After falling 8-0 to Sweden in the opener, Canada craves a better result in the semi-final rematch at the 2023 IIHF U18 Ice Hockey World Championship in Basel, Switzerland.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Matt Zambonin
And then there were four.
The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship semi-finals feature one unexpected matchup with the powerhouse U.S. taking on underdog Slovakia and one revenge storyline with Canada aiming to dethrone the defending champion Swedes.
The only sure thing is that unlike the other two times this tournament took place in Switzerland, Finland won’t play for a medal (gold in 2000, silver in 2015) after being eliminated in Thursday’s quarter-finals.
The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship semi-finals feature one unexpected matchup with the powerhouse U.S. taking on underdog Slovakia and one revenge storyline with Canada aiming to dethrone the defending champion Swedes.
The only sure thing is that unlike the other two times this tournament took place in Switzerland, Finland won’t play for a medal (gold in 2000, silver in 2015) after being eliminated in Thursday’s quarter-finals.
Let’s dive into the details in our semi-finals preview. Saturday’s semi-finals are at Basel’s St. Jakob Arena and all times are local.
U.S. vs. Slovakia (15:00)
Coming off a 3-2 quarter-final upset over Finland, Slovakia is unquestionably the Cinderella story of these U18 Worlds. The Slovaks have only two medals all-time (1999 bronze, 2003 silver). And 2003 marked the last time they made the final four, with a roster featuring goalie Jaroslav Halak and defenceman Andrej Meszaros.
So the Central European nation is hyper-motivated to succeed, especially in the context of its other recent hockey successes.
These include the historic 2022 Olympic bronze medal in Beijing, the #1 and #2 overall selections of Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal) and Simon Nemec (New Jersey) in last year’s NHL Draft, and Nela Lopusanova’s highlight-reel MVP performance at the 2023 U18 Women’s Worlds.
Slovak U18 defenceman Leo Eperjesi summed up his team’s buoyant mood: “I think we can go all the way. We're not afraid of anybody.”
However, coach Tibor Tartal’s team faces an uphill climb against the Americans. The U.S. boasts a 41-7 goal difference to Slovakia’s 18-17.
The top Slovak line centered by Dalibor Dvorsky (11 points) has been very good, but the top U.S. line centered by Will Smith has been superlative. Both Smith and his fellow scoring leader Gabe Perreault (16 points apiece) have a shot at the single-tournament points record (21 points, Nikita Kucherov, 2011).
Puck possession, team speed, and overall depth are all edges for coach Dan Muse’s squad as well. Let’s not forget that sniper Cole Eiserman, at 16, is on track (eight goals) to lead the tournament, just ahead of Ryan Leonard (seven goals). Or that dynamic skating defenceman Cole Hutson tops the blueliners’ points parade (nine assists).
“It's pretty tough to keep playing well for a certain number of games in a row,” Hutson said. “But I think we've got the team to do it. When we all play our roles, we do well.”
There’s a glimmer of hope for Slovakia between the pipes. Starting goalie Samuel Urban has faced twice as many shots as his U.S. counterpart Trey Augustine (157 to 76), but has a slightly better save percentage (92.3 to 92.1).
If Urban has the game of his life and Slovakia puts upwards of 30 shots on Augustine, instead of the 12 he faced in the 4-1 quarter-final win over Czechia, there’s a slight chance the Slovaks could win this semi-final. Keeping the game tight as long as possible rather than playing run-and-gun with the Stars and Stripes would help their odds.
“It's really important not to get frustrated,” said the U.S.’s Will Vote. “Stay positive and everything will work out.”
The smart money is on the Americans advancing to their 15th final in tournament history.
Sweden vs. Canada (19:00)
When you pit the defending champions against a team they hammered 8-0 in the preliminary round, it sounds like a huge mismatch. But it’s safe to say that Sweden will have a tougher go versus Canada the second time around.
Swedish forward Felix Unger Sorum said: “I don’t think we should focus on that first game so much. It’s a new game now and we should go and try to do the same thing but even better.”
Since their opening debacle, the Canadians have won four straight games by an aggregate of 27-9. That’s not to say coach Jeff Truit’s squad is complacent. After the 7-3 quarter-final victory over Switzerland, assistant captain Andrew Cristall said: “Credit to the Swiss. They played well, but we didn’t play our best. So we're looking to capitalize and be better in the semi-finals.”
As reflected in their 6-1 quarter-final win over Latvia, the Swedes have surpassed Canada defensively since Day One. They’ve allowed a tournament-low four goals to Canada’s 17.
Offensively, it’s a saw-off between the two nations, as Canada has 27 goals to Sweden’s 24. And special teams are virtually a wash. The Swedish power play is 9-for-20, while Canada’s is 8-for-23. Canada’s penalty kill has allowed three goals on 16 disadvantages, while Sweden has allowed three on 15 disadvantages.
The Canadians will be fired up to avenge their Day One humiliation. Getting forward Colby Barlow back after he missed the quarter-final with an undisclosed injury would help. It may all come down to whose game-breakers step up.
At forward, both Swedish returnee Otto Stenberg, 17, and Canadian U18 rookie Macklin Celebrini, 16, have brought it big-time with 11 points apiece. Both potted two quarter-final goals.
