You wanted the best, you got the best!
Few would argue, the best rivalry in international hockey is USA vs. Canada. And while many had hoped that would be the matchup in this year’s World Junior Championship gold medal game, the two teams are now set to meet up in one of Wednesday’s semifinal games — with a berth to the championship game on the line. To the team on the wrong end of the score, they can still earn a medal at the 2023 WJC, it will just have to be a bronze.
Monday’s quarterfinals didn’t disappoint. The knockout round, as it’s commonly referred to, saw four teams head home empty handed, including one of the Kings three prospects at the tournament.
Quarterfinal Review
Monday, January 2 featured four single elimination playoff games:
Sweden def. Finland, 3-2
Czechia def. Switzerland, 9-1
USA def. Germany, 11-1
Canada def. Slovakia, 4-3
Semifinal Schedule
Wednesday, January 4 on NHL Network:
Sweden vs. Czechia (11:30am PST)
USA vs. Canada (3:30pm)
LA Kings Prospects at 2023 WJC
All three Kings prospects played in the Quarterfinals, with Otto Salin eliminted in the Finland loss. Both other players advanced and will now faceoff against each other in the semifinals; meaning regardless of the USA-Canada outcome, both Brandt Clarke and Kenny Connors can still leave the WJC with medals this year.
Here’s how each of LA’s prospects has performed over five games played thus far:
Otto Salin – Finland, Defense
3 points (0G, 3A), plus-4
Brandt Clarke – Canada, Defense
4 points (1G, 3A), plus-5
Kenny Connors – USA, Forward
1 goal, plus-1
More on each player can be found in the article linked below.
RELATED CONTENT:
WJC Preview – LA Kings Prospects to Watch and Tournament Schedule
Photo via IIHF / Team USA
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