita O. Popugaev (2016) up the ice after a nifty swipe and headman from LW Mikhail Meshcheryakov. The wiry sniper took advantage of the open ice and rifled one past G Dylan Wells‘ glove and off the crossbar, keeping the score tied and allowing Canada to maintain the initiative.

Who Impressed: C German Rubtsov was Russia’s best all-around forward in several categories, but what we liked most was the excellent mobility he displayed, not just off the rush but when confronted with seemingly fruitless situations. He kept opponents guessing because he can beat you in a variety of ways; Rubtsov has an excellent shot he rips with accuracy while being checked. He can also dish with some flair — on several occasions he no-looked some tape-to-tape beauties, and through traffic no less. All this coming from a kid who was used in all situations and did so with effectiveness. In our view, he’s an inch or two away from being the complete package, but for now just accept him for being a pretty electrifying playmaker and scorer.

Who Disappointed: LHD Dmitri Alexeyev (2016) was a player we had to view isolated so many times to confirm or deny initial observation of what looked to be relatively lifeless play. Well, going “iso” on him on several occasions, namely the entire game versus Canada, revealed a defender who was in fact playing tentative and was rarely, if ever, taking chances when situations called for one. For example, on several shifts we saw opposing wingers make the cardinal error of cheating below the goal to assist in lost board battles, leaving the slot open and presenting the Russian point men the opportunity to sneak through the breach undetected. Not once did we see Alexeyev take advantage of such an opportunity, which were aplenty throughout the tournament. On the defensive side of the puck, he rarely used his body to separate enemy forwards from the puck, nor did he provide consistent puck support with communication. We saw him wander a ton, which would have been fine if it were below the opposing blue line.

Top Player: LW Casey Mittelstadt (pictured) is not draft eligible until 2017, but he was clearly the most dangerous American player on the ice at any given time during the bulk of the competition. Blessed with excellent hands and a heavy shot, the Minnesota-bound winger kept opponents on their toes with a variety of moves both on the rush and in tight spaces. He was the only power forward on his team to consistently use his size and reach to his advantage, and onlookers were quickly made aware of his compete level and high-level skill.

Key Moment: For the first 30-plus minutes of their preliminary round game against Russia, the Americans looked like they rebounded from an abysmal loss to Finland the previous night. With the score tied at one, RW Riley Tufte (2016) and C Pat Harper (2016) had glorious chances to give Team USA its first lead of the tournament, the latter in the form of a penalty shot with the score tied 1-1. But Russia goalie Vladislav Sukhachyov stoned Tufte’s one timer with a sliding stop, then later thwarted Harper’s stuf-in attempt on the penalty shot. Russia would later kill off a critical penalty, then score a backbreaking power play goal with RW Willie Knierim (2016) in the box and just 21 seconds left in the second period. Russia would go on to win, 5-2, and effectively eliminate the U.S. from medal contention.

Who Impressed: C Ben Lown (2016) and C John Leonard (2016) are two undersized forwards who seemed to be the only two playmakers who didn’t force things, opting for the smart or safe plays in the face of relentless pressure. Neither player was gifted open ice; they made the most of what was presented to them, which is significant considering how poor the Americans were at collectively beating the forecheck and establishing any sort of offensive rhythm. LW Tim Gettinger (2016) took a while to get going but was dangerous below the dots, using his size and strength to fend off defenders and get into prime scoring position.

Who Disappointed: Team USA’s defense as a group were abysmal at handling the cycle and initiating breakouts. On a few occasions, we saw individualistic plays where something was made out of nothing. But the end-to-end rushes were the exception to the rule in this tournament, and the inability to connect on passes and deal with pressure with poise and smarts ultimately cost the Americans a chance at a medal.

Top Player: C Nico Hischier is an undersized 2017 eligible who anchored Switzerland’s top line and top power play unit, drawing comparisons to 2015 NHL draftee Denis Malgin in terms of skill but outperformed him in terms of their respective Hlinka’s. Quick but not fast, he was simply a joy to watch every time he was on the puck, and in our view was the best stickhandler in the tournament.

Key Moment: RHD Axel Andersson’s first two periods of Switzerland’s opener against the Swedes went according to plan – he was positionally sound, physical when he had to be and impressively accurate with his breakouts. In the third period, however, Andersson was ejected for kneeing Sweden’s Linus Lindstrom with just under three minutes left in a game the Swiss battled back from two goals down to tie the score at three. Switzerland almost turned the negative into a massive positive when Hischier was awarded a penalty shot for being slashed on a shorthanded breakaway. Gustavsson would stop the ensuing chance, and defenseman RHD Jacob Cedarholm made the Swiss pay after he took an entry feed from Fallstrom, juked around a defender and rifled a shot over Wuthrich’s glove hand to win the match for Sweden.

Who Impressed: LHD Livio Stadler meshed well with Switzerland’s skill forwards, who always seemed to be looking for him either trailing a play or sneaking into the high slot. He’s got great offensive instincts, something we didn’t see much of while he served as a depth defenseman at the 2015 U18’s last April. The Swiss are generally top heavy in terms of NHL upside, and we have no problem putting Stadler at the very top of their 2016 draft eligible totem pole.

Who Disappointed: Goaltender Philip Wuthrich wasnt expected to be some sort of savior, leading the Swiss to unprecedented Hlinka glory. He is, however, considered one of the better international goalie prospects for the 2016 draft, so when his final tournament goals against average (5.59) looked more like the Coors Field earned run average of the Colorado Rockies’ fifth starter, it made you wonder if the high-flying Swiss would have vied for a medal had they received solid netminding.