On defence, though, Axel Sandin Pellikka (2+6=8) provides a dynamic two-way threat that no Canadian blueliner has matched. And consistency-wise, the Swedes have the upper hand in net with Noah Erliden leading the way (95.4 save percentage, 1.00 GAA).
“We’ve talked about how we have nothing to defend,” said Unger Sorum. “We’re only chasing the gold now, that’s the goal.”
On paper, the Swedes look like a more solid proposition. But Canada historically has the edge in intangibles, particularly in playoff games. This could go either way.
U.S. vs. Slovakia (15:00)
Coming off a 3-2 quarter-final upset over Finland, Slovakia is unquestionably the Cinderella story of these U18 Worlds. The Slovaks have only two medals all-time (1999 bronze, 2003 silver). And 2003 marked the last time they made the final four, with a roster featuring goalie Jaroslav Halak and defenceman Andrej Meszaros.
So the Central European nation is hyper-motivated to succeed, especially in the context of its other recent hockey successes.
These include the historic 2022 Olympic bronze medal in Beijing, the #1 and #2 overall selections of Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal) and Simon Nemec (New Jersey) in last year’s NHL Draft, and Nela Lopusanova’s highlight-reel MVP performance at the 2023 U18 Women’s Worlds.
Slovak U18 defenceman Leo Eperjesi summed up his team’s buoyant mood: “I think we can go all the way. We're not afraid of anybody.”
However, coach Tibor Tartal’s team faces an uphill climb against the Americans. The U.S. boasts a 41-7 goal difference to Slovakia’s 18-17.
The top Slovak line centered by Dalibor Dvorsky (11 points) has been very good, but the top U.S. line centered by Will Smith has been superlative. Both Smith and his fellow scoring leader Gabe Perreault (16 points apiece) have a shot at the single-tournament points record (21 points, Nikita Kucherov, 2011).
Puck possession, team speed, and overall depth are all edges for coach Dan Muse’s squad as well. Let’s not forget that sniper Cole Eiserman, at 16, is on track (eight goals) to lead the tournament, just ahead of Ryan Leonard (seven goals). Or that dynamic skating defenceman Cole Hutson tops the blueliners’ points parade (nine assists).
“It's pretty tough to keep playing well for a certain number of games in a row,” Hutson said. “But I think we've got the team to do it. When we all play our roles, we do well.”
There’s a glimmer of hope for Slovakia between the pipes. Starting goalie Samuel Urban has faced twice as many shots as his U.S. counterpart Trey Augustine (157 to 76), but has a slightly better save percentage (92.3 to 92.1).
If Urban has the game of his life and Slovakia puts upwards of 30 shots on Augustine, instead of the 12 he faced in the 4-1 quarter-final win over Czechia, there’s a slight chance the Slovaks could win this semi-final. Keeping the game tight as long as possible rather than playing run-and-gun with the Stars and Stripes would help their odds.
“It's really important not to get frustrated,” said the U.S.’s Will Vote. “Stay positive and everything will work out.”
The smart money is on the Americans advancing to their 15th final in tournament history.
Sweden vs. Canada (19:00)
When you pit the defending champions against a team they hammered 8-0 in the preliminary round, it sounds like a huge mismatch. But it’s safe to say that Sweden will have a tougher go versus Canada the second time around.
Swedish forward Felix Unger Sorum said: “I don’t think we should focus on that first game so much. It’s a new game now and we should go and try to do the same thing but even better.”
Since their opening debacle, the Canadians have won four straight games by an aggregate of 27-9. That’s not to say coach Jeff Truit’s squad is complacent. After the 7-3 quarter-final victory over Switzerland, assistant captain Andrew Cristall said: “Credit to the Swiss. They played well, but we didn’t play our best. So we're looking to capitalize and be better in the semi-finals.”
As reflected in their 6-1 quarter-final win over Latvia, the Swedes have surpassed Canada defensively since Day One. They’ve allowed a tournament-low four goals to Canada’s 17.
Offensively, it’s a saw-off between the two nations, as Canada has 27 goals to Sweden’s 24. And special teams are virtually a wash. The Swedish power play is 9-for-20, while Canada’s is 8-for-23. Canada’s penalty kill has allowed three goals on 16 disadvantages, while Sweden has allowed three on 15 disadvantages.
The Canadians will be fired up to avenge their Day One humiliation. Getting forward Colby Barlow back after he missed the quarter-final with an undisclosed injury would help. It may all come down to whose game-breakers step up.
At forward, both Swedish returnee Otto Stenberg, 17, and Canadian U18 rookie Macklin Celebrini, 16, have brought it big-time with 11 points apiece. Both potted two quarter-final goals.
On defence, though, Axel Sandin Pellikka (2+6=8) provides a dynamic two-way threat that no Canadian blueliner has matched. And consistency-wise, the Swedes have the upper hand in net with Noah Erliden leading the way (95.4 save percentage, 1.00 GAA).
“We’ve talked about how we have nothing to defend,” said Unger Sorum. “We’re only chasing the gold now, that’s the goal.”
On paper, the Swedes look like a more solid proposition. But Canada historically has the edge in intangibles, particularly in playoff games. This could go either way